Best Sydney suburbs for owner-occupiers

Riverview tops the list, with 91.5% of its occupied dwellings owner-occupied. Across the ranking, owner-occupier shares run from 87.7% to 95.8%. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 550 eligible Sydney suburbs.

This ranking scores every eligible Sydney suburb on the share of occupied dwellings that are owner-occupied, from the ABS 2021 census, blended with residential stability (low dwelling churn), walkability and safety. These are the settled, owner-heavy neighbourhoods where most residents own the home they live in.

Owner-occupier share leads the score, but stability matters too: a suburb where most homes are owned and the dwelling stock isn't churning through constant construction reads as an established community rather than a transient one. Walkability and safety round out the blend so the list favours neighbourhoods that are pleasant to live in, not merely owned. Percentiles are computed within Sydney, so each suburb ranks against its own metro.

Sydney's most owner-occupied suburbs

Ranked on the share of occupied dwellings that are owner-occupied (ABS 2021 census tenure), blended with residential stability (low dwelling churn), walkability and safety — the settled, owner-heavy neighbourhoods where most residents own the home they live in.

Riverview

NSW 2066 · 3,148 residents

8% renting · 92% owner-occupied · 92/100 safety

A+ 92.4

Kareela

NSW 2232 · 3,572 residents

5% renting · 95% owner-occupied · 89/100 safety

B 92.2

Middle Cove

NSW 2068 · 1,327 residents

8% renting · 92% owner-occupied · 90/100 safety

A+ 91.5

Bonnet Bay

NSW 2226 · 2,238 residents

5% renting · 95% owner-occupied · 91/100 safety

A 91.0

Longueville

NSW 2066 · 2,116 residents

9% renting · 91% owner-occupied · 86/100 safety

A+ 91.0

Davidson

NSW 2085 · 2,725 residents

7% renting · 93% owner-occupied · 72/100 safety

A 89.4

Woronora Heights

NSW 2233 · 2,781 residents

4% renting · 96% owner-occupied · 68/100 safety

A 89.3

Rodd Point

NSW 2046 · 1,380 residents

11% renting · 89% owner-occupied · 76/100 safety

A 88.9

East Lindfield

NSW 2070 · 3,710 residents

12% renting · 88% owner-occupied · 94/100 safety

A+ 87.8

Woronora

NSW 2232 · 2,043 residents

10% renting · 90% owner-occupied · 84/100 safety

A 87.3

East Killara

NSW 2071 · 2,895 residents

12% renting · 88% owner-occupied · 70/100 safety

A 87.0

Roseville Chase

NSW 2069 · 1,618 residents

10% renting · 90% owner-occupied · 92/100 safety

A+ 87.0

Connells Point

NSW 2221 · 2,884 residents

11% renting · 89% owner-occupied · 89/100 safety

A 86.2

Willoughby East

NSW 2068 · 1,864 residents

12% renting · 88% owner-occupied · 92/100 safety

A+ 86.0

Gymea Bay

NSW 2227 · 6,983 residents

7% renting · 93% owner-occupied · 82/100 safety

A 85.8

Ranked from 550 qualifying suburbs.

How we ranked these

55% owner-occupier share (percentile within Sydney) · 25% residential stability (low 2016→2021 dwelling churn) · 10% walkability · 10% safety (bushfire, crime, flood combined). Owner-occupier share comes from ABS 2021 census tenure — the share of occupied dwellings owned outright or with a mortgage. Percentiles are computed within Sydney's candidate pool. See how we calculate for the full methodology.

Common questions about this ranking

What are the best Sydney suburbs for owner-occupiers?

How is this ranking scored?

Each eligible Sydney suburb is scored on four factors: 55% owner-occupier share (the share of occupied dwellings owned outright or with a mortgage, from the ABS 2021 census, ranked as a percentile within Sydney), 25% residential stability (low dwelling churn between the 2016 and 2021 censuses), 10% walkability, and 10% safety (bushfire, crime and flood risks combined).

What counts as owner-occupied?

A dwelling lived in by its owner — whether owned outright or with a mortgage — as opposed to rented. The figure is the owner-occupied share of all tenure-classified occupied private dwellings in the ABS 2021 census, and it's the exact complement of the rental share our investor ranking uses.

Which suburbs are eligible?

A suburb needs a resident population of at least 1,000 and a 2021 census tenure record. Suburbs below the threshold or missing census tenure data are excluded, not penalised, so the ranking isn't dominated by tiny outliers.

How often is this list updated?

The top 15 is recomputed whenever the underlying data refreshes. Tenure comes from the ABS census (every five years); the growth and safety inputs refresh alongside their own datasets.

Same list in other cities

Rankings last computed 28 September 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.

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Best Sydney suburbs for owner-occupiers

Sydney's most owner-occupied suburbs

Common questions about this ranking

Same list in other cities

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