Ottoway vs Pennington

Ottoway is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 41 in Pennington. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Pennington: a median of $870,000, against $780,000 in Ottoway, though rent is higher in Ottoway. Pennington is closer to the city centre: 12 km, against 14.2 km.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Ottoway

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (75/100 vs 88/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Ottoway

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($496,000 vs $625,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($780,500 vs $870,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Pennington

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $275/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Pennington

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (86/100 vs 72/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (12 km vs 14.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Ottoway carries lower crime risk (75/100 vs 88/100)
  • Pennington is more walkable (86/100 vs 72/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Ottoway

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (11.3% vs 3.5%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Ottoway and Pennington drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Ottoway Pennington
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Ottoway Pennington
Walkability 72 / 86
Ottoway — Walkability: 72/100 Pennington — Walkability: 86/100
Safety 25 / 12
Ottoway — Safety: 25/100 Pennington — Safety: 12/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Ottoway — Low fire risk: 100/100 Pennington — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 19 / 20
Ottoway — Low flood risk: 19/100 Pennington — Low flood risk: 20/100

Demographics

Pennington has more residents (3,773 vs 2,783); Pennington skews older (41 vs 37).

Ottoway Pennington
Population 2,783 3,773
+36% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +11.3% +3.5%
Median age 37 41
Median household income $63,492/yr $66,352/yr
+5% vs other
Median weekly rent $275/wk
+9% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ottoway Pennington
0-4 5.7% / 5.6%
Ottoway — 0-4: 5.7% Pennington — 0-4: 5.6%
5-14 11.4% / 10.2%
Ottoway — 5-14: 11.4% Pennington — 5-14: 10.2%
15-19 5.9% / 5.8%
Ottoway — 15-19: 5.9% Pennington — 15-19: 5.8%
20-24 7.0% / 6.4%
Ottoway — 20-24: 7.0% Pennington — 20-24: 6.4%
25-34 16.2% / 14.0%
Ottoway — 25-34: 16.2% Pennington — 25-34: 14.0%
35-44 12.9% / 12.4%
Ottoway — 35-44: 12.9% Pennington — 35-44: 12.4%
45-54 13.7% / 12.9%
Ottoway — 45-54: 13.7% Pennington — 45-54: 12.9%
55-64 13.0% / 13.8%
Ottoway — 55-64: 13.0% Pennington — 55-64: 13.8%
65-74 8.6% / 9.2%
Ottoway — 65-74: 8.6% Pennington — 65-74: 9.2%
75-84 3.6% / 5.4%
Ottoway — 75-84: 3.6% Pennington — 75-84: 5.4%
85+ 1.7% / 4.1%
Ottoway — 85+: 1.7% Pennington — 85+: 4.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ottoway 34.2% lone person
Ottoway — Lone Person: 34.2% Ottoway — Couple Families: 36.5% Ottoway — One Parent Families: 20.8% Ottoway — Group Household: 4.9% Ottoway — Other Families: 3.6%
Pennington 39.4% lone person
Pennington — Lone Person: 39.4% Pennington — Couple Families: 34.0% Pennington — One Parent Families: 19.2% Pennington — Group Household: 4.8% Pennington — Other Families: 2.7%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ottoway 35.0% renting
Ottoway — Owned Outright: 27.6% Ottoway — Mortgage: 37.4% Ottoway — Renting: 35.0%
Pennington 39.7% renting
Pennington — Owned Outright: 25.6% Pennington — Mortgage: 34.7% Pennington — Renting: 39.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Ottoway Pennington
Certificate III & IV 13.9% / 13.8%
Ottoway — Certificate III & IV: 13.9% Pennington — Certificate III & IV: 13.8%
Bachelor Degree 8.2% / 9.4%
Ottoway — Bachelor Degree: 8.2% Pennington — Bachelor Degree: 9.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.4% / 5.8%
Ottoway — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.4% Pennington — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.8%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / 2.2%
Ottoway — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% Pennington — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.6% / 1.1%
Ottoway — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.6% Pennington — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.9%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Ottoway Pennington
Vietnam 14.2% / 11.4%
Ottoway — Vietnam: 14.2% Pennington — Vietnam: 11.4%
Philippines 6.3% / 2.8%
Ottoway — Philippines: 6.3% Pennington — Philippines: 2.8%
India 2.0% / 3.9%
Ottoway — India: 2.0% Pennington — India: 3.9%
England 1.6% / 2.4%
Ottoway — England: 1.6% Pennington — England: 2.4%
Italy 1.2% / 0.9%
Ottoway — Italy: 1.2% Pennington — Italy: 0.9%
Greece 0.9% / 1.2%
Ottoway — Greece: 0.9% Pennington — Greece: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ottoway 73.6% houses
Ottoway — Houses: 73.6% Ottoway — Townhouses: 22.4% Ottoway — Flats / Apartments: 3.9%
Pennington 70.2% houses
Pennington — Houses: 70.2% Pennington — Townhouses: 28.0% Pennington — Flats / Apartments: 1.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Ottoway Pennington
Median house price $780,500 $870,000
Median unit price $496,000 $625,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 14 days
from 17 sales
 16 days
from 22 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Ottoway Pennington
3 bed $778K / $851K
Ottoway — 3 bed: $778K (34 sales) Pennington — 3 bed: $851K (20 sales)

34 vs 20 sales

4 bed $830K / $980K
Ottoway — 4 bed: $830K (11 sales) Pennington — 4 bed: $980K (9 sales)

11 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Ottoway has more industrially zoned land (26% vs 9%).

Ottoway Pennington
Residential 73% 89%
Industrial 26% 9%
Commercial 1%
same for both
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Ottoway Pennington
New dwellings approved 1,176
across Port Adelaide Enfield
 1,636
across Charles Sturt
Approvals change year on year +23% +109%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Ottoway Pennington
Houses 4.0%
$635/wk on $820K
 4.1%
$650/wk on $819K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within SA

Ottoway Pennington
House price Higher than 23% of SA
same for both
Income Higher than 31% of SA Higher than 34% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 89% of SA Higher than 96% of SA
Affordability Higher than 49% of SA Higher than 56% of SA
EV adoption Higher than 47% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of SA Higher than 91% of SA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 58% of SA Higher than 68% of SA

Liveability

Pennington is more walkable (86 vs 72).

Ottoway Pennington
Grade D C
Score 32/100 36/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Pennington carries more crime risk (88 vs 75).

Ottoway Pennington
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
75/100
 High
88/100
Flood High
81/100
 High
80/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 37
within 5 km
 33
within 5 km

Schools

Ottoway Pennington
Inside the suburb 1 2
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0 1
Universities within 10 km 1
Adelaide University, Mawson Lakes Campus, 8.0 km
 1
Adelaide University, Mawson Lakes Campus, 8.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.5% 2.9%

Schools in Ottoway

  • St Joseph's School Catholic · Primary above peers

Schools in Pennington

  • Pennington School R-6 Government · Primary below peers
  • Mount Carmel College Primary Campus Catholic · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Ottoway Pennington
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 3 2
Childcare 2 4
GPs 1
same for both
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1
same for both

Mobility

Ottoway sits further from the CBD (14.2 km vs 12 km).

Ottoway Pennington
Walkability score 72/100 86/100
Distance to Adelaide 14.2 km
+15% vs other
 12 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 20 min
same for both
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 47.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 45.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 5013
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 61
postcode 5013
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Ottoway Pennington
Car (driver) 78.5% / 77.2%
Ottoway — Car (driver): 78.5% Pennington — Car (driver): 77.2%
Car (passenger) 9.6% / 6.0%
Ottoway — Car (passenger): 9.6% Pennington — Car (passenger): 6.0%
Worked from Home 4.5% / 7.6%
Ottoway — Worked from Home: 4.5% Pennington — Worked from Home: 7.6%
Bus 5.0% / 3.6%
Ottoway — Bus: 5.0% Pennington — Bus: 3.6%
Train 0.3% / 3.1%
Ottoway — Train: 0.3% Pennington — Train: 3.1%
Bicycle 1.3% / 1.2%
Ottoway — Bicycle: 1.3% Pennington — Bicycle: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.5%).

Setting

Ottoway Pennington
Elevation 1 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 4 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 4.2 km 5.0 km

NBN connectivity

Ottoway Pennington
Connectivity score 69/100 77/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 43%
1,264 premises
 48%
1,743 premises

Climate

Ottoway Pennington
Annual rainfall 457 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 29.1°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Ottoway Pennington
PM2.5 4.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Ottoway Pennington
Average residential rate $1,311/yr $1,726/yr
Council Port Adelaide Enfield Charles Sturt

Federal electorate

Ottoway Pennington
Division Hindmarsh
same for both
Member Mark Butler
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ottoway Pennington
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ottoway

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Townhouses

Pennington

Middle-Ring Multicultural Parks Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ottoway

Ottoway vs Mansfield Park Ottoway vs Rosewater Ottoway vs Athol Park Ottoway vs Wingfield Ottoway vs Gillman

Other comparisons with Pennington

Pennington vs Rosewater Pennington vs Woodville North Pennington vs St Clair Pennington vs Cheltenham Pennington vs Athol Park
Full data on Ottoway Full data on Pennington
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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