Salter Springs vs Owen
Owen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 48 in Salter Springs. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Salter Springs, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Salter Springs tends to suit couples.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Salter Springs is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 56%)
- Owen has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Salter Springs
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (10% vs 20%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Salter Springs
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 20%)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (30% vs 15%)
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $220/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Owen
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (83.7 km vs 101.2 km)
- has a shorter drive in (67 min vs 80 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Owen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs GPs and walkability.
Investors
Salter Springs
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (7.3% vs -0.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Salter Springs and Owen drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Owen has more residents (509 vs 59); Salter Springs has higher household incomes ($123,448 vs $56,472).
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 59 | 509 +763% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.3% | -0.4% |
| Median age | 48 | 42 |
| Median household income | $123,448/yr +54% vs other | $56,472/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $220/wk +10% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $540,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 20 days from 6 sales |
Zoning mix
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 99% |
| 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
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 15 across Wakefield same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 94% of SA | Higher than 21% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 54% of SA | Higher than 66% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 46% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 34% of SA | Higher than 51% of SA |
Liveability
Owen is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 14/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Owen carries more bushfire risk (77 vs 33).
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 33/100 | High 77/100 |
| Crime | — | Low 36/100 |
| Flood | — same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Salter Springs
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Owen
- Owen Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Salter Springs sits further from the CBD (101.2 km vs 83.7 km).
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 101.2 km +17% vs other | 83.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 80 min | 67 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 5401 | 0.4% postcode 5460 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 61 postcode 5401 | 73 postcode 5460 |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.1%).
Setting
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 236 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 107 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 38.5 km | 29.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 23/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 13 premises | 0% 235 premises |
Climate
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 460 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,640/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wakefield same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Grey same for both | |
| Member | Tom Venning same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Salter Springs | Owen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Salter Springs
Other comparisons with Owen
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.