Two-thirds of Australian households owned their home at the 2021 Census, 66.0%, outright or with a mortgage. Suburb by suburb, the typical locality had a higher share, 75.2%, but 660 localities had fewer than half of their homes owned, and 3.0 million people lived in them. New South Wales accounted for 1.29 million of those residents, 17.7% of the state’s population. In the Northern Territory 50.4% of residents lived in such localities, while in South Australia only 5.6% did.
Ownership counts homes owned outright or with a mortgage, as a share of all occupied private dwellings.
What the measure counts
The Census records how each occupied private dwelling is held: owned outright, owned with a mortgage, rented, under another arrangement, or not stated. This piece takes the share owned outright or with a mortgage in each suburb and locality with more than 200 residents. It is the input to Tenure Stability & Housing (24112), one of the five parts of APN Bedrock™ (Socio-Economic Position) (24110). Because dwellings under other arrangements or with tenure not stated are in the total, a locality where fewer than half of homes are owned does not necessarily have more renters than owners.
Nationally, 66.0% of households owned their home and 30.6% rented. Averaging the localities’ shares by their residents gives 66.3%, close to the national figure.
Where fewer than half of homes are owned
| State or territory | Localities | Owned, middle locality | Localities under half owned | Residents in them | Localities under a quarter owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | 162 | 35.2% | 101 | 109,305 | 69 |
| New South Wales | 2,080 | 75.7% | 179 | 1,293,424 | 13 |
| Queensland | 1,492 | 72.5% | 178 | 653,722 | 45 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 101 | 73.0% | 9 | 46,083 | 0 |
| Western Australia | 696 | 72.4% | 82 | 221,128 | 38 |
| Victoria | 1,229 | 79.5% | 48 | 507,879 | 3 |
| Tasmania | 319 | 79.3% | 16 | 34,644 | 1 |
| South Australia | 691 | 74.6% | 44 | 89,822 | 10 |
| Australia | 6,774 | 75.2% | 660 | 2,958,645 | 181 |
APN calculation based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, August 2021, Table G37. Owned outright or with a mortgage, as a share of all occupied private dwellings; localities with more than 200 residents.
Residents in localities where fewer than half of homes were owned, 2021
APN calculation based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, August 2021, Table G37. Share of residents living in localities where fewer than half of occupied private dwellings were owned. Owned outright or with a mortgage, as a share of all occupied private dwellings; localities with more than 200 residents.
The typical locality had 75.2% of its homes owned, higher than the national rate, because localities with lower ownership tend to have more residents. Of the 660 localities where fewer than half were owned, 179 were in New South Wales and 178 in Queensland. In the Northern Territory, 101 of 162 localities were below half, and 69 were below a quarter. Nationally, 181 localities had fewer than a quarter of homes owned, most of them in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia. Of these, 78, home to 41,801 people, recorded no homes owned outright or with a mortgage; 35 of them are in the Northern Territory.
Where most homes are owned
Residents in localities where 80% or more of homes were owned, 2021
APN calculation based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, August 2021, Table G37. Share of residents living in localities where 80% or more of occupied private dwellings were owned. Owned outright or with a mortgage, as a share of all occupied private dwellings; localities with more than 200 residents.
At the other end, 16.8% of residents lived in localities where at least 80% of homes were owned. The share was highest in Tasmania (23.1%), Western Australia (22.3%) and South Australia (20.8%). Household incomes across the same localities are covered in Household Income Across Australia’s Suburbs in 2021.
What this does not show
Ownership shares describe homes, not people, and they say nothing about who owns rented homes or whether they are let privately or by a government or community housing provider. The figures describe August 2021; ownership and renting have both changed since, and the first results of the 2026 Census are due from mid-2027. Seven small localities whose published counts give an ownership share above 100% are left out, as is Juna Downs in Western Australia, which records no occupied private dwellings. Localities of 200 residents or fewer are excluded.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (Reference period: 2021) 2021 Census QuickStats: Australia [https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/AUS], ABS Website, accessed 7 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (Reference period: 2021) Census of Population and Housing: General Community Profile [https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/datapacks], ABS Website, accessed 7 October 2026.
ABS material is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Calculations, standardisations and index readings are APN’s and are not attributable to the ABS.
Findings are presented on the basis of data and evidence alone.
