Book a call ↗Supply & Ownership · Updated Sept 2026
How Does Public Housing Concentration Affect Property Values?
Formula / Rule: (State Housing Authority + Community Housing Dwellings) ÷ Total Occupied Dwellings × 100
Ripehouse Benchmark: ≤ 5% per ABS SA1 Block (Ripehouse Street Test). Check any market live in our Suburb R-Score tool or Street Score tool.
How to Read Public Housing Concentration (SA1) in Australian Property
| Reading / Tier | Market Interpretation | What It Means for Property Investors |
|---|---|---|
| 0% – 5.0% | Passes Ripehouse Test | Low social-housing concentration at the ABS SA1 census block level |
| 5.1% – 10.0% | Elevated Concentration | Fails automated Street Score test; check exact street pocket carefully |
| Over 10.0% | High Concentration Pocket | Concentrated state/community housing cluster on the block |
Why SA1 block resolution is essential
An ABS Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) typically covers just a few residential blocks (roughly 100 to 250 homes). Measuring public housing at the SA1 level rather than the whole suburb level is the only quantitative way to spot street-by-street tenure shifts across Australia.
Top Australian Suburbs Measured this Month (Sept 2026)
| Suburb | State & Council (LGA) | R-Score | Median Price | Gross Yield | Vacancy | Drill Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Docklands (3008) | VIC · Melbourne | 100/100 | $1,152,000 | 16.2% | 7.4% | Suburb · Streets → |
| Alice Springs (0870) | NT · Alice Springs | 100/100 | $355,000 | 15.4% | 2.1% | Suburb · Streets → |
| Weyba Downs (4562) | QLD · Sunshine Coast | 100/100 | $1,001,000 | 15.1% | 11.1% | Suburb · Streets → |
| Goodmans Ford (2575) | NSW · Upper Lachlan Shire | 100/100 | $380,000 | 14.9% | 25% | Suburb · Streets → |
| Bunyan (2630) | NSW · Snowy Monaro Regional | 100/100 | $380,000 | 14.6% | 0% | Suburb · Streets → |
| Knowsley (3523) | VIC · Greater Bendigo | 100/100 | $540,000 | 10.6% | 12.5% | Suburb · Streets → |
| Mia Mia (3444) | VIC · Greater Bendigo | 100/100 | $250,000 | 10.4% | 11.1% | Suburb · Streets → |
| Myalup (6220) | WA · Harvey | 100/100 | $435,000 | 10.2% | 5% | Suburb · Streets → |
Apply the Data to Your Portfolio
Want our research team to apply these 27 indicators to your next property purchase?
Book a free 15-minute discovery call with Ripehouse Advisory. We will review your equity, borrowing capacity, and show you how our suburb and street screening works in practice.
Keep Exploring the Glossary
Gross Rental Yield
Rental Vacancy Rate
Ripehouse Suburb R-Score
Ripehouse Street Score
Days on Market (DOM)
Owner-Occupier Ratio
Public Housing Concentration (SA1) FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions: Public Housing Concentration (SA1)
How Does Public Housing Concentration Affect Property Values?
Public housing concentration measures the percentage of dwellings in a census block (ABS SA1) or suburb that are rented from a state housing authority (such as Homes Victoria, Homes NSW, Housing ACT, or Dept of Housing) or community housing provider. While small, dispersed levels of social housing are normal across Australia, concentrated pockets exceeding 5% to 10% in a single SA1 block often correlate with softer capital growth and valuation discounts on adjacent homes. The Ripehouse Street Score tests that public and community housing is 5% or less on the block.
How is Public Housing Concentration (SA1) calculated or measured in Australia?
Public Housing Concentration (SA1) is measured using the formula: (State Housing Authority + Community Housing Dwellings) ÷ Total Occupied Dwellings × 100. Ripehouse Advisory’s target benchmark band is: ≤ 5% per ABS SA1 Block (Ripehouse Street Test).
How can I check Public Housing Concentration (SA1) for any Australian suburb or street?
You can inspect live monthly R-Scores, median prices, weekly rents, gross yields, vacancy rates, and ABS SA1 Street Scores across 15,000+ suburbs and 518,400+ streets for free at ripehouseadvisory.com.au/suburbs and /streets.