Hewett
Household income in the 91.5th percentile nationally tells the clearest story about Hewett: this is a mortgage-belt suburb where residents earn well but carry significant debt, with 62% of dwellings under mortgage compared to a national figure that sits considerably lower. Every single dwelling is a separate house, 78.2% of them with 4 or more bedrooms, and average household size of 3.2 is 0.7 above the national average. Crime sits at 11.5 incidents per 1,000 residents, low by most measures. The workforce is concentrated in healthcare, public administration and education, which are stable, recession-resistant sectors that support consistent mortgage serviceability.
Population
2,961
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,439/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
29
Median house price data is not published for Hewett, though the monthly mortgage figure of $1,733 and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 16.4% give a useful affordability frame. That ratio is well below the 30% stress threshold, meaning buyers here are not overextended relative to income. The housing stock is exclusively separate houses, with 78.2% having 4 or more bedrooms and 21.2% at 3 bedrooms, making this suburb almost entirely suited to family buyers rather than downsizers or investors chasing smaller units. Weekly rent averages $340, which is low compared to broader Adelaide metro benchmarks. Outright ownership at 26.1% and mortgage tenure at 62.0% confirm this is an active owner-occupier market rather than an investor-held one.
For Buyers
Median house price data is not published for Hewett, though the monthly mortgage figure of $1,733 and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 16.4% give a useful affordability frame. That ratio is well below the 30% stress threshold, meaning buyers here are not overextended relative to income. The housing stock is exclusively separate houses, with 78.2% having 4 or more bedrooms and 21.2% at 3 bedrooms, making this suburb almost entirely suited to family buyers rather than downsizers or investors chasing smaller units. Weekly rent averages $340, which is low compared to broader Adelaide metro benchmarks. Outright ownership at 26.1% and mortgage tenure at 62.0% confirm this is an active owner-occupier market rather than an investor-held one.
For Investors
Rental demand in Hewett is thin: only 11.9% of dwellings are rented, far below the national average, and the 3.0% vacancy rate sits at a point that limits pricing power for landlords. Weekly rent of $340 against a predominantly 4-plus bedroom detached stock implies gross yields are modest. Development activity is meaningful at 29 applications in the past 12 months, but the samples show ancillary works such as carports, verandahs and outbuildings rather than new dwellings, suggesting residents are improving in place rather than subdividing. The low turnover rate of 20.1% (79.9% of residents stayed over 5 years) indicates a stable, long-tenure community that rarely cycles stock to market, which limits entry opportunities but also protects capital for existing owners.
Development Activity
Total DAs
172
Last 12 Months
29
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+11.5%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Hewett iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Hewett Primary School
U, R-6 · 400 students
Demographics
The median age of 38 is 2.0 years below the national figure, pointing to a younger family profile consistent with the large-dwelling, high-bedroom stock. Overseas-born residents make up 14.7% of the population, which is 6.9 percentage points below the national average, giving Hewett a predominantly Australian-born character. English ancestry dominates at 1,445 residents, followed by Scottish (298), German (273) and Irish (260), a solidly Anglo-Celtic composition. University qualifications reach 25.9%, which is 4.2 points below national, and average household size of 3.2 is 0.7 above the national figure, consistent with multi-child family units. The volunteering rate of 16.5% is a positive community indicator, and only 4.0% of residents need daily assistance.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
100.0%
Houses
N/A
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
The housing profile is unusually homogeneous: 100% of dwellings are separate houses, with no apartments or semi-detached properties recorded. Bedroom distribution skews large, with 78.2% of homes having 4 or more bedrooms and 21.2% at 3 bedrooms. Tenure splits heavily toward mortgage holders at 62.0%, outright owners at 26.1%, and renters at just 11.9%, a pattern typical of established family suburbs below average national renter shares. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,733, and the mortgage-to-income ratio of 16.4% is well below the 30% stress threshold, indicating households are managing debt comfortably relative to income in the 91.5th percentile nationally. The 3.0% vacancy rate is not alarming, but combined with minimal rental stock it limits the investor use case.
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wk
$340
HH Size
3.2
Personal Income / wk
$951
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.0%
Unoccupied
29
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
13.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.4%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
18.8%
Couples, no children
2,720
Total families
Economy & Employment
The top industries by employment share are Healthcare (17.4%, 189 workers), Public Admin (16.1%, 174) and Education (15.7%, 170), collectively accounting for nearly half the employed population. Manufacturing and Construction each contribute 8.6%. This public and social services concentration delivers reliable employment stability, which explains how a suburb with a full-time employment rate of 64.6% and a participation rate of 73.7% supports household income in the 91.5th percentile nationally. Unemployment is low at 2.6%. By occupation, Professionals lead at 307, followed by Clerical/Admin at 253, Community/Personal at 242 and Managers at 235. Rent-to-income at 13.9% and mortgage-to-income at 16.4% both sit well below stress thresholds, confirming income is sufficient relative to housing costs.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.6%
Part-time
32.8%
Participation
73.7%
Employed
1,629
Occupations
Top Industries
University
25.9%
Postgraduate
4.9%
Born Overseas
14.7%
Dwellings
918
Transport to Work
Car dependency is high at 92.9% commuting by car, which is typical for a suburban fringe location, and only 1.5% use public transport. The community scores well on stress measures: rent-to-income is 13.9% and mortgage-to-income is 16.4%, both comfortably below the 30% threshold. Crime sits at 11.5 incidents per 1,000 residents, which is low compared to metropolitan averages. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary in this dataset, though the surrounding Barossa/Gawler fringe area has schooling options accessible by car. Hewett has 2,961 residents and a density of 1,762 per square kilometre, which is moderate. The 16.5% volunteering rate and low 4.0% assistance-need rate point to a healthy, self-sufficient population.
Drive
92.9%
Public Transport
1.5%
Walk / Cycle
0.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
34
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
11.5
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Hewett compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hewett a good suburb to live in?
Hewett is well suited to families. Household income sits in the 91.5th percentile nationally, mortgage-to-income is 16.4% (well below the 30% stress threshold), and crime is low at 11.5 incidents per 1,000 residents. The suburb is car-dependent with 92.9% commuting by car, which suits those comfortable with driving to work and amenities.
What is the median house price in Hewett?
Median house price data is not available for Hewett in this dataset. The average monthly mortgage repayment is $1,733, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 16.4%, suggesting prices are affordable relative to local incomes. Weekly rent averages $340, reflecting the suburb's modest rental market with only 11.9% of dwellings rented.
What schools are in Hewett?
No schools are recorded inside the Hewett boundary in this dataset. Families rely on schools in nearby suburbs within the Barossa/Gawler fringe area. The suburb's university qualification rate of 25.9% is 4.2 points below the national figure, and the large household size of 3.2 average reflects a family-oriented community.
Is Hewett safe?
Hewett has a crime rate of 11.5 incidents per 1,000 residents based on 34 total recorded offences, which is low compared to metropolitan averages. The identity signals from the data classify it as a low-crime-rate suburb. Only 4.0% of the 2,961 residents need daily assistance, another indicator of a stable and healthy community.
Is Hewett good for property investment?
The investment case is limited. Only 11.9% of dwellings are rented and weekly rent averages $340, which produces modest yields on larger detached homes. The 3.0% vacancy rate is not extreme but reflects thin rental demand. The 79.9% resident retention rate limits stock turnover. Stability suits capital preservation more than yield-driven strategies.
How is Hewett's population changing?
Formal population forecasts are not available for Hewett. The suburb shows strong stability: 79.9% of residents stayed in the same dwelling over 5 years, compared to higher national turnover rates. At 1.68 square kilometres with a density of 1,762 residents per kilometre, the suburb appears largely built-out with 29 development applications over 12 months being mostly improvements, not new dwellings.
How much development is happening in Hewett?
There were 29 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. The samples show carports, outbuildings and verandahs ancillary to existing dwellings rather than new housing supply, consistent with a stable, established suburb where residents improve in place. This is above the threshold of 20 that makes development activity a notable local characteristic.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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