Rankin Park
With 98.8% of dwellings being separate houses and only 12% of residents renting, Rankin Park is one of the most owner-occupier-dominated suburbs in the Newcastle region. Household income sits in the 84.1st percentile nationally, well above the national median, and 42.5% of residents hold university qualifications, some 12.4 percentage points higher than the national average. The suburb covers just 1.44 square kilometres with a population of 2,547, giving a density of 1,771 people per square kilometre. Couples with children make up 43.3% of families, reinforcing the firmly family-oriented character indicated by the suburb's housing stock.
Population
2,547
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,214/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
24
Median House
$860K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The median house price reached $865,000 in 2025, up from $845,000 in 2024, a 2.4% rise over 12 months. Almost all stock is detached housing at 98.8%, with semi-detached at just 1.2%, meaning buyers face limited variety but benefit from scarcity of apartments. The bedroom profile skews large: 40.6% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 56.6% have three, so most sales are family-sized homes. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,000, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 20.9%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. That ratio is lower than many comparable coastal Newcastle suburbs because household incomes here rank in the 84th percentile nationally. Outright owners at 42.8% outnumber mortgage holders at 45.3%, pointing to a mature, stable ownership base.
For Buyers
The median house price reached $865,000 in 2025, up from $845,000 in 2024, a 2.4% rise over 12 months. Almost all stock is detached housing at 98.8%, with semi-detached at just 1.2%, meaning buyers face limited variety but benefit from scarcity of apartments. The bedroom profile skews large: 40.6% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 56.6% have three, so most sales are family-sized homes. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,000, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 20.9%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. That ratio is lower than many comparable coastal Newcastle suburbs because household incomes here rank in the 84th percentile nationally. Outright owners at 42.8% outnumber mortgage holders at 45.3%, pointing to a mature, stable ownership base.
For Investors
At 12.0% renter share, Rankin Park offers a thin tenant pool compared to the state average, so vacancy risk is real. The recorded vacancy rate of 4.5% is already elevated relative to typical healthy markets around 2-3%. Weekly rent of $450 against an $865,000 median implies a gross yield near 2.7%, which is below the level most yield-focused investors target. Development activity ran to 23 applications in the past 12 months, above what density suggests, mostly alterations and shed or pool additions rather than new dwellings. The suburb's low renter concentration and high owner-occupier rate of 88% means resale demand is driven by family buyers rather than investors, supporting price stability over speculative growth.
Development Activity
Total DAs
103
Last 12 Months
24
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+100.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 40 matches the national figure exactly. Ancestry is strongly Anglo-Celtic: English leads at 1,136 residents, followed by Irish (310) and Scottish (306), making this one of the more Anglo-leaning suburbs in the Hunter region. Overseas-born residents account for 12.4%, which is 9.2 percentage points below the national figure, reflecting the area's settled, locally-born character. University qualifications at 42.5% run 12.4 percentage points above the national average, consistent with the professional and managerial occupations that dominate the local workforce. Household size averages 2.7 people, slightly above the national figure of 2.5, in line with the high proportion of couples with children at 43.3% of families.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
98.8%
Houses
1.2%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is split between outright owners at 42.8% and mortgage holders at 45.3%, leaving only 12.0% renting, far below the national average. That near-complete owner-occupation is matched by an almost uniform dwelling type: 98.8% separate houses, with semi-detached homes the only alternative at 1.2%. Bedroom size is notably large, with 40.6% of dwellings having four or more bedrooms and 56.6% having three, so three-bedroom and four-plus together cover 97.2% of stock. Price history shows measured growth: the median moved from $845,000 in 2024 to $865,000 in 2025, a 2.4% one-year gain. Mortgage-to-income at 20.9% and rent-to-income at 20.3% are both well below the 30% stress threshold, indicating current residents are managing housing costs comfortably relative to income.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wk
$450
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$928
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.5%
Unoccupied
44
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.9%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
28.4%
Couples, no children
2,218
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the dominant industry at 25.5% of employed residents (244 workers), more than 1.5 times the share of the next sector, Education at 15.7% (150 workers). Professional and technical services follow at 10.0%, with Public Administration at 7.4% and Construction at 7.1%. By occupation, Professionals form the largest group at 432 workers, ahead of Clerical and Admin (181) and Managers (150), a profile that sits well above the national average for white-collar employment. The unemployment rate of 2.6% is low by national standards, and the full-time employment rate of 60.7% is solid. Participation at 60.3% is moderate, partly because 671 residents are not in the labour force, consistent with the older owner-occupier cohort. Volunteering runs at 17.7%, above the national benchmark.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.7%
Part-time
36.7%
Participation
60.3%
Employed
1,190
Occupations
Top Industries
University
42.5%
Postgraduate
10.4%
Born Overseas
12.4%
Dwellings
928
Transport to Work
Car dependence is extreme: 92.2% of residents drive to work, and only 0.9% use public transport, one of the lowest public-transport shares in greater Newcastle. Walking or cycling accounts for 2.2%. Crime data is not available for Rankin Park specifically, but housing stress indicators are low, with rent-to-income at 20.3% and mortgage-to-income at 20.9%, both below the stress threshold. The need-for-assistance rate of 4.6% (115 people) is modest. No schools are recorded within the 1.44 square kilometre boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring Lake Macquarie and Newcastle suburbs. The very low renter share of 12% and high owner-occupier rate point to a settled, low-transience environment, which typically correlates with lower crime and higher local engagement.
Drive
92.2%
Public Transport
0.9%
Walk / Cycle
2.2%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Rankin Park compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rankin Park a good suburb to live in?
Rankin Park suits established families and owner-occupiers well. Household income ranks in the 84.1st percentile nationally, housing stress is low with a mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.9%, and university qualifications at 42.5% are 12.4 percentage points above the national average. The trade-off is high car dependence, with public transport used by only 0.9% of commuters.
What is the median house price in Rankin Park?
The median house price is $865,000 as of 2025, up from $845,000 in 2024, a 2.4% gain. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,000, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.9%, which is below the 30% stress threshold. Weekly rent averages $450.
What schools are in Rankin Park?
No schools are recorded within the 1.44 square kilometre Rankin Park boundary in this dataset. Families rely on schools in neighbouring Newcastle and Lake Macquarie suburbs. The suburb's university qualification rate of 42.5%, some 12.4 percentage points above the national figure, reflects a well-educated resident base despite the absence of local schools.
Is Rankin Park safe?
Specific crime rate data is not available for Rankin Park. As indirect indicators, housing stress is low (mortgage-to-income 20.9%), only 4.6% of residents need daily assistance, and the suburb's 83.5% residential stability rate suggests a low-transience, settled community, factors that generally correlate with lower crime rates than higher-turnover suburbs.
Is Rankin Park good for property investment?
Investment fundamentals are mixed. The renter pool is thin at 12.0%, vacancy sits at 4.5%, and weekly rent of $450 against an $865,000 median implies a gross yield near 2.7%, below typical investor targets. Price growth of 2.4% over 2024-2025 is steady but not exceptional. The suburb suits capital-preservation investors more than high-yield or high-growth strategies.
How is Rankin Park's population changing?
The population of 2,547 is small and stable. Residential turnover is low, with 83.5% of residents staying put during the measured period. Development activity of 23 applications in 12 months mostly covers alterations rather than new dwellings, so significant population growth is not expected in the short term.
How much development is happening in Rankin Park?
There were 23 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, above what the 1.44 square kilometre size suggests. Most involve shed additions, swimming pools, carports and dwelling alterations rather than new homes, consistent with established owner-occupiers improving existing properties rather than new supply entering the market.
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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