Ranking Inner West Suburbs by the Richest Households
Wealth in the Inner West is easy to misunderstand.
Some suburbs look rich because they’re expensive. Others actually are rich because the people living there earn serious money, year after year, often quietly. This ranking isn’t about property prices, family history, or inherited homes. It’s about median household income — what households are actually bringing in.
USING CENSUS DATA, this is where the Inner West really sits.
1. Drummoyne — ~$179,000
Drummoyne tops the list because of consistent, mature earning households. Executives, senior professionals, and long-career families dominate. It’s not flashy wealth, but it’s real.
2. Haberfield — ~$178,000
Haberfield earns at the top through stability. Dual-income professional families, business owners, and long-established households keep incomes high and predictable.
3. Leichhardt — ~$172,000
Leichhardt’s wealth comes from people who’ve been earning well for a long time. Senior professionals, business owners, and families deep into peak earning years.
4. Russell Lea — ~$171,000
Small suburb, big incomes. Russell Lea quietly outperforms expectations thanks to low turnover and very high professional concentration.
5. Summer Hill — ~$161,000
Summer Hill’s wealth is calm and consistent. Dual professional households dominate, with fewer extremes dragging the median down.
6. Annandale — ~$155,000
Annandale earns through experience. Law, medicine, finance, and senior corporate roles are common. This is income that’s already reminded itself what hard work paid off.
7. Forest Lodge — ~$146,000
Forest Lodge benefits from proximity and profession. Academic, medical, and corporate households lift earnings without drawing attention.
8. Lilyfield — ~$145,000
Lilyfield earns quietly. Smaller population, fewer renters, and a high proportion of established professionals keep the median strong.
9. Glebe — ~$143,000
Glebe doesn’t look like an income leader, but it is. Academics, professionals, and long-term renters with strong wages push earnings higher than expected.
10. Stanmore — ~$142,000
Stanmore sits comfortably in the upper tier. Solid professional households, fewer low-income extremes, steady earning power.
11. Petersham — ~$139,000
Petersham earns more than people think. A mix of professionals and established households offsets the younger rental population.
12. Dulwich Hill — ~$139,000
Dulwich Hill continues to climb. Family households and mid-to-senior professionals push incomes steadily upward.
13. Alexandria — ~$137,000
Alexandria has high earners, but also lots of younger renters. The mix keeps the median strong, but not elite.
14. Hurlstone Park — ~$129,000
Comfortable, stable incomes dominate here. Few ultra-high earners, but very little downside either.
15. Earlwood — ~$123,000
Earlwood earns through consistency. Trades, professionals, and family households combine into a reliable middle-upper income base.
16. Marrickville — ~$123,000
Marrickville has plenty of high earners, but also huge diversity. The range pulls the median down despite visible affluence.
17. Ashfield — ~$120,000
Ashfield’s income profile is stronger than its reputation. It sits above national norms, just below Inner West elites.
18. Ashbury — ~$119,000
Ashbury earns well, but quietly. Smaller households and fewer dual-executive incomes cap the median.
19. Enmore — ~$116,000
Enmore is full of high-earning individuals, but fewer high-earning households. Youth and renting shape the numbers.
20. Croydon — ~$115,000
Croydon is comfortable rather than wealthy. Solid household incomes without standout extremes.
21. Lewisham — ~$113,000
Lewisham earns steadily, though transitional households keep the median from lifting higher.
22. Sydenham — ~$110,000
Sydenham is still evolving. Income is rising, but the mix hasn’t settled yet.
23. Newtown — ~$130,000
Newtown looks rich, but earns less than expected. Creative industries, renters, and younger households soften the median.
24. Tempe — ~$106,000
Tempe’s income profile reflects infrastructure, renters, and mobility. Few long-term high-income households anchor the suburb.
25. Campsie — ~$97,000
Campsie works hard. Large households and diverse employment keep the median lower despite strong economic participation.
26. Canterbury — ~$84,000
Canterbury sits last due to household structure, not lack of effort. broader income ranges pull the median down.
Property prices tell you what people paid.
Income tells you what they can actually afford.
The Inner West isn’t rich in one place.
It’s rich in very specific, very different ways.
From the Desk of Ramon Raneal