Top 20 professions for Aussie property investors

Property investors come in all shapes, sizes… and professions.

But the strategic property investment game is more popular in some lines of work than others.

Unsurprisingly the data shows that property investment is most popular among Australia’s highest-paid workers.

But there are other surprising professions which make the list.

Medical professionals such as surgeons, anaesthetists and internal medicine specialists were among the top property investors.

And the latest ATO data shows that more than a third of school principals earn an income from a rental property.

Out on top are surgeons with 43% of  the total of surgeon work force owning investment properties.

Second and third on the property investment list are anaesthetists and internal medicine specialists, with around 40% having declared rental income from property investment in 2019-20.

And this lineup makes sense because these professions are also the top 3 highest earners.

Surgeons are also the top-earning profession in the country, making an average of $406,068 per year, or $4,703 per week after tax, according to ATO data.

Anaesthetists also come in second place in the top earning professions, making around $388,814 per year, or $4,527 per week after tax.

Back to the list of property investment professions, 36% of Australia’s psychiatrists own an investment property and 35% of dentists.

There are also engineering managers (31% own an investment property) and mining engineers (30%) on the list.

Rounding out the remainder of the top 20 professions with the most property investors are other medical practitioners, senior non-commissioned defence force members, optometrists, air transport professionals, chief executives or managing directors, IT managers, accountants, electrical engineers, land valuers, finance managers and even caravan park managers.

Here’s the full list:

Rank	Profession	Number of workers	% of property investors
1	Surgeon	4,159	43%
2	Anaesthetist	3,509	40%
3	Internal medicine specialist	9,906	40%
4	Psychiatrist	3,030	36%
5	Dental practitioner	9,467	35%
6	School principal	12,898	34%
7	Other medical practitioners	28,696	32%
8	Engineering manager	23,728	31%
9	Senior non-commissioned defence force member	5,834	31%
10	Mining engineer	9,120	30%
11	Optometrist or orthopedist	5,645	28%
12	Air transport professional	15,191	28%
13	Chief executive of managing director	217,959	28%
14	IT manager	72,866	28%
15	Caravan park manager	2,332	27%
16	Accountant	174,681	27%
17	Electrical engineer	25,421	27%
18	Commissioned officer - management	13,685	27%
19	Land economist or valuer	4,859	27%
20	Finance manager	60,811	27%

Interestingly the2021 Census data shows that 86% of federal politicians own at least one residential property with most owning an average of 2 properties each.

The percentage of politicians with at least one investment property (44%) is higher than the 15% of Australians who own an investment dwelling.

20% of politicians own at least two investment properties, and about 8% own at least three investment properties.

having said that, politicians don’t make it into the top 20 professions for Aussie property investors.

• Also read:Everything you need to know about the state of Australia’s property markets in 20 charts – November 2024
• Also read:This week’s Australian Property Market Update – Latest Data, State by State November 19th 2024
• Also read:Melbourne property market forecast for 2025
• Also read:Sydney property market forecast for 2025
• Also read:Brisbane’s property market forecast for 2025

So, how many property investors are in Australia?

The data shows that over 20% of Australia’s 11.4 million taxpayers owned an investment property in 2020-21.

That figure is 14.9% if 3.6 million non-taxable individuals are included.

That means that around 2.24 million taxpayers in Australia are property investors, and collectively they own 3.25 million investment properties.

And the majority of these investors own just 1 investment property.

You see, while there are just over two million investors in Australia

• about 71% of them own just one investment property.
• only around 18.86% own two investment properties.
• 5.81% own three investment properties.
• 2.11% own four investment properties.
• 0.87 % own five investment properties.
• 0.89 (0r 19,920) investors own 6 or more properties.

Why do so few get past there first or second property?

Because they’re doing a few things wrong.

Failing to understand their own financial situation, lack of education, no clear plan and simply making bad investment decisions will see a property investment to either flop entirely, or those investors will never create enough wealth to keep going.

A final note

When it comes to property investment, no matter what profession you work in, if you get it right then you have the potential to achieve spectacular capital growth over the years.

But if you get it wrong, you could end up with a property that drains your finances as well as your chances of ever becoming part of that small group of Australians who own multiple properties.

Interestingly, an audit of clients of Metropole showed that they are 7.3 times more likely to own 6 or more properties than the average Australian property investor.

That’s because attaining wealth doesn’t just happen, it’s the result of a well-executed plan.

That’s why I suggest you allow the team at Metropole to build you a personalised, customised Strategic Property Plan.

When you have a Strategic Property Plan you’re more likely to achieve the financial freedom you desire because we’ll help you:

• Define your financial goals;
• See whether your goals are realistic, especially for your timeline;
• Measure your progress towards your goals – whether your property portfolio is working for you, or if you’re working for it;
• Find ways to maximise your wealth creation through property;
• Identify risks you hadn’t thought of.

And the real benefit is you’ll be able to grow your wealth through your property portfolio faster and more safely than the average investor.

Click here now and learn more about this service and discuss your options with us.

Your Strategic Property Plan should contain the following components:

1. An asset accumulation strategy
2. A manufacturing capital growth strategy
3. A rental growth strategy
4. An asset protection and tax minimisation strategy
5. A finance strategy including long-term debt reduction and…
6. A living off your property portfolio strategy

Click here now and learn more about this service and discuss your options with us.