More than one in 10 households in Sydney's southwest are in crisis, unable to meet surging living costs, living in overcrowded houses, or experiencing homelessness.
For families and individuals living in suburbs southwest of the city, 12.7 per cent were experiencing housing stress, according to data commissioned by the Community Housing Industry Association.
The figures, from the University of NSW City Futures Research Centre, measure rental hardship, overcrowding, and the number of people experiencing homelessness.
Nearly one in five households in Fairfield, or 5400 residences, has unmet housing needs.
The top 10 worst-affected NSW locations are all in Sydney, spread across the west, southwest and southern suburbs, including Fairfield, Bankstown, Auburn, Cabramatta, Granville, Liverpool, Canterbury, Strathfield, Parramatta and Kogarah.
The data paints a picture of how Sydney is continuing to socially fracture, the association's NSW chief executive Mark Degotardi said.
"Your postcode should not determine whether you live in housing crisis," he said on Monday.
"The scale of this housing emergency is just enormous and it deserves an urgent response from the state government to address it.
"This is a wake-up call to the incoming NSW government - you cannot continue to sit idly by while tens of thousands of everyday families and individuals struggle to find or keep their home."
The findings come 61 days out from the NSW election, with the major parties pledging to address the crisis.
Late last year, the government banned real estate agents soliciting rental bidding from prospective tenants, making offending agents and corporations subject to hefty fines.
The government also launched a shared Home Buyer Helper scheme to help essential workers, including nurses, paramedics and police officers, buy homes with a two per cent deposit, and a 40 per cent contribution from the government.
The opposition criticised the government over the findings on Monday, saying rental stress had escalated under their 12-year term.
"There is a clear choice when it comes to housing - rental stress continuing to escalate under the Liberals, or a fresh start for our renters with NSW Labor," Labor spokesperson for Better Regulation and Innovation Courtney Houssos said.
Labor has promised to end no-fault evictions and ban secret rental bidding, commit to introducing a portable bond scheme between rentals, and establishing a rental commissioner who can advocate for tenant rights.
An immediate freeze on rental prices and ending no-grounds evictions have also been urged by the Greens.
NSW electorate - percentage and number of households experiencing unmet housing needs
* Fairfield - 17.8 per cent - 5400
* Bankstown - 15.5 per cent - 4800
* Auburn - 13.6 per cent - 5600
* Cabramatta - 13.4 per cent - 3800
* Granville - 13.3 per cent - 4800
* Liverpool - 13.1 per cent - 4000
* Canterbury - 13 per cent - 4600
* Strathfield - 10.3 per cent - 4000
* Parramatta - 10 per cent - 4800
* Kogarah - 9.5 per cent - 3400
* Holsworthy - 9.1 per cent - 2600
* Leppington - 8.2 per cent - 2200
* Penrith - 8 per cent - 2700
