A study from the NSW Council of Social Service and the University of Canberra's National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling uses the most recent census data for the 2015/16 financial year.

It found more than 16 per cent of NSW children are living in poverty, while women make up 53.6 per cent of all people over 15 living below the poverty line.

People living outside Sydney are more likely to be living in poverty.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and disabled people experience double the rate of significant economic disadvantage than the general population.

Unemployed people are much more likely to be living in poverty but about five per cent of full-time workers are also disadvantaged.

Anna Bacik from NCOSS says it is "entirely possible" the figures will be even higher now, due to low wages and the ongoing effect of the drought in regional areas.

"It is pretty clear from everything we read that that is having an ongoing cost to communities, socially and economically," she told AAP.

The area of highest disadvantage is Guildford/South Granville in Sydney's southwest, with a poverty rate of 28.3 per cent.

This is followed by the nearby Ashcroft/Busby/Miller (27.7 per cent) and Fairfield (27.4 per cent) areas, and the Shortland/Jesmond area in the Hunter (27 per cent).

Researchers hope the detailed statistics, released on Thursday and accompanied by interactive maps, can inform future policy.

St Vincent de Paul's Carmel Hanson said she was pleased to see an emphasis on the need for social housing in the report.

"Housing is a human right, shelter is a human right and I certainly urge our state politicians to determine that they will increase the number of social housing," Ms Hanson told reporters in Sydney.

Australian Associated Press