Households
Households Without Children
About this topic
Households without children includes couple-only households and lone person households, grouped by life stage. In this topic, life stage is based on the age of the household reference person rather than on the ages of all people in the dwelling.
This topic is useful for understanding the mix of younger adult, mid-life, and older households and the different housing and service needs they may have. It works best alongside household size, age structure, and dwelling type.
Interpretation notes
- This is a derived subset of couple-only and lone-person households, not a summary of all household types.
- The life-stage labels are based on the age of the household reference person, so they simplify the ages of everyone else in the household.
Key insight
In 2021, total households without children was the most common household life-stage group among households in Cairns (R), accounting for 53.4% (35,179 households). This share was lower than Regional Qld (54.4%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in total households without children, which increased by 3,239 households and 2.1 percentage points.
Section overview
Households without children by life stage
Cairns (R) - Households (Enumerated)
This table summarises households without children for Cairns (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Households without children by life stage snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cairns (R), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Couples without children
Lone person households
Young lone persons
Middle-aged lone persons
Older lone persons
Group households
Total households without children
Chart view
Households without children by life stage change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Couples without children
+1,519
+1.0pp
Lone person households
+1,743
+1.3pp
Young lone persons
+191
0.0pp
Middle-aged lone persons
+285
-0.1pp
Older lone persons
+1,281
+1.5pp
Group households
-23
-0.3pp
Total households without children
+3,239
+2.1pp
Data table
Households Without Children for Cairns (R). Households without children by life stage. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| Couples without children | 16,200 | 24.6% | 27.3% | 14,681 | 23.6% | 26.8% | +1,519 | +1.0pp |
| Lone person households | 16,313 | 24.7% | 23.4% | 14,570 | 23.4% | 22.5% | +1,743 | +1.3pp |
| Young lone persons | 4,124 | 6.3% | 5.2% | 3,933 | 6.3% | 5.1% | +191 | 0.0pp |
| Middle-aged lone persons | 6,138 | 9.3% | 7.8% | 5,853 | 9.4% | 8.0% | +285 | -0.1pp |
| Older lone persons | 6,054 | 9.2% | 10.5% | 4,773 | 7.7% | 9.5% | +1,281 | +1.5pp |
| Group households | 2,666 | 4.0% | 3.6% | 2,689 | 4.3% | 3.8% | -23 | -0.3pp |
| Total households without children | 35,179 | 53.4% | 54.4% | 31,940 | 51.3% | 53.0% | +3,239 | +2.1pp |
| Total households | 65,917 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 62,267 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +3,650 | 0.0pp |