Households
Household size
About this topic
Household size shows how many people live in each household. It is a basic but important measure of family life, dwelling use, and the way people share housing.
This topic helps indicate demand for different dwelling sizes and can reflect life-cycle patterns, cultural norms, and affordability pressures. It is best read with household type, age structure, and dwelling type, because changes in household size can happen for very different reasons.
Interpretation notes
- This counts the number of people usually resident in the dwelling, so it describes shared living arrangements rather than dwelling size.
- Household size should be read with bedrooms or dwelling structure before drawing conclusions about crowding or housing suitability.
Key insight
In 2021, 2 persons was the most common household size among households in Fairfield (C), accounting for 24.5% (14,920 households). This share was lower than Greater Sydney (30.7%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 1 person, which increased by 1,678 households and 1.8 percentage points.
Section overview
Household size
Fairfield (C) - Households (Enumerated)
This table summarises household size for Fairfield (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Household size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Fairfield (C), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
1 person
2021 count
10,680
% of total
17.5%
Change from 2016
+1.8pp
10,680
17.5%
+1.8pp
2 persons
2021 count
14,920
% of total
24.5%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
14,920
24.5%
+1.1pp
3 persons
2021 count
10,927
% of total
17.9%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
10,927
17.9%
-0.5pp
4 persons
2021 count
11,105
% of total
18.2%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
11,105
18.2%
-1.3pp
5 persons
2021 count
6,896
% of total
11.3%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
6,896
11.3%
-0.6pp
6 or more persons
2021 count
6,387
% of total
10.5%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
6,387
10.5%
-0.5pp
Chart view
Household size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
1 person
+1,678
+1.8pp
2 persons
+1,532
+1.1pp
3 persons
+394
-0.5pp
4 persons
-64
-1.3pp
5 persons
+118
-0.6pp
6 or more persons
+77
-0.5pp
Data table
Household size for Fairfield (C). Household size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | pp | |
| 1 person | 10,680 | 17.5% | 23.2% | 9,002 | 15.7% | 21.6% | +1,678 | +1.8pp |
| 2 persons | 14,920 | 24.5% | 30.7% | 13,388 | 23.4% | 29.9% | +1,532 | +1.1pp |
| 3 persons | 10,927 | 17.9% | 17.2% | 10,533 | 18.4% | 17.6% | +394 | -0.5pp |
| 4 persons | 11,105 | 18.2% | 17.3% | 11,169 | 19.5% | 18.1% | -64 | -1.3pp |
| 5 persons | 6,896 | 11.3% | 7.3% | 6,778 | 11.9% | 8.0% | +118 | -0.6pp |
| 6 or more persons | 6,387 | 10.5% | 4.2% | 6,310 | 11.0% | 4.7% | +77 | -0.5pp |
| Total classifiable households | 60,918 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 57,190 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +3,728 | 0.0pp |