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 North Mackay, accounting for 35% (886 households). This share was lower than Mackay (R) (35.6%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 1 person, which increased by 99 households and 1.4 percentage points.

Section overview

Household size

North Mackay - Households (Enumerated)

This table summarises household size for North Mackay in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.

Household size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for North Mackay, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).

North Mackay
Mackay (R)

1 person

2021 count

867

% of total

34.3%

Change from 2016

+1.4pp

2 persons

2021 count

886

% of total

35.0%

Change from 2016

-2.0pp

3 persons

2021 count

353

% of total

13.9%

Change from 2016

+0.3pp

4 persons

2021 count

254

% of total

10.0%

Change from 2016

-0.1pp

5 persons

2021 count

118

% of total

4.7%

Change from 2016

+0.2pp

6 or more persons

2021 count

54

% of total

2.1%

Change from 2016

0.0pp

Data table

Household size for North Mackay. Household size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mackay (R).

Household size for North Mackay. Household size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mackay (R).
Household size for North Mackay. Household size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mackay (R).
Category20212016Change
Count%Mackay (R)%Count%Mackay (R)%Countpp
1 person86734.3%23.9%76832.9%23.5%+99+1.4pp
2 persons88635.0%35.6%86437.0%36.0%+22-2.0pp
3 persons35313.9%15.3%31813.6%15.9%+35+0.3pp
4 persons25410.0%14.9%23610.1%15.1%+18-0.1pp
5 persons1184.7%6.9%1044.5%6.8%+14+0.2pp
6 or more persons542.1%3.2%502.1%2.8%+40.0pp
Total classifiable households2,531100.0%100.0%2,332100.0%100.0%+1990.0pp