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, 1 person was the most common household size among households in East Melbourne, accounting for 43.2% (1,035 households). This share was similar to Melbourne (C) (43.1%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 1 person, which increased by 176 households and 3.7 percentage points.
Section overview
Household size
East Melbourne - Households (Enumerated)
This table summarises household size for East Melbourne in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Melbourne (C) and change since 2016.
Household size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for East Melbourne, with comparison markers for Melbourne (C).
1 person
2021 count
1,035
% of total
43.2%
Change from 2016
+3.7pp
1,035
43.2%
+3.7pp
2 persons
2021 count
1,019
% of total
42.5%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
1,019
42.5%
+0.7pp
3 persons
2021 count
190
% of total
7.9%
Change from 2016
-3.4pp
190
7.9%
-3.4pp
4 persons
2021 count
101
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
101
4.2%
-0.9pp
5 persons
2021 count
38
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
38
1.6%
+0.1pp
6 or more persons
2021 count
7
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
7
0.3%
-0.3pp
Chart view
Household size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
1 person
+176
+3.7pp
2 persons
+111
+0.7pp
3 persons
-56
-3.4pp
4 persons
-10
-0.9pp
5 persons
+6
+0.1pp
6 or more persons
-5
-0.3pp
Data table
Household size for East Melbourne. Household size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Melbourne (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Melbourne (C)% | Count | % | Melbourne (C)% | Count | pp | |
| 1 person | 1,035 | 43.2% | 43.1% | 859 | 39.5% | 36.2% | +176 | +3.7pp |
| 2 persons | 1,019 | 42.5% | 39.5% | 908 | 41.8% | 40.5% | +111 | +0.7pp |
| 3 persons | 190 | 7.9% | 10.8% | 246 | 11.3% | 14.1% | -56 | -3.4pp |
| 4 persons | 101 | 4.2% | 4.9% | 111 | 5.1% | 6.4% | -10 | -0.9pp |
| 5 persons | 38 | 1.6% | 1.1% | 32 | 1.5% | 1.9% | +6 | +0.1pp |
| 6 or more persons | 7 | 0.3% | 0.5% | 12 | 0.6% | 0.9% | -5 | -0.3pp |
| Total classifiable households | 2,396 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2,173 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +223 | 0.0pp |