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 Melbourne (part), accounting for 47.2% (12,958 households). This share was higher than Melbourne (C) (43.1%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 1 person, which increased by 4,983 households and 9.3 percentage points.
Section overview
Household size
Melbourne (part) - Households (Enumerated)
This table summarises household size for Melbourne (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Melbourne (C) and change since 2016.
Household size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Melbourne (part), with comparison markers for Melbourne (C).
1 person
2021 count
12,958
% of total
47.2%
Change from 2016
+9.3pp
12,958
47.2%
+9.3pp
2 persons
2021 count
10,897
% of total
39.7%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
10,897
39.7%
-1.3pp
3 persons
2021 count
2,534
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
-4.2pp
2,534
9.2%
-4.2pp
4 persons
2021 count
879
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
-2.2pp
879
3.2%
-2.2pp
5 persons
2021 count
155
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
155
0.6%
-0.9pp
6 or more persons
2021 count
48
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
48
0.2%
-0.4pp
Chart view
Household size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
1 person
+4,983
+9.3pp
2 persons
+2,270
-1.3pp
3 persons
-288
-4.2pp
4 persons
-263
-2.2pp
5 persons
-155
-0.9pp
6 or more persons
-88
-0.4pp
Data table
Household size for Melbourne (part). 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 | 12,958 | 47.2% | 43.1% | 7,975 | 37.9% | 36.2% | +4,983 | +9.3pp |
| 2 persons | 10,897 | 39.7% | 39.5% | 8,627 | 41.0% | 40.5% | +2,270 | -1.3pp |
| 3 persons | 2,534 | 9.2% | 10.8% | 2,822 | 13.4% | 14.1% | -288 | -4.2pp |
| 4 persons | 879 | 3.2% | 4.9% | 1,142 | 5.4% | 6.4% | -263 | -2.2pp |
| 5 persons | 155 | 0.6% | 1.1% | 310 | 1.5% | 1.9% | -155 | -0.9pp |
| 6 or more persons | 48 | 0.2% | 0.5% | 136 | 0.6% | 0.9% | -88 | -0.4pp |
| Total classifiable households | 27,478 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 21,019 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +6,459 | 0.0pp |