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 Northern Beaches (A), accounting for 32.1% (30,257 households). This share was higher than Greater Sydney (30.7%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 2 persons, which increased by 2,825 households and 0.9 percentage points.
Section overview
Household size
Northern Beaches (A) - Households (Enumerated)
This table summarises household size for Northern Beaches (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Household size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Northern Beaches (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
1 person
2021 count
21,056
% of total
22.3%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
21,056
22.3%
+0.5pp
2 persons
2021 count
30,257
% of total
32.1%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
30,257
32.1%
+0.9pp
3 persons
2021 count
15,040
% of total
15.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
15,040
15.9%
-0.2pp
4 persons
2021 count
18,301
% of total
19.4%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
18,301
19.4%
-0.5pp
5 persons
2021 count
7,118
% of total
7.5%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
7,118
7.5%
-0.6pp
6 or more persons
2021 count
2,604
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
2,604
2.8%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Household size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
1 person
+1,924
+0.5pp
2 persons
+2,825
+0.9pp
3 persons
+840
-0.2pp
4 persons
+805
-0.5pp
5 persons
+37
-0.6pp
6 or more persons
+5
-0.2pp
Data table
Household size for Northern Beaches (A). 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 | 21,056 | 22.3% | 23.2% | 19,132 | 21.8% | 21.6% | +1,924 | +0.5pp |
| 2 persons | 30,257 | 32.1% | 30.7% | 27,432 | 31.2% | 29.9% | +2,825 | +0.9pp |
| 3 persons | 15,040 | 15.9% | 17.2% | 14,200 | 16.1% | 17.6% | +840 | -0.2pp |
| 4 persons | 18,301 | 19.4% | 17.3% | 17,496 | 19.9% | 18.1% | +805 | -0.5pp |
| 5 persons | 7,118 | 7.5% | 7.3% | 7,081 | 8.1% | 8.0% | +37 | -0.6pp |
| 6 or more persons | 2,604 | 2.8% | 4.2% | 2,599 | 3.0% | 4.7% | +5 | -0.2pp |
| Total classifiable households | 94,377 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 87,940 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +6,437 | 0.0pp |