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 Emu Plains, accounting for 32.3% (965 households). This share was higher than Penrith (C) (29.5%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 1 person, which increased by 90 households and 2.3 percentage points.

Section overview

Household size

Emu Plains - Households (Enumerated)

This table summarises household size for Emu Plains in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Penrith (C) and change since 2016.

Household size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Emu Plains, with comparison markers for Penrith (C).

Emu Plains
Penrith (C)

1 person

2021 count

736

% of total

24.6%

Change from 2016

+2.3pp

2 persons

2021 count

965

% of total

32.3%

Change from 2016

+0.1pp

3 persons

2021 count

500

% of total

16.7%

Change from 2016

+0.4pp

4 persons

2021 count

478

% of total

16.0%

Change from 2016

-2.0pp

5 persons

2021 count

230

% of total

7.7%

Change from 2016

0.0pp

6 or more persons

2021 count

85

% of total

2.8%

Change from 2016

-0.7pp

Data table

Household size for Emu Plains. Household size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Penrith (C).

Household size for Emu Plains. Household size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Penrith (C).
Household size for Emu Plains. Household size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Penrith (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Penrith (C)%Count%Penrith (C)%Countpp
1 person73624.6%21.8%64622.3%19.2%+90+2.3pp
2 persons96532.3%29.5%93432.2%29.6%+31+0.1pp
3 persons50016.7%17.9%47416.3%18.3%+26+0.4pp
4 persons47816.0%17.6%52118.0%18.6%-43-2.0pp
5 persons2307.7%8.2%2237.7%8.8%+70.0pp
6 or more persons852.8%4.9%1013.5%5.5%-16-0.7pp
Total classifiable households2,989100.0%100.0%2,901100.0%100.0%+880.0pp