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 Stonnington (C), accounting for 39.2% (18,524 households). This share was higher than Greater Melbourne (24.8%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 1 person, which increased by 3,511 households and 4.9 percentage points.
Section overview
Household size
Stonnington (C) - Households (Enumerated)
This table summarises household size for Stonnington (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Melbourne and change since 2016.
Household size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Stonnington (C), with comparison markers for Greater Melbourne.
1 person
2021 count
18,524
% of total
39.2%
Change from 2016
+4.9pp
18,524
39.2%
+4.9pp
2 persons
2021 count
16,628
% of total
35.2%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
16,628
35.2%
-1.7pp
3 persons
2021 count
5,487
% of total
11.6%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
5,487
11.6%
-1.2pp
4 persons
2021 count
4,630
% of total
9.8%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
4,630
9.8%
-0.9pp
5 persons
2021 count
1,610
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
1,610
3.4%
-0.7pp
6 or more persons
2021 count
354
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
354
0.7%
-0.4pp
Chart view
Household size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
1 person
+3,511
+4.9pp
2 persons
+472
-1.7pp
3 persons
-115
-1.2pp
4 persons
-66
-0.9pp
5 persons
-190
-0.7pp
6 or more persons
-109
-0.4pp
Data table
Household size for Stonnington (C). Household size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Melbourne.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Melbourne% | Count | % | Greater Melbourne% | Count | pp | |
| 1 person | 18,524 | 39.2% | 24.8% | 15,013 | 34.3% | 23.2% | +3,511 | +4.9pp |
| 2 persons | 16,628 | 35.2% | 31.3% | 16,156 | 36.9% | 31.4% | +472 | -1.7pp |
| 3 persons | 5,487 | 11.6% | 16.9% | 5,602 | 12.8% | 17.3% | -115 | -1.2pp |
| 4 persons | 4,630 | 9.8% | 17.2% | 4,696 | 10.7% | 17.6% | -66 | -0.9pp |
| 5 persons | 1,610 | 3.4% | 6.6% | 1,800 | 4.1% | 7.1% | -190 | -0.7pp |
| 6 or more persons | 354 | 0.7% | 3.2% | 463 | 1.1% | 3.5% | -109 | -0.4pp |
| Total classifiable households | 47,229 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 43,724 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +3,505 | 0.0pp |