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AustraliaCommunity profile

Greater Adelaide

Dwelling type

In Greater Adelaide, 26.1% of the dwellings were medium or high density, compared to 28% in Australia.

Dwelling Type is an important determinant of Greater Adelaide's residential role and function. A greater concentration of higher density dwellings is likely to attract more young adults and smaller households, often renting. Larger, detached or separate dwellings are more likely to attract families and prospective families. The residential built form often reflects market opportunities or planning policy, such as building denser forms of housing around public transport nodes or employment centres.

Dwelling Type statistics should be viewed in conjunction with Household Size, Household Types, Housing Tenure and Age Structure for a more complete picture of the housing market in Greater Adelaide.

If you're looking at this data to prepare a housing strategy, learn more here.

Q:

Derived from the Census:

'Dwelling Structure is derived from the ABS address register supplemented with information from Census Field Officers.'

Dwelling structure
Greater Adelaide - Dwellings (Enumerated)20211996Change
Dwelling typeNumber%Australia %Number%Australia %1996 to 2021
Separate house435,31173.370.3335,80873.774.2+99,503
Medium density136,92623.117.3105,63023.215.7+31,296
High density18,0093.011.05,3021.25.7+12,707
Caravans, cabin, houseboat1,4470.20.81,3470.31.4+100
Other7340.10.31,1740.30.7-440
Not stated1,4480.20.36,3251.42.4-4,877
Total Private Dwellings593,875100.0100.0455,586100.0100.0+138,289
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 1996 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information
Dwelling type
Greater Adelaide20211996Change
Dwelling typeNumber%Australia %Number%Australia %1996 to 2021
Occupied private dwellings553,81993.290.2424,88593.390.3+128,934
Unoccupied private dwellings40,0666.79.629,8946.69.5+10,172
Non private dwellings6020.10.27960.20.3-194
Total dwellings594,487100.0100.0455,575100.0100.0+138,912
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 1996 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Dominant groups

In 2021, there were 435,311 separate houses in the area, 136,926 medium density dwellings, and 18,009 high density dwellings.

Analysis of the types of dwellings in Greater Adelaide in 2021 shows that 73.3% of all dwellings were separate houses; 23.1% were medium density dwellings, and 3.0% were in high density dwellings, compared with 70.3%, 17.3%, and 11.0% in the Australia respectively.

In 2021, a total of 93.2% of the dwellings in Greater Adelaide were occupied on Census night, compared to 90.2% in Australia. The proportion of unoccupied dwellings was 6.7%, which is smaller compared to that found in Australia (9.6%).

Emerging groups

The total number of dwellings in Greater Adelaide increased by 138,912 between 1996 and 2021.

The largest changes in the type of dwellings found in Greater Adelaide between 1996 and 2021 were:

  • Separate house (+99,503 dwellings)
  • Medium density (+31,296 dwellings)
  • High density (+12,707 dwellings)
  • Other (-440 dwellings)

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