idc-logo
svg rectangle color
AustraliaCommunity profile

Queensland

Households with children

There are 313,072 couples with young children in Queensland in 2021, comprising 15.7% of households.

Households with Children require different services and facilities than other household types, and their needs change as both adults and children age. When many families in an area are at the same stage in their individual lifecycles, it creates a suburb lifecycle. Knowing where a suburb is in a cycle of change helps planners make evidence-based decisions about the demand for services both now and in the future.

For Households with Children in Queensland, life stage is based on the age of children in the household. The age of the parent(s) is not taken into account.

  • Young children: Children aged under 15 only
  • Mixed age children: One or more children under 15 and one or more children over 15 (must have 2 or more children)
  • Older children: Children aged 15 and over only

To continue building the story, Queensland's Household data should be viewed in conjunction with Household Size, Age Structure and Dwelling Type.

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

'What is the person's relationship (to each other person in the household)?'

Households with children by life stage
Queensland - Households (Enumerated)20212016Change
Households with childrenNumber%Australia %Number%Australia %2016 to 2021
Couples with children557,29227.929.7513,71728.730.3+43,575
Couples with young children313,07215.716.4289,41216.216.6+23,660
Couples with mixed-age children82,6074.14.175,0064.24.2+7,601
Couples with older children161,6138.19.2149,2998.39.5+12,314
Single parents with children221,71711.110.5192,33710.710.4+29,380
Single parents with young children91,0314.63.979,7284.43.8+11,303
Single parents with mixed-age children28,8901.41.324,3821.41.2+4,508
Single parents with older children101,7965.15.488,2274.95.3+13,569
Total households with children779,00939.040.2706,05439.440.7+72,955
Total households1,998,027100.0100.01,791,731100.0100.0+206,296
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Dominant groups

Analysis of the families with children in Queensland in 2021 compared to Australia shows that there was a smaller proportion of couples with young children, as well as a smaller proportion of couples with older children.

Overall, 15.7% of total households with children were couple with young children, and 8.1% were couples with older children, compared with 16.4% and 9.2% respectively for Australia.

There were a larger proportion of single parent households with young children and a similar proportion of single parent households with older children. Overall, the proportion of single parent households with young children was 4.6% compared to 3.9% in Australia while the proportion of single parent households with older children was 5.1% compared to 5.4% in Australia.

Emerging groups

Between 2016 and 2021, the number of households with children increased by 72,955 households or 10.3%.

The largest changes in households with children in this area between 2016 and 2021 were:

  • Couples with young children (+23,660 households)
  • Single parents with older children (+13,569 households)
  • Couples with older children (+12,314 households)
  • Single parents with young children (+11,303 households)

DISCLAIMER: While all due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this website is accurate and current, there may be errors or omissions in it and no legal responsibility is accepted for the information and opinions in this website.

Please view our Privacy Policy, Terms of use and Legal notices.

ABS Data and the copyright in the ABS Data remains the property of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The copyright in the way .id has modified, transformed or reconfigured the ABS Data as published on this website remains the property of .id. ABS Data can be accessed from the Australian Bureau of Statistics at www.abs.gov.au. ABS data can be used under license - terms published on ABS website. intermediary.management@abs.gov.au if you have any queries or wish to distribute any ABS data.