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AustraliaCommunity profile

Western Australia

Household type

In Western Australia, 30.2% of households were made up of couples with children in 2021, compared with 23.8% in Regional NT.

Western Australia's household and family structure is one of the most important demographic indicators. It reveals the area's residential role and function, era of settlement and provides key insights into the level of demand for services and facilities as most are related to age and household types.

To continue building the story, Western Australia's Household Summary should be viewed in conjunction with Households with Children, Households without Children, Household Size, Age Structure and Dwelling Type.

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

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

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

Household type
Western Australia - Total households (Enumerated)20212016Change
Households by typeNumber%Regional NT %Number%Regional NT %2016 to 2021
Couples with children311,15330.223.8289,58330.925.0+21,570
Couples without children261,95825.416.3239,71125.617.4+22,247
One parent families102,91510.010.589,7189.69.8+13,197
Other families10,9321.11.710,8711.21.7+61
Group household32,5913.23.032,6923.52.9-101
Lone person245,18523.818.1204,20521.817.9+40,980
Other not classifiable household37,1753.65.648,7595.29.5-11,584
Visitor only households27,8532.721.122,5582.415.8+5,295
Total households1,029,762100.0100.0938,097100.0100.0+91,665
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 household/family types in Western Australia in 2021 compared to Regional NT shows that there was a higher proportion of couple families with child(ren) as well as a lower proportion of one-parent families. Overall, 30.2% of total families were couple families with child(ren), and 10.0% were one-parent families, compared with 23.8% and 10.5% respectively for Regional NT.

There were a higher proportion of lone person households and a higher proportion of couples without children. Overall, the proportion of lone person households was 23.8% compared to 18.1% in Regional NT while the proportion of couples without children was 25.4% compared to 16.3% in Regional NT.

Emerging groups

The number of households in Western Australia increased by 91,665 between 2016 and 2021.

The largest changes in family/household types in Western Australia between 2016 and 2021 were:

  • Lone person (+40,980 households)
  • Couples without children (+22,247 households)
  • Couples with children (+21,570 households)
  • One parent families (+13,197 households)

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