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Cairns Regional CouncilCommunity profile

In Cairns City, 88.8% of the dwellings were medium or high density, compared to 29% in Cairns.

Dwelling Type is an important determinant of Cairns City'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 Cairns City.

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
Cairns City - Dwellings (Enumerated)20212016Change
Dwelling typeNumber%Cairns %Number%Cairns %2016 to 2021
Separate house332.268.5332.667.40
Medium density1429.319.51149.120.1+28
High density1,21279.59.496477.29.0+248
Caravans, cabin, houseboat171.11.5342.72.1-17
Other412.70.3877.00.5-46
Not stated805.20.8171.40.9+63
Total Private Dwellings1,525100.0100.01,249100.0100.0+276
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
Dwelling type
Cairns City20212016Change
Dwelling typeNumber%Cairns %Number%Cairns %2016 to 2021
Occupied private dwellings1,05165.990.899474.290.2+57
Unoccupied private dwellings47729.98.826519.89.4+212
Non private dwellings664.10.4806.00.4-14
Total dwellings1,594100.0100.01,339100.0100.0+255
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

In 2021, there were 33 separate houses in the area, 142 medium density dwellings, and 1,212 high density dwellings. In addition, there were 17 caravans/cabins/houseboats in the area.

Analysis of the types of dwellings in Cairns City in 2021 shows that 2.2% of all dwellings were separate houses; 9.3% were medium density dwellings, and 79.5% were in high density dwellings, compared with 68.5%, 19.5%, and 9.4% in the Cairns respectively.

In 2021, a total of 65.9% of the dwellings in Cairns City were occupied on Census night, compared to 90.8% in Cairns. The proportion of unoccupied dwellings was 29.9%, which is larger compared to that found in Cairns (8.8%).

Emerging groups

The total number of dwellings in Cairns City increased by 255 between 2016 and 2021.

The largest change in the type of dwellings found in Cairns City between 2016 and 2021 was:

  • High density (+248 dwellings)

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