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South Gippsland ShireCommunity profile

South Gippsland Shire

Household size

In 2021, 30% of households in South Gippsland Shire contained only one person, compared with 30.5% in Fish Creek - Sandy Point - Wilsons Promontory, with the most dominant household size being 2 persons per household.

The size of households in general follows the life-cycle of families. Households are usually small at the stage of relationship formation (early marriage), and then increase in size with the advent of children. They later reduce in size again as these children reach adulthood and leave home. Household size can also be influenced by a lack (or abundance) of affordable housing. Overseas migrants and indigenous persons often have a tradition of living with extended family members which significantly affects household size.

Household size in Australia has generally declined since the 1970s, but the rate of decline has slowed in recent years.

An increasing household size in an area may indicate a lack of affordable housing opportunities for young people, an increase in the birth rate or an increase in family formation in the area. A declining household size may indicate children leaving the area when they leave home, an increase in retirees settling in the area, or an attraction of young singles and couples to the area.

For greater insight, South Gippsland Shire's Household Size data should be viewed in conjunction with Household Summary, Age Structure, Dwelling Type, Household Income and Language Spoken at Home.

Q:

Derived from the three Census questions:

'Name of each person including visitors who spent the night of Tuesday, 10 August 2021 in this dwelling', and 'Where does the person usually live?', and 'Name of each person who usually lives in this dwelling but was away on Tuesday, 10 August 2021.'

Household size
South Gippsland Shire - Households (Enumerated)20212016Change
Number of persons usually residentNumber%Fish Creek - Sandy Point - Wilsons Promontory %Number%Fish Creek - Sandy Point - Wilsons Promontory %2016 to 2021
1 person3,58529.930.53,14629.129.9+439
2 persons4,66338.843.14,15238.542.0+511
3 persons1,42911.911.51,28011.99.9+149
4 persons1,32211.09.01,27211.89.3+50
5 persons7035.93.66616.16.2+42
6 or more persons3052.52.32842.62.7+21
Total classifiable households12,007100.0100.010,795100.0100.0+1,212
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
Household size - Summary
South Gippsland Shire - Enumerated20212016Change
DwellingsNumber%Fish Creek - Sandy Point - Wilsons Promontory %Number%Fish Creek - Sandy Point - Wilsons Promontory %2016 to 2021
Occupied private dwellings12,972----11,718----+1,254
Persons in occupied private dwellings29,927----27,259----+2,668
Average household size (persons per dwelling)2.31--2.232.33--2.29-0.02
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

The 'Dwellings' table is enumerated data.

Dominant groups

Analysis of the number of persons usually resident in a household in South Gippsland Shire compared with Fish Creek - Sandy Point - Wilsons Promontory shows that there were a lower proportion of lone person households, and a higher proportion of larger households (those with 4 persons or more). Overall there were 29.9% of lone person households, and 19.4% of larger households, compared with 30.5% and 14.9% respectively for Fish Creek - Sandy Point - Wilsons Promontory.

The major differences in the household size for South Gippsland Shire and Fish Creek - Sandy Point - Wilsons Promontory were:

  • A larger percentage of households with 5 persons usually resident (5.9% compared to 3.6%)
  • A larger percentage of households with 4 persons usually resident (11.0% compared to 9.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of households with 2 persons usually resident (38.8% compared to 43.1%)

Emerging groups

The number of households in South Gippsland Shire increased by 1,212 between 2016 and 2021.

The largest changes in the number of persons usually resident in a household in South Gippsland Shire between 2016 and 2021 were:

  • 2 persons (+511 households)
  • 1 person (+439 households)
  • 3 persons (+149 households)
  • 4 persons (+50 households)

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