Powered by .id (informed decisions) for Cairns Regional Council
.id community is an evidence base for over 250 local government areas in Australia and New Zealand, helping you make informed decisions.
LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn Cairns, 28.9% of the dwellings were medium or high density, compared to 40% in Palm Cove - Ellis Beach.
Dwelling Type is an important determinant of Cairns'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.
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 - Dwellings (Enumerated) | 2021 | 1996 | Change | ||||
| Dwelling type | Number | % | Palm Cove - Ellis Beach % | Number | % | Palm Cove - Ellis Beach % | 1996 to 2021 |
| Separate house | 49,548 | 68.5 | 51.6 | 29,555 | 65.3 | 40.6 | +19,993 |
| Medium density | 14,132 | 19.5 | 15.4 | 10,009 | 22.1 | 22.1 | +4,123 |
| High density | 6,785 | 9.4 | 24.5 | 1,454 | 3.2 | 11.9 | +5,331 |
| Caravans, cabin, houseboat | 1,101 | 1.5 | 6.3 | 2,101 | 4.6 | 20.2 | -1,000 |
| Other | 223 | 0.3 | -- | 458 | 1.0 | 3.1 | -235 |
| Not stated | 547 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 1,656 | 3.7 | 2.2 | -1,110 |
| Total Private Dwellings | 72,336 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 45,234 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +27,102 |
| Dwelling type | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairns | 2021 | 1996 | Change | ||||
| Dwelling type | Number | % | Palm Cove - Ellis Beach % | Number | % | Palm Cove - Ellis Beach % | 1996 to 2021 |
| Occupied private dwellings | 65,917 | 90.8 | 77.1 | 41,594 | 91.9 | 87.8 | +24,323 |
| Unoccupied private dwellings | 6,426 | 8.8 | 21.6 | 3,426 | 7.6 | 10.1 | +3,000 |
| Non private dwellings | 281 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 220 | 0.5 | 2.0 | +61 |
| Total dwellings | 72,624 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 45,240 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +27,384 |
Dominant groups
In 2021, there were 49,548 separate houses in the area, 14,132 medium density dwellings, and 6,785 high density dwellings. In addition, there were 1,101 caravans/cabins/houseboats in the area.
Analysis of the types of dwellings in Cairns in 2021 shows that 68.5% of all dwellings were separate houses; 19.5% were medium density dwellings, and 9.4% were in high density dwellings, compared with 51.6%, 15.4%, and 24.5% in the Palm Cove - Ellis Beach respectively.
In 2021, a total of 90.8% of the dwellings in Cairns were occupied on Census night, compared to 77.1% in Palm Cove - Ellis Beach. The proportion of unoccupied dwellings was 8.8%, which is smaller compared to that found in Palm Cove - Ellis Beach (21.6%).
Emerging groups
The total number of dwellings in Cairns increased by 27,384 between 1996 and 2021.
The largest changes in the type of dwellings found in Cairns between 1996 and 2021 were:
- Separate house (+19,993 dwellings)
- High density (+5,331 dwellings)
- Medium density (+4,123 dwellings)
- Caravans, cabin, houseboat (-1,000 dwellings)
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. Stats NZ Data and the copyright in the Stats NZ Data remains the property of the Statistics New Zealand.
The copyright in the way .id has modified, transformed or reconfigured the Stats NZ Data as published on this website remains the property of .id. Stats NZ Data can be accessed on the Statistics New Zealand website at www.stats.govt.nz. Unless otherwise specified, content that Stats NZ produce is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. For further information see https://www.stats.govt.nz/about-us/copyright/.