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South East QueenslandCommunity profile

South East Queensland

Dwelling type

In South East Queensland, 30.4% of the dwellings were medium or high density, compared to 29% in Sunshine Coast Council.

Dwelling Type is an important determinant of South East Queensland'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 South East Queensland.

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
South East Queensland - Dwellings (Enumerated)20212016Change
Dwelling typeNumber%Sunshine Coast Council %Number%Sunshine Coast Council %2016 to 2021
Separate house1,065,10068.669.4979,38871.069.8+85,712
Medium density275,17417.718.0236,72817.217.4+38,446
High density196,51312.710.7141,18810.29.7+55,325
Caravans, cabin, houseboat9,1960.61.312,2520.92.4-3,056
Other2,1460.10.23,1090.20.2-963
Not stated3,9640.30.46,3320.50.6-2,368
Total Private Dwellings1,552,093100.0100.01,378,997100.0100.0+173,096
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
South East Queensland20212016Change
Dwelling typeNumber%Sunshine Coast Council %Number%Sunshine Coast Council %2016 to 2021
Occupied private dwellings1,434,31892.390.91,261,66991.389.3+172,649
Unoccupied private dwellings117,7927.68.8117,3148.510.4+478
Non private dwellings2,3740.20.22,4270.20.3-53
Total dwellings1,554,484100.0100.01,381,410100.0100.0+173,074
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 1,065,100 separate houses in the area, 275,174 medium density dwellings, and 196,513 high density dwellings.

Analysis of the types of dwellings in South East Queensland in 2021 shows that 68.6% of all dwellings were separate houses; 17.7% were medium density dwellings, and 12.7% were in high density dwellings, compared with 69.4%, 18.0%, and 10.7% in the Sunshine Coast Council respectively.

In 2021, a total of 92.3% of the dwellings in South East Queensland were occupied on Census night, compared to 90.9% in Sunshine Coast Council. The proportion of unoccupied dwellings was 7.6%, which is smaller compared to that found in Sunshine Coast Council (8.8%).

Emerging groups

The total number of dwellings in South East Queensland increased by 173,074 between 2016 and 2021.

The largest changes in the type of dwellings found in South East Queensland between 2016 and 2021 were:

  • Separate house (+85,712 dwellings)
  • High density (+55,325 dwellings)
  • Medium density (+38,446 dwellings)
  • Caravans, cabin, houseboat (-3,056 dwellings)

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