In 2021, 22% of households in Sutherland Shire contained only one person, compared with 27.2% in SSROC region, 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, Sutherland 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.'
Dominant groups
Analysis of the number of persons usually resident in a household in Sutherland Shire compared with SSROC region 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 22.2% of lone person households, and 29.1% of larger households, compared with 27.2% and 23.6% respectively for SSROC region.
The major differences in the household size for Sutherland Shire and SSROC region were:
- A larger percentage of households with 4 persons usually resident (18.7% compared to 14.7%)
- A larger percentage of households with 5 persons usually resident (7.7% compared to 5.9%)
- A smaller percentage of households with 1 person usually resident (22.2% compared to 27.2%)
Emerging groups
The number of households in Sutherland Shire increased by 6,929 between 2016 and 2021.
The largest changes in the number of persons usually resident in a household in Sutherland Shire between 2016 and 2021 were:
- 2 persons (+3,225 households)
- 1 person (+2,476 households)
- 4 persons (+677 households)
- 3 persons (+607 households)