Inner West CouncilCommunity profile
Skip to content

Inner West Council area

Overseas born - Household size

In the Inner West Council area, 34.9% of people [Toggles].[COIIDDisplayLabel] were found in households with 2 persons.

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 may differ significantly for overseas-born populations. Some cultural groups may be affected by the availability of affordable housing, and may have a preference for living in larger households with extended family members. On the other hand recent arrivals in student housing may have mainly 1 and 2 person households.

A comparison with Dwelling Type and Number of Bedrooms data may indicate whether overcrowding is an issue for overseas-born populations. Please note however that multiple overseas-born people in a household will be counted multiple times in this topic.

Household size should be viewed in conjunction with Household Type, Age Structure, Household Income and Language Spoken at Home.

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.'

People [Toggles].[COIIDDisplayLabel], counted in private dwellings

Household size
Inner West Council area - [Toggles].[COIIDDisplayLabel]20212016Change
Number of persons usually residentNumber%New South WalesNumber%New South Wales2016 to 2021
1 person8,71314.99.97,51912.69.1+1,194
2 persons20,41534.927.818,95631.826.4+1,459
3 persons12,15720.820.113,20922.219.8-1,052
4 persons10,86218.622.111,52419.422.3-662
5 persons3,6526.210.64,6217.811.5-969
6 or more persons2,6674.69.53,7166.210.8-1,049

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).

Household size, 2021
Household size, 2021 6 or more persons, New South Wales: 9.5% 5 persons, New South Wales: 10.6% 4 persons, New South Wales: 22.1% 3 persons, New South Wales: 20.1% 2 persons, New South Wales: 27.8% 1 person, New South Wales: 9.9% 6 or more persons, Inner West Council area: 4.6% 5 persons, Inner West Council area: 6.2% 4 persons, Inner West Council area: 18.6% 3 persons, Inner West Council area: 20.8% 2 persons, Inner West Council area: 34.9% 1 person, Inner West Council area: 14.9%
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (Enumerated data)
Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Change in household size, 2016 to 2021
Change in household size, 2016 to 2021 6 or more persons, Inner West Council area: -1,049 5 persons, Inner West Council area: -969 4 persons, Inner West Council area: -662 3 persons, Inner West Council area: -1,052 2 persons, Inner West Council area: +1,459 1 person, Inner West Council area: +1,194
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing, 2016 and 2021 (Enumerated data)
Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).

Dominant groups

Analysis of the number of people [Toggles].[COIIDDisplayLabel] usually resident in a household in the Inner West Council area compared with New South Wales, shows that there were a higher proportion of people [Toggles].[COIIDDisplayLabel] in lone person households, and a lower proportion in larger households (those with 4 persons or more). Overall there were 14.9% of people [Toggles].[COIIDDisplayLabel] in lone person households, and 29.4% in larger households, compared with 9.9% and 42.1% respectively for New South Wales.

The major differences between the household size for people [Toggles].[COIIDDisplayLabel] in the Inner West Council area and New South Wales were:

  • A larger percentage of people in households with 2 persons usually resident (34.9% compared to 27.8%)
  • A larger percentage of people in households with 1 person usually resident (14.9% compared to 9.9%)
  • A smaller percentage of people in households with 6 or more persons usually resident (4.6% compared to 9.5%)
  • A smaller percentage of people in households with 5 persons usually resident (6.2% compared to 10.6%)

Emerging groups

The number of people [Toggles].[COIIDDisplayLabel] in households in the Inner West Council area decreased by 1,079 between 2016 and 2021.

The largest changes in the number of people [Toggles].[COIIDDisplayLabel] usually resident in a household in the Inner West Council area between 2016 and 2021 were:

  • 2 persons (+1,459 persons)
  • 1 person (+1,194 persons)
  • 3 persons (-1,052 persons)
  • 6 or more persons (-1,049 persons)

v20.11.10-1.0.0