HOUSEHOLD TYPES AND SIZE
According to the 2006 Census, 76% of the 166,700 Indigenous households were one family households, and 14% were lone person households. The remaining 10% of Indigenous households was divided equally between multi-family households (5%) (that is, with two or more families in the household) and group households (5%) (that consist of unrelated adults).
Indigenous households are more likely to be larger than other Australian households, with an average household size of 3.4 people compared with 2.6 in other households (table 4.8 and Chapter 2). In 2006, 23% of Indigenous households had five or more residents, 18% had four, 20% had three, 26% had two and 14% had one person.
Average Indigenous household size varied by tenure type, with an average of 4.8 people per household in Indigenous or mainstream community housing compared with 3.1 for those renting from private and other landlords and 3.3 for home owner households (with or without a mortgage). Almost half (47%) of households in Indigenous or mainstream community housing had five or more residents compared with 18% of households renting from private and other landlords (table 4.8).
4.8 INDIGENOUS HOUSEHOLDS, by tenure type and number of persons in household - 2006 |
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| Home owners | Private and other renter | Renter state/territory housing authority | Renter Indigenous/mainstream community housing | Other tenure types | Total | |
Number | |
| |
One person | 5 008 | 7 005 | 5 543 | 1 508 | 845 | 23 030 | |
Two people | 15 654 | 14 811 | 7 206 | 2 098 | 1 114 | 42 537 | |
Three people | 11 236 | 11 046 | 6 642 | 1 984 | 762 | 32 737 | |
Four people | 12 201 | 8 648 | 5 367 | 2 059 | 658 | 29 780 | |
Five or more people | 11 927 | 8 829 | 8 536 | 6 809 | 1 079 | 38 586 | |
Total | 56 027 | 50 339 | 33 294 | 14 458 | 4 458 | 166 669 | |
Average number per household | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 3.3 | 3.4 | |
Proportion (%) | |
| |
One person | 8.9 | 13.9 | 16.6 | 10.4 | 19.0 | 13.8 | |
Two people | 27.9 | 29.4 | 21.6 | 14.5 | 25.0 | 25.5 | |
Three people | 20.1 | 21.9 | 19.9 | 13.7 | 17.1 | 19.6 | |
Four people | 21.8 | 17.2 | 16.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 17.9 | |
Five or more people | 21.3 | 17.5 | 25.6 | 47.1 | 24.2 | 23.2 | |
Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
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Source: ABS 2006 Census of Population and Housing |