Housing
Development of this dataset will build on the strengths of existing residential data and explores:
- Mix of housing by city every five years using ABS data
- Annual analysis of change in housing density around strategic and local centres, using housing completions
- Annual analysis of planning approvals by greenfield and renewal (based on the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Housing Monitor)
Additional dwellings by city
2011-2021
Between 2011 and 2021 the number of dwellings grew by 20% across the Six Cities Region. This represents an additional 416,000 dwellings across all Cities.
The change in the number of new dwellings as a proportion of existing dwellings in each city ranged from a 10% to 29% increase. This included 29% in the Central River City, 25% in the Western Parkland City, 17% in the Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle City, 16% in the Eastern Harbour City, 14% and 10% in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven City and the Central Coast City respectively.
Dwelling types in the Six Cities Region
2021
In 2021, 58% of all dwellings were separate houses, 23% were three or more storey apartments and 19% were other dwellings such as terrace houses and townhouses.
Across the Cities, separate houses were the most common type of dwelling, except in the Eastern Harbour City where 43% were apartments and 21% were semi-detached and medium density dwellings.
2011-2021
In the decade to 2021, across the Six Cities Region low and medium density dwellings have increased by 12% and apartments increased by 58%. Apartments increased across all Cities with the highest increase being in the Central River City where the increase was more than double, followed by the Western Parkland City at 88% and the Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle City at 70%.
Dwellings by household types
2021
In 2021, the largest type of households in the Six Cities Region is couples with children (33%). The share of couples with children was higher than regional average in the Central River City (40%) and Western Parkland City District (39%).
In the Eastern Harbour City, the Central Coast City and the Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle City dwellings occupied by lone person households accounted for more than one-quarter of all dwellings.
2011-2021
In the decade to 2021, couples with no children and lone person households increased by 23% across the Six Cities Region. Dwellings occupied by group households increased by 19% and dwellings occupied by couples with children increased by 17%.
Household size
2021
Across the Six Cities Region in 2021 the average household size was 2.8 people. The most common were dwellings with two persons (32%), one person (24%), and three, four persons (17%).
2011-2021
Across the Six Cities Region between 2011 and 2021 there was a 54% increase in dwellings with eight or more persons, an increase of 42% in dwellings with seven persons and an increase of 23% in dwellings with one person.
This was consistent in all the Cities except the Central River City for which the 3rd highest increase was in three person dwellings at 28%.
Tenure type
2021
In 2021, 35% of dwellings in the Six Cities Region were rented, 34% were owned with a mortgage and 29% owned outright.
This varied across the Cities. In the Eastern Harbour City and the Central River City 40% and 37% of dwellings were rented, while in the other Cities rented dwellings made up approximately one third of the share (ranging from 28 to 32%). A larger share of dwellings in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven City, Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle City, and Central Coast City were owned outright than was the average across the region. In the Western Parkland City at 39%, those who owned with a mortgage represented a greater than average proportion.
Social housing
2021
In 2021, the proportion of dwellings rented as social housing across the Six Cities was 4%. This measure ranged between 5% and 6% for all cities except the Central Coast City and Eastern Harbour City where 3% of dwellings were rented as social housing.