This visual story explores whether young renters in Australia are facing a distinct housing affordability squeeze. The story begins by showing that younger households are much more likely to rent, then examines how housing-cost burden differs by age and tenure type.
The first chart uses data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia, 2019–20, specifically Table 6.1 on age of household reference person. The selected row is Total renters, which shows the percentage of households in each age group that were renting.
This chart establishes the age-specific foundation of the story. Households with younger reference persons were much more likely to rent than older households in 2019–20. The pattern is especially strong for the 15–24 and 25–34 groups, which makes younger households more exposed to rental market pressure.
Data note: Age is measured using the age of the household reference person.
The second chart uses Table 4.2 from the same ABS release, which reports the median ratio of housing costs to gross household income by tenure type and age group. The median is used rather than the mean because housing-cost ratios can be skewed by very high or very low income values, making the median a clearer representation of the typical household.
This chart compares the median housing-cost burden of renter households and owner households with a mortgage across age groups. Renter households spend a higher median share of gross household income on housing at every age. For the young-renter story, the key point is that the renter burden is already visible at ages 15–24, where renters spend 26.0% of gross household income on housing compared with 19.3% for owners with a mortgage. This creates a 6.7 percentage-point gap in the youngest group and strengthens Chart 1’s finding: younger households are not only more likely to rent, but are also more exposed to a tenure type associated with a higher housing-cost burden.
The chart also shows that the renter-owner gap becomes much larger in older age groups, reaching 22.3 percentage points for households aged 75 and over. This does not mean the assignment story should shift away from young renters. Instead, it shows that rental housing-cost pressure appears across the life course, while the earlier chart explains why young households are especially exposed to renting in the first place.
Data note: This chart compares total renter households with owner households that have a mortgage. Owners without a mortgage are excluded because their housing-cost burden is substantially lower and would compress the scale. The chart uses the median housing-cost ratio rather than the mean to better represent a typical household within each age and tenure group.
Charts 1 and 2 established two things: younger households are disproportionately likely to rent, and renters pay a higher share of their income on housing than mortgage holders. A common counterargument is that renting is simply a phase — young people always rent before buying. This chart tests that claim directly.
It uses ABS Census-based data comparing Australians aged 25–39 across three generations at the same life stage: Baby Boomers in 1991, Generation X in 2006, and Millennials in 2021.
This chart compares Australians aged 25–39 across three generations. The key point is that Millennials were more likely to be renting at the same life stage than earlier generations. Renting increased from 30.2% for Baby Boomers to 43.1% for Millennials, while outright ownership fell from 19.4% to 5.7%.
This supports the earlier charts by showing that young adults’ rental exposure is not only about age. Chart 1 showed that younger households are more likely to rent, and Chart 2 showed that renters face a higher housing-cost burden. Chart 3 adds that, compared with earlier generations at the same age, more young adults are still in the rental market.
Data note: All three cohorts are compared at the same life stage, aged 25–39. The displayed categories do not add to 100% because other tenure types, rent-free arrangements and tenure not stated are excluded.
The first three charts focused on rental exposure, housing-cost burden, and generational change. The fourth chart adds a stability dimension to the story. It uses ABS housing mobility data to compare two outcomes across age groups: the share of households that moved three or more times in the last five years and the share that did not move at all. This helps show how housing instability changes across the life course.
This chart adds a stability dimension to the story. Households aged 15–24 and 25–34 sit toward the upper-left of the chart, meaning they were more likely to have moved three or more times and less likely to have stayed in the same dwelling. Older households sit toward the lower-right, where repeated moving is rare and staying put is much more common.
This connects back to the earlier charts by showing that the housing pressure facing younger households is not only about cost. Chart 1 showed that younger households are more likely to rent, Chart 2 showed that renters face a higher housing-cost burden, and Chart 3 showed that more young adults are still renting than earlier generations. Chart 4 adds that younger households are also less settled in their housing.
Data note: This chart compares the share of households in each age group that moved three or more times in the last five years with the share that did not move at all over the same period.
The final chart brings together two earlier findings. Chart 1 showed that younger households are more likely to rent, while Chart 4 showed that younger households are more likely to move repeatedly. This chart combines those patterns by comparing renting exposure with repeated moving across matching age groups.
This final chart shows that renting exposure and repeated moving follow the same age pattern. Households aged 15–24 and 25–34 sit at the high-renting, high-mobility end of the chart, while older age groups are much less likely to rent and much less likely to have moved three or more times. This strengthens the overall argument of the visual story: younger households are not only more exposed to renting, but are also more exposed to housing instability.
Data note: This chart combines data used earlier in the story. The renting percentages come from ABS Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia, 2019–20, Table 6.1. The repeated-moving percentages come from ABS Housing Mobility and Conditions, 2019–20, Graph 2. Age groups above 65 are excluded because the two datasets use different age-group categories for older households.
Chart 1 used the ABS Excel file 6. Age of household reference person.xlsx, from Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia, 2019–20. The selected row was Total renters, showing the percentage of households renting by age group.
Chart 2 used the ABS Excel file 4. Housing costs as a proportion of income (3).xlsx, from Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia, 2019–20. The selected measures were the median housing-cost ratios for Owners with a mortgage and Total renters by age group.
Chart 3 did not use an Excel file. The data was manually taken from the ABS article “Back in my day” – comparing Millennials with earlier generations, which reports Census-based housing tenure comparisons for people aged 25–39 in 1991, 2006 and 2021.
Chart 4 did not use an Excel file in this project. The data was manually taken from ABS Housing Mobility and Conditions, Australia, 2019–20, Graph 2, which reports moving frequency by age of household reference person.
Chart 5 combined two existing data sources: the renting percentages from 6. Age of household reference person.xlsx and the repeated-moving percentages from ABS Housing Mobility and Conditions, Australia, 2019–20, Graph 2. Only age groups that matched across both datasets were included.
I used ChatGPT to support assignment planning, R code debugging,and editing explanatory text. All final decisions about data selection, visual design, interpretation, and submission content were reviewed and controlled by me. All the data derived are present in the open source and not AI-generated.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022). Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia, 2019–20. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/housing/housing-occupancy-and-costs/2019-20
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022). “Back in my day” – comparing Millennials with earlier generations. https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/back-my-day-comparing-millennials-earlier-generations
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022). Housing Mobility and Conditions, Australia, 2019–20. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/housing/housing-mobility-and-conditions/2019-20