Work out housing demand estimate instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Housing need is population divided by average household size, giving households, plus a vacancy allowance because a functioning market needs empty units for people to move into. Subtracting existing stock gives the additional dwellings a plan must accommodate. Falling household size raises need even where population is static.
Households
Households = population / average household size
Additional need
Additional units = households x (1 + vacancy allowance) - existing stock
Households = population / average household size. Housing need is population divided by average household size, giving households, plus a vacancy allowance because a functioning market needs empty units for people to move into.
Because it is falling almost everywhere. A drop from 4.2 to 3.8 persons per household raises dwelling need by ten percent with no population growth at all.
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Projected population, Average household size, Existing dwelling units, Vacancy and churn allowance. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.