Brighton (SA), SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Brighton is a relaxed beachside suburb of Adelaide on Holdfast Bay, set between Glenelg and Seacliff in the City of Holdfast Bay. This is Kaurna country, and the area carries a Kaurna name thought to refer to the peppermint gums once common nearby. The post office opened in 1849 and Brighton became a municipality in 1858, its first town hall of 1869 only the fourth built in the colony of South Australia. Antarctic explorer and geologist Sir Douglas Mawson made his family home here, at a King Street house called 'Jerbii', from 1920. The 1886 Brighton Jetty — rebuilt after storms in 1994 — remains the focus of Jetty Road's cafes and the summer Brighton Jetty Classic ocean swim, while the Windsor Theatre, opened in 1925, survives as one of Adelaide's last picture palaces from the silent-film era.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Brighton (SA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 86% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1058, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Brighton (SA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,834
- Median age
- 49
- Median weekly household income
- $1,692
- SEIFA score
- 1058
- Coordinates
- -35.0178, 138.5232
Brighton (SA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Brighton (SA) using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 29%, 24% of homes are rented, and 25% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 513 | 13% |
| Youth (15–24) | 397 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 777 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,112 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,024 | 27% |
Share of the 3,823 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 713 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 479 | 29% |
| Rented | 387 | 24% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,030 | 62% |
| Townhouses & semis | 533 | 32% |
| Flats & apartments | 74 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,652 occupied private dwellings in Brighton (SA).
- Median weekly rent
- $360
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,939
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,371
- Median weekly personal income
- $875
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 915 (25%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 316 (8%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 39 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,049 (65%)
- Labour-force participation
- 58.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.2%
- Employed full-time
- 1,046
- Employed part-time
- 720
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Brighton (SA)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Brighton (SA) is January (average daytime high around 27.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 14°C). The area receives roughly 711 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.9°C | 17.5°C | 29 mm |
| Feb | 26.5°C | 17°C | 29 mm |
| Mar | 24.7°C | 16°C | 20 mm |
| Apr | 21.4°C | 14°C | 51 mm |
| May | 17.3°C | 11.7°C | 86 mm |
| Jun | 14.8°C | 9.6°C | 100 mm |
| Jul | 14°C | 8.9°C | 104 mm |
| Aug | 14.7°C | 8.8°C | 95 mm |
| Sep | 17.2°C | 10.2°C | 62 mm |
| Oct | 20.5°C | 11.9°C | 52 mm |
| Nov | 22.7°C | 13.6°C | 52 mm |
| Dec | 25.6°C | 15.6°C | 31 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Brighton (SA)
Where is Brighton (SA)?
Brighton (SA) is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Brighton (SA)?
At the 2021 Census, Brighton (SA) had a population of about 3,834.
Is Brighton (SA) an advantaged area?
Brighton (SA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 1058, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 86 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 86% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Brighton (SA)?
Brighton (SA) has average daytime highs of about 20.6°C and overnight lows of about 12.9°C, with roughly 711 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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