Footscray, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Footscray is a lively, multicultural suburb about 5 km west of central Melbourne. The area is described as a meeting place of the lands of the Yalukit-willam, Marin-balluk and Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin nation. Curiously, its name comes from Foots Cray, a place on the River Cray in London. Built up as a gritty industrial district from the late 1800s, it drew successive waves of migrants — Greek, Italian and Yugoslav, then Vietnamese and East African — who reshaped its streets. Today Footscray is best known for that diversity: a dense mix of Vietnamese, African and other eateries, busy markets, bars and a growing arts scene.
More advantaged than the national average
Footscray is more socio-economically advantaged than about 74% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1030, 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.
Footscray at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 17,131
- Median age
- 34
- Median weekly household income
- $1,763
- SEIFA score
- 1030
- Coordinates
- -37.8008, 144.8948
Footscray demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Footscray 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 young adults (25–44) at 49%, 56% of homes are rented, and 45% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,812 | 11% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,892 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 8,339 | 49% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 3,213 | 19% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,878 | 11% |
Share of the 17,134 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,054 | 14% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,988 | 27% |
| Rented | 4,123 | 56% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,325 | 32% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,127 | 15% |
| Flats & apartments | 3,856 | 52% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 7,373 occupied private dwellings in Footscray.
- Median weekly rent
- $355
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,940
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,296
- Median weekly personal income
- $916
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 7,132 (45%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 6,674 (42%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 124 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 10,991 (73%)
- Labour-force participation
- 68.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.6%
- Employed full-time
- 5,905
- Employed part-time
- 3,275
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 Footscray
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Footscray is January (average daytime high around 27°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.9°C). The area receives roughly 724 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°C | 14.9°C | 62 mm |
| Feb | 25.8°C | 14.1°C | 32 mm |
| Mar | 24°C | 13.3°C | 47 mm |
| Apr | 20°C | 10.5°C | 62 mm |
| May | 16°C | 8.4°C | 63 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 6.5°C | 63 mm |
| Jul | 12.9°C | 6.1°C | 50 mm |
| Aug | 13.7°C | 6.2°C | 59 mm |
| Sep | 16.3°C | 7.3°C | 65 mm |
| Oct | 19.6°C | 8.8°C | 76 mm |
| Nov | 21.6°C | 10.8°C | 79 mm |
| Dec | 24.5°C | 12.6°C | 66 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Footscray
Where is Footscray?
Footscray is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Footscray?
At the 2021 Census, Footscray had a population of about 17,131.
Is Footscray an advantaged area?
Footscray has an ABS SEIFA score of 1030, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 74 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 74% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Footscray?
Footscray has average daytime highs of about 19.6°C and overnight lows of about 10°C, with roughly 724 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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