Fortitude Valley, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Fortitude Valley — 'the Valley' to locals — is Brisbane's best-known nightlife and entertainment district, immediately north-east of the city centre. The area was originally the country of the Turrbal and Jagera peoples of the Brisbane region. It owes its unusual name to the Fortitude, the ship that carried free Scottish immigrants to the settlement in 1849; many first camped in the valley below the young town. Today it packs a great deal into a small grid: the Brunswick Street Mall and its live-music venues, the lantern-lined Chinatown Mall, and the boutiques and restaurants of the James Street precinct. It remains one of the few parts of Brisbane to keep a genuine round-the-clock pulse.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Fortitude Valley is more socio-economically advantaged than about 87% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1063, 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.
Fortitude Valley at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 9,708
- Median age
- 31
- Median weekly household income
- $1,658
- SEIFA score
- 1063
- Coordinates
- -27.4570, 153.0366
Fortitude Valley demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Fortitude Valley 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 59%, 81% of homes are rented, and 44% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 420 | 4% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,658 | 17% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 5,747 | 59% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,422 | 15% |
| Seniors (65+) | 450 | 5% |
Share of the 9,697 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 261 | 5% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 664 | 13% |
| Rented | 4,230 | 81% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 107 | 2% |
| Townhouses & semis | 65 | 1% |
| Flats & apartments | 5,061 | 96% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 5,252 occupied private dwellings in Fortitude Valley.
- Median weekly rent
- $400
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,718
- Average household size
- 1.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,233
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,061
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 3,989 (44%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 2,709 (30%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 204 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 7,140 (77%)
- Labour-force participation
- 78.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.4%
- Employed full-time
- 4,296
- Employed part-time
- 1,905
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 Fortitude Valley
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Fortitude Valley is January (average daytime high around 29.4°C) and the coolest is July (around 20.7°C). The area receives roughly 945 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.4°C | 20.7°C | 111 mm |
| Feb | 29.2°C | 20.6°C | 154 mm |
| Mar | 28.2°C | 19.9°C | 133 mm |
| Apr | 25.7°C | 16.6°C | 45 mm |
| May | 23.1°C | 13.7°C | 71 mm |
| Jun | 20.8°C | 11.3°C | 40 mm |
| Jul | 20.7°C | 10.1°C | 35 mm |
| Aug | 22.2°C | 10.8°C | 37 mm |
| Sep | 24.5°C | 13°C | 44 mm |
| Oct | 26.3°C | 15.7°C | 97 mm |
| Nov | 28.2°C | 17.8°C | 75 mm |
| Dec | 29.2°C | 19.7°C | 103 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Fortitude Valley
Where is Fortitude Valley?
Fortitude Valley is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Fortitude Valley?
At the 2021 Census, Fortitude Valley had a population of about 9,708.
Is Fortitude Valley an advantaged area?
Fortitude Valley has an ABS SEIFA score of 1063, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 87 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 87% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Fortitude Valley?
Fortitude Valley has average daytime highs of about 25.6°C and overnight lows of about 15.8°C, with roughly 945 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
Nearby suburbs in Queensland
More suburb guides in Queensland
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.