Runcorn, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Runcorn is an outer southern suburb of Brisbane, roughly 19 kilometres by road from the city centre and bordered in large part by Bulimba Creek. The land lies in the traditional country of the Jagera people, within the area associated with the Chepara clan of nearby Eight Mile Plains. European farming began when the Williams family settled in 1868, and the suburb took its name from Reverend J. McLaren, who called his farm Runcorn, reportedly after Runcorn in Cheshire, England. Cotton and small crops followed, and the Beenleigh railway reached the area in 1885. From 1886 the Runcorn Bone Mill produced fertiliser sent to farmers as far afield as New Zealand. Today Runcorn is one of Queensland's most culturally diverse suburbs, long home to thriving Sikh and Indian communities.
Around the national middle
Runcorn is more socio-economically advantaged than about 56% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 998, 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.
Runcorn at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 14,199
- Median age
- 34
- Median weekly household income
- $1,742
- SEIFA score
- 998
- Coordinates
- -27.5978, 153.0796
Runcorn demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Runcorn 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 35%, 38% of homes are rented, and 56% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,639 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,831 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 5,033 | 35% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 3,069 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,628 | 11% |
Share of the 14,200 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,303 | 27% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,551 | 32% |
| Rented | 1,808 | 38% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,321 | 69% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,455 | 30% |
| Flats & apartments | 6 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,787 occupied private dwellings in Runcorn.
- Median weekly rent
- $400
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,600
- Average household size
- 2.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,811
- Median weekly personal income
- $737
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 7,609 (56%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 7,845 (58%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 188 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 8,289 (74%)
- Labour-force participation
- 65.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.6%
- Employed full-time
- 3,938
- Employed part-time
- 2,493
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 Runcorn
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Runcorn 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 Runcorn
Where is Runcorn?
Runcorn is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Runcorn?
At the 2021 Census, Runcorn had a population of about 14,199.
Is Runcorn an advantaged area?
Runcorn has an ABS SEIFA score of 998, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 56 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 56% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Runcorn?
Runcorn 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).
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