Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
Happy Valley
10 km²
Tucked into the hills of Greater Adelaide, Happy Valley is a settled residential area known for its large family homes and high proportion of older residents. It is a stable community where people tend to stay for a long time, and the typical resident is 42, making the area noticeably older than the national average. Most households are headed by couples with children, and the neighborhood is defined by its spacious detached housing and a strong shift toward non-religious identities.
Explore Happy Valley by topic
The population has grown slightly to 13,864 people. It is an ageing community, with seniors aged 65 and over making up 22.1% of residents—a figure well above the national average and up 8.3 percentage points since 2011.
The area is predominantly Australian-born (78.8%), with English, Scottish and Irish ancestry being the most common. People born overseas make up 18.7% of the population, which is well below the national figure.
English is the primary language for 90.9% of residents. Only 6.7% of people use another language at home, which is far below both the state and national averages.
A majority of residents (55.2%) report having no religion, a figure that is far above the national average and has risen 21 percentage points since 2011.
The community is moderately qualified, with 19.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Year 12 completion has risen to 55.7% since 2011, though this remains well below the national average.
Typical weekly household income is $1,568, which is about the same as the state average. High earners are less common here than in most other areas, with 15.1% of households earning $3,000 or more per week.
Long-term health conditions are much more common here than in most similar areas, affecting 34.1% of people. Mental health conditions are also more frequent, at 10.5%.
Residents are very active in unpaid work, with 31.5% caring for children and 13.9% providing other unpaid care—both figures well above the national average.
First Nations people make up 1.1% of the population. This group has a much lower unemployment rate (5.9%) and a far higher Year 12 completion rate (54.0%) than the national averages.
The area is dominated by families, with 55.5% of households being couples with children. About 23.7% of people live alone, which is well below the South Australian average.
Housing is mostly comprised of large detached houses (90.2%), with 88.3% of homes having three or more bedrooms. Renting is very uncommon here, occurring in only 11.8% of households.
Most people drive to work, and only 3.0% of homes have no motor vehicle. Despite this, the area has a high number of public transport stops and a short 3-minute walk to the nearest one.
The community is very stable, with only 28.7% of people moving in the last five years, which is far below the national figure. Recent overseas arrivals have also fallen sharply to 5.1% since 2011.
About 63.1% of adults are working or looking for work, with an unemployment rate of 4.0% that is lower than the state and national figures. Health care and construction are the most common industries.
The area has a moderate overall advantage score of 6, placing it above about 60% of similar areas. It hosts 682 businesses.
The local climate is milder than the state average, with a typical maximum temperature of 20.2 degrees and an annual rainfall of 741mm.
The area is quite walkable, with 99.4% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a park. However, it is much harder to reach groceries on foot, with only 51.1% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a shop.