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Official Canadian Data

Vancouver Island and Coast, British Columbia

BC Economic Region 5910 · Population 954,177
16 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
954,177 ▲
Population
$79,539 ▲
Median Income (CAD)
$84,000 national
4.3% ▲
Unemployment
$429.1B
Provincial GDP (CAD)
424,400
Total Employment
27% ▲
Bachelor's+
25% national
Community Data / Canada / British Columbia / Vancouver Island and Coast

Demographics & Population

Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population

Household Income

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
Median Household Income
$79,539
Poverty Rate (LIM-AT) ⓘ
12.1%
Low Income Measure, after tax · British Columbia 2024 · Canada: 12.5%
Median Income Comparison (CAD)
Vancouver Island and Coast$79,539
National$84,000

Community Snapshot

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
954,177
Population
412,133
Total Dwellings
Total Employment
424,400
Unemployment Rate StatCan LFS 2024 annual
4.3% ▲ +0.1 pts YoY
Industry Sectors
10
Age Distribution
0-14: 12.1% (115,317 residents) 15-54: 47.9% (457,079 residents) 55-64 (near retirement): 13.2% (125,546 residents) 65+: 26.9% (256,235 residents) 46.4 Avg Age
0-14: 115,317
15-54: 457,079
55-64: 125,546
65+: 256,235
Visible Minority Composition
Chinese 2.7%
South Asian 2.4%
Filipino 1.5%
Black 1%
Southeast Asian 0.8%
Latin American 0.7%
Not a visible minority(complement) 88.6%
"Visible minority" is a Statistics Canada classification defined by the Employment Equity Act and refers to "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." "Not a visible minority" is the complement to the total visible minority population. Top 6 groups shown; smaller groups are included in totals but not charted.
Indigenous Identity
8.1% identify as Indigenous
First Nations 5.2%
Métis 2.5%
Indigenous responses, n.i.e. 0.1%
Multiple Indigenous responses 0.1%
Indigenous identity per Statistics Canada Census 2021 (Table 98-10-0293): First Nations (North American Indian), Métis, and Inuk (Inuit), plus multiple and other Indigenous responses. Counts use census random rounding, so categories may not sum exactly to the total.
Vancouver Island and Coast's median household income sits 5% below the Canadian national median across 954,177 residents with a senior-skewed age structure (65+: 26.9%, 0-14: 12.1%).
Source: Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Population via CensusMapper.ca
Key Takeaways
  • Aging population: Seniors (65+) outnumber youth (0-14); succession and senior-services demand.

Educational Attainment

Source: Statistics Canada · Table 37-10-0130 · British Columbia province-wide (ages 25-64)
95%
High School+
Canada: 93%
▲ +2.0 pts
27%
Bachelor's+
Canada: 25%
▲ +2.0 pts
16%
Graduate+
Canada: 14%
▲ +2.0 pts

Economy & Industry

Statistics Canada · Labour Force Survey · Provincial GDP

$429.1B
Provincial Gross Domestic Product (CAD)
Source: Statistics Canada · Provincial Economic Accounts
424,400
Total Employment
$79,539
Median Income
424,400
Total Employment
Source: StatCan Labour Force Survey
$79,539
Median Income (CAD)
Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Statistics Canada · Labour Force Survey
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top Sectors
1Health care and social assistance		 83,300 19.6%
2Wholesale and retail trade		 66,900 15.8%
3Public administration		 44,800 10.6%
4Construction		 41,400 9.8%
5Professional, scientific and technical services		 38,700 9.1%
6Educational services		 38,000 9%
7Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers		 36,500 8.6%
8Accommodation and food services		 33,400 7.9%
9Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing		 22,600 5.3%
10Manufacturing		 18,800 4.4%
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Health care and social assistance employs 83,300 workers (19.6% of total employment).
  • Diversified base: Top 5 sectors are Health care and social assistance, Wholesale and retail trade, Public administration, Construction, and Professional, scientific and technical services.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey.
Vancouver Island and Coast's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of the top sectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey · NAICS supersectors

Housing & Rental Market

Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0133 (Rents) - Table 34-10-0127 (Vacancy) - Reference year 2025

Note: figures are single-year vintages. StatCan and CMHC do not publish ACS-style rolling 5-year housing averages, the long-form Census of Population every 5 years (2016, 2021) plays the equivalent precision role.

CMHC Average Rents by Bedroom

Source: Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0133 - 2025
24.5%
Annual Rent (2BR) as % of Median Household Income - Affordable
30% threshold = "cost-burdened" (CMHC / HUD convention). Computed from $1,626 average 2BR rent × 12 / $79,539 household income.
Bachelor
$1,153/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,334/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,626/mo
3+ Bedroom
$1,924/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,988/mo), rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Note: CMHC Rental Market Survey figures cover the metropolitan area (CMA/CA) within this economic region, not the full region. CMHC surveys urban centres only.

Vacancy & Housing Stock

Source: Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0127 - 2021 Census Dwellings
3.1%
CMHC Vacancy Rate (apartment structures of 6+ units)
Near the 3% balanced-market benchmark.
Total Dwellings
412,133
Avg 2BR Rent
$1,626/mo
Vacancy Rate
3.1%
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable rental market: Annual 2BR rent eats 24.5% of median household income, well below the 30% cost-burdened threshold; supports talent attraction.
Source: CMHC RMS rent data and StatCan median household income.

Industry Concentration

Location Quotient: industries where Vancouver Island and Coast over- or under-indexes vs. the Canadian national average

Provincial NAICS-3 sub-sector basis (no ER-level NAICS-3 data is published by StatCan; provincial figures inherit to Vancouver Island and Coast).

Concentrated Industries
Source: Statistics Canada Table 33-10-0222-01 · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector, establishment basis, LQ computed vs. national share. Note: LFS-based or SEPH-based employment LQ may differ, StatCan publishes household and payroll employment series with different methodologies.
Professional, scientific and technical services
2.10x
38,700
Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing
2.00x
22,600
Accommodation and food services
1.67x
33,400
Construction
1.51x
41,400
Manufacturing
1.43x
18,800
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Professional, scientific and technical services concentrates at 2.10x the national norm.
  • Cluster depth: 5 sectors register LQ >= 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single sector.
Source: StatCan Table 33-10-0222-01 (NAICS-3 sub-sector establishment counts), provincial inheritance.

Workforce & Labour

Labour force composition from Statistics Canada population estimates and employment data

Source: StatCan Table 17-10-0137
582,625
Working Age (15-64)
Employment rate: 73% of working-age population (15-64) 73% Employment Rate

Labour Summary

Source: StatCan LFS + Population Estimates
Total Employment
424,400
Working Age Pop
582,625
Youth (0-14)
115,317
Seniors (65+)
256,235

Dependency & Aging

Source: StatCan population estimates
27%
Seniors (65+) Share
Senior population exceeds youth, aging workforce risk. Succession planning and talent attraction recommended.
Youth / Senior Ratio
45:100

Aging Workforce

Source: StatCan 17-10-0150 · Population estimates by economic region, age
21.5%
55-64 of working-age (15-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0416 NOC 2021 broad categories (2025 - province-level)
Management / Professional
58.1%
Sales & Service
22.1%
Trades / Transport
15.5%
Natural Resources
1.5%
Manufacturing
2.8%
Bars scaled 2x for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 2,946,200 employed workers across British Columbia. Economic Region-level occupation data is not published by StatCan; this provincial breakdown is the closest available proxy.

Commute

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0457
Mean Commute 3.5 min below national avg
20.2 min

Work From Home

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0455
Worked At Home vs 24.3% national
26.6%
Census 2021 long-form: percent of employed labour force aged 15+ whose place of work is "at home".
Key Takeaways
  • Working-age base: 582,625 residents aged 15-64 (61.1% of population) form the labour pool.
  • Employment rate: 73% of working-age residents are employed (424,400 workers).
  • Succession risk: Seniors (65+) outnumber youth (0-14); plan for retirements alongside attraction strategy.
Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 + Labour Force Survey.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 16 Canadian data sources

Sample AI Insight

Vancouver Island and Coast's industrial base is anchored by Health care and social assistance with 83,300 workers, followed by Wholesale and retail trade and Public administration. The region skews older: seniors outnumber youth, which has implications for succession planning and workforce transition strategy.

Illustrative example

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Data Sources

All data from official Canadian government APIs. Updated from official Canadian government data.

Statistics Canada Census 20212021
StatCan Labour Force Survey2025
StatCan LFS Unemployment Rate (14-10-0393)2024
StatCan GDP Tables2024
CMHC Rental Market2025
CRTC Broadband Data2025
CensusMapper.ca2021
StatCan Education (37-10-0130)2025
StatCan Population (17-10-0150)2025
StatCan Postsecondary Enrolments (37-10-0277)2024
StatCan Top Occupations (14-10-0416)2025
StatCan Commute (98-10-0457/0458)2021
StatCan Place of Work (98-10-0455/0456)2021
StatCan Low Income (11-10-0135)2024
StatCan Visible Minority (98-10-0352)2021
StatCan Indigenous Identity (98-10-0293)2021

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Vancouver Island and Coast, British Columbia, from Statistics Canada.

What is the population of Vancouver Island and Coast, British Columbia?

954,177 (Statistics Canada, Population Estimates, Table 17-10-0150).

What is the median household income in Vancouver Island and Coast, British Columbia?

$79,539 (Statistics Canada, Census 2021).

What is the unemployment rate in Vancouver Island and Coast, British Columbia?

4.3% (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0393).