Skip to content
CanadianDataInsights
Menu

Burnaby Profile

Explore population, households, income, employment, education, commute, occupation, industry, languages, and dwellings for Burnaby. Compare trends since 2016 and dig into the full profile below.

National Rank:22 of 688
Level:Census subdivision

Burnaby Population

Total Population (2021)
249,125
Total Population (2016)
232,755
Population Growth
+7.0% (+16,370)
Growth Rank
#234 of 688Same geo level
Male
49.2%122,520
Female
50.8%126,600
Male-to-Female Ratio
0.968
Average Age
42
Median Age
40.4
Age Rank
#276 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4
10,510(4.2%)
5–9
10,980(4.4%)
10–14
10,805(4.3%)
15–19
11,190(4.5%)
20–24
17,160(6.9%)
25–29
21,455(8.6%)
30–34
22,270(8.9%)
35–39
19,380(7.8%)
40–44
16,505(6.6%)
45–49
15,510(6.2%)
50–54
16,395(6.6%)
55–59
17,380(7.0%)
60–64
15,475(6.2%)
65–69
13,615(5.5%)
70–74
11,045(4.4%)
75–79
7,240(2.9%)
80–84
5,730(2.3%)
85+
6,475(2.6%)

Burnaby Households

Household Size

Average Household Size
2.4
Total Private Dwellings
107,046
Occupied Private Dwellings
101,136

Size Distribution

1 Person
29,575 (29.2%)
2 Persons
33,180 (32.8%)
3 Persons
17,015 (16.8%)
4 Persons
13,325 (13.2%)
5+ Persons
8,040 (7.9%)

Household Composition

Couples with children
24,750(24.5%)
Couples without children
22,530(22.3%)
One-parent families
8,135(8.0%)
One-person households
29,575(29.2%)
Multigenerational
4,090(4.0%)
Multiple-family
1,135(1.1%)

Burnaby Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income
$88,700After tax
Median Household Income
$73,500After tax
Avg. Individual Income
$43,440After tax
Median Individual Income
$35,200After tax
Income Rank
#369 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income
83.8%
Employment Income
69.8%
Government Transfers
16.3%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k
24,885(12.0%)
$10k–$20k
24,795(12.0%)
$20k–$30k
32,485(15.7%)
$30k–$40k
24,960(12.1%)
$40k–$50k
21,115(10.2%)
$50k–$60k
17,535(8.5%)
$60k–$70k
13,865(6.7%)
$70k–$80k
10,615(5.1%)
$80k–$90k
8,475(4.1%)
$90k–$100k
6,655(3.2%)
$100k+
21,285(10.3%)

Burnaby Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate
58.2%
Unemployment Rate
9.6%
Total Labour Force
137,320
Employed
124,155
Unemployed
13,165
Not in Labour Force
76,160

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate
13.5%
Children (0–17)
13.4%
Adults (18–64)
12.4%
Seniors (65+)
18.0%
Gini Coefficient (Total)
0.3510 = perfect equality
Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)
0.314

Burnaby Education

Highest certificate, diploma or degree for the population aged 15 and over, Census 2021. The highest-credential groups are mutually exclusive. Bachelor's degree, master's degree, and medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine sit inside “bachelor's degree or higher” and are not extra slices of the population. Shares are calculated on this site from the published counts. Statistics Canada randomly rounds census counts, so parts can miss the published total by a few people.

Highest credential

Population aged 15 and over
213,475
No certificate, diploma or degree
24,105 (11.3%)
High school diploma or equivalency
55,365 (25.9%)
Postsecondary credential
134,010 (62.8%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree
55,085 (25.8%)67.5% of bachelor's or higher
Master's degree
17,050 (8.0%)20.9% of bachelor's or higher
Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine
1,750 (0.8%)2.1% of bachelor's or higher

Those credentials are published parts of bachelor's degree or higher. They do not add up to that count. Earned doctorates and other university credentials above the bachelor level stay inside the published total and are not separate columns in this extract.

Share of the population aged 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree
24,105(11.3%)
High school diploma or equivalency
55,365(25.9%)
Apprenticeship or trades certificate
10,870(5.1%)
College, CEGEP or other non-university
32,740(15.3%)
University certificate below bachelor
8,820(4.1%)
Bachelor's degree or higher
81,580(38.2%)

Burnaby Commute

Place of work for the employed labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021. Worked at home is the census count of people who worked at home, shown as a share of that employed labour force. Shares are calculated on this site from the published counts. Statistics Canada randomly rounds census counts, so parts can miss the published total by a few people.

Worked at home

29.3%

36,340 people

Share of 124,155 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home
36,340(29.3%)
Usual place of work
70,790(57.0%)
No fixed workplace address
16,145(13.0%)
Worked outside Canada
875(0.7%)

Burnaby Occupation

Broad category for the labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021, using the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021. Legislative and senior management is broad category 0, not every job with “manager” in the title. Shares use the published labour-force total. These categories do not add up to that total. Counts are randomly rounded, and people with no classified category stay in the published total. This page does not estimate that remainder.

Labour force
137,320

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management
1,210(0.9%)
Business, finance and administration
27,230(19.8%)
Natural and applied sciences
17,890(13.0%)
Health
9,155(6.7%)
Education, law and social, community and government services
13,785(10.0%)
Art, culture, recreation and sport
6,515(4.7%)
Sales and service
34,510(25.1%)
Trades, transport and equipment operators
18,640(13.6%)
Natural resources, agriculture and related production
1,025(0.7%)
Manufacturing and utilities
3,755(2.7%)

Burnaby Industry

Industry sector for the labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021. Shares use the published labour-force total. These categories do not add up to that total. Counts are randomly rounded, and people with no classified category stay in the published total. This page does not estimate that remainder.

Labour force
137,320

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
465(0.3%)
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
275(0.2%)
Utilities
1,030(0.8%)
Construction
9,805(7.1%)
Manufacturing
7,330(5.3%)
Wholesale trade
5,180(3.8%)
Retail trade
15,230(11.1%)
Transportation and warehousing
6,455(4.7%)
Information and cultural industries
6,345(4.6%)
Finance and insurance
6,960(5.1%)
Real estate and rental and leasing
3,835(2.8%)
Professional, scientific and technical services
17,000(12.4%)
Management of companies and enterprises
390(0.3%)
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation
5,670(4.1%)
Educational services
9,895(7.2%)
Health care and social assistance
14,725(10.7%)
Arts, entertainment and recreation
2,605(1.9%)
Accommodation and food services
9,335(6.8%)
Other services (except public administration)
5,830(4.2%)
Public administration
5,360(3.9%)

Burnaby Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only
218,745 (88.6%)
French Only
95 (0.0%)
English & French
12,040 (4.9%)
Neither
16,060 (6.5%)

Mother Tongue

English
95,955 (38.9%)
French
1,535 (0.6%)
Non-official languages
133,590 (54.1%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English
95,955(38.9%)
Mandarin
31,710(12.8%)
Cantonese
28,060(11.4%)
Korean
7,690(3.1%)
Tagalog
7,020(2.8%)
Spanish
5,360(2.2%)
Persian
5,240(2.1%)
Punjabi
4,980(2.0%)
Italian
3,380(1.4%)
Vietnamese
3,205(1.3%)

Burnaby Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached
19,080(18.9%)
Semi-detached
2,885(2.9%)
Row house
8,770(8.7%)
Duplex
16,650(16.5%)
Apt. < 5 storeys
23,835(23.6%)
Apt. ≥ 5 storeys
29,715(29.4%)
Other attached
195(0.2%)
Movable
5(0.0%)

Community snapshot

About Burnaby

Burnaby sits between Vancouver and the eastern suburbs of Metro Vancouver, from Burrard Inlet south to the Fraser River. It is a densely developed city of high-rises at Metrotown, two SkyTrain lines, and large parks such as Burnaby Mountain. Simon Fraser University occupies the mountain’s peak. About 250,000 people live in Burnaby.

Known for

  • Metrotown, a large shopping and high-rise node
  • Simon Fraser University on Burnaby Mountain
  • Expo and Millennium SkyTrain lines
  • Burnaby Lake and mountain parks
  • Light industry along Still Creek and the Fraser

See & do

  • Burnaby Mountain Park

    Hilltop park with views over Burrard Inlet.

  • Deer Lake Park

    City park with trails, gardens, and Burnaby Village Museum.

  • Burnaby Village Museum

    Open-air heritage town on Deer Lake.

  • Metrotown

    Major malls and towers at the SkyTrain station.

  • SFU Burnaby campus

    Arthur Erickson-designed campus on the mountain.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

Discover More Insights

Compare Burnaby with other Canadian locations side-by-side.

Open comparison tool

Data sources → Census profiles, housing tables, and consumer prices