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Castlegar Profile

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

National Rank:473 of 688
Level:Census subdivision

Castlegar Population

Total Population (2021)
8,338
Total Population (2016)
8,039
Population Growth
+3.7% (+299)
Growth Rank
#397 of 688Same geo level
Male
48.7%4,065
Female
51.3%4,275
Male-to-Female Ratio
0.951
Average Age
45
Median Age
45.6
Age Rank
#470 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4
370(4.4%)
5–9
435(5.2%)
10–14
420(5.0%)
15–19
420(5.0%)
20–24
390(4.7%)
25–29
460(5.5%)
30–34
515(6.2%)
35–39
590(7.1%)
40–44
510(6.1%)
45–49
465(5.6%)
50–54
480(5.8%)
55–59
530(6.4%)
60–64
670(8.0%)
65–69
640(7.7%)
70–74
475(5.7%)
75–79
400(4.8%)
80–84
315(3.8%)
85+
250(3.0%)

Castlegar Households

Household Size

Average Household Size
2.3
Total Private Dwellings
3,702
Occupied Private Dwellings
3,549

Size Distribution

1 Person
1,070 (30.1%)
2 Persons
1,365 (38.5%)
3 Persons
485 (13.7%)
4 Persons
435 (12.3%)
5+ Persons
200 (5.6%)

Household Composition

Couples with children
730(20.6%)
Couples without children
1,035(29.2%)
One-parent families
325(9.2%)
One-person households
1,065(30.0%)
Multigenerational
65(1.8%)
Multiple-family
20(0.6%)

Castlegar Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income
$82,500After tax
Median Household Income
$73,000After tax
Avg. Individual Income
$43,720After tax
Median Individual Income
$37,600After tax
Income Rank
#403 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income
80.4%
Employment Income
64.2%
Government Transfers
19.6%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k
575(8.6%)
$10k–$20k
765(11.5%)
$20k–$30k
1,035(15.5%)
$30k–$40k
895(13.4%)
$40k–$50k
740(11.1%)
$50k–$60k
610(9.1%)
$60k–$70k
435(6.5%)
$70k–$80k
350(5.2%)
$80k–$90k
275(4.1%)
$90k–$100k
260(3.9%)
$100k+
735(11.0%)

Castlegar Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate
52.2%
Unemployment Rate
10.8%
Total Labour Force
4,000
Employed
3,570
Unemployed
430
Not in Labour Force
2,835

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate
10.3%
Children (0–17)
12.6%
Adults (18–64)
8.5%
Seniors (65+)
13.1%
Gini Coefficient (Total)
0.2930 = perfect equality
Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)
0.264

Castlegar 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
6,835
No certificate, diploma or degree
975 (14.3%)
High school diploma or equivalency
2,065 (30.2%)
Postsecondary credential
3,795 (55.5%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree
765 (11.2%)68.0% of bachelor's or higher
Master's degree
200 (2.9%)17.8% of bachelor's or higher
Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine
30 (0.4%)2.7% 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
975(14.3%)
High school diploma or equivalency
2,065(30.2%)
Apprenticeship or trades certificate
835(12.2%)
College, CEGEP or other non-university
1,640(24.0%)
University certificate below bachelor
195(2.9%)
Bachelor's degree or higher
1,125(16.5%)

Castlegar 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

14.6%

520 people

Share of 3,570 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home
520(14.6%)
Usual place of work
2,545(71.3%)
No fixed workplace address
500(14.0%)
Worked outside Canada
0(0.0%)

Castlegar 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
4,000

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management
20(0.5%)
Business, finance and administration
525(13.1%)
Natural and applied sciences
250(6.3%)
Health
345(8.6%)
Education, law and social, community and government services
430(10.8%)
Art, culture, recreation and sport
90(2.3%)
Sales and service
1,005(25.1%)
Trades, transport and equipment operators
845(21.1%)
Natural resources, agriculture and related production
90(2.3%)
Manufacturing and utilities
290(7.2%)

Castlegar 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
4,000

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
70(1.8%)
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
40(1.0%)
Utilities
75(1.9%)
Construction
355(8.9%)
Manufacturing
485(12.1%)
Wholesale trade
75(1.9%)
Retail trade
510(12.8%)
Transportation and warehousing
180(4.5%)
Information and cultural industries
60(1.5%)
Finance and insurance
60(1.5%)
Real estate and rental and leasing
40(1.0%)
Professional, scientific and technical services
180(4.5%)
Management of companies and enterprises
20(0.5%)
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation
165(4.1%)
Educational services
295(7.4%)
Health care and social assistance
610(15.3%)
Arts, entertainment and recreation
65(1.6%)
Accommodation and food services
310(7.8%)
Other services (except public administration)
160(4.0%)
Public administration
145(3.6%)

Castlegar Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only
7,720 (94.1%)
English & French
450 (5.5%)
Neither
35 (0.4%)

Mother Tongue

English
6,980 (85.1%)
French
80 (1.0%)
Non-official languages
980 (11.9%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English
6,980(85.1%)
Russian
305(3.7%)
Portuguese
110(1.3%)
Punjabi
105(1.3%)
French
80(1.0%)
Italian
40(0.5%)
Korean
40(0.5%)
Spanish
30(0.4%)
Tagalog
25(0.3%)
Cantonese
25(0.3%)

Castlegar Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached
2,400(67.7%)
Semi-detached
115(3.2%)
Row house
210(5.9%)
Duplex
335(9.4%)
Apt. < 5 storeys
305(8.6%)
Other attached
15(0.4%)
Movable
165(4.7%)

Community snapshot

About Castlegar

Castlegar is a city in British Columbia’s West Kootenay, at the confluence of the Columbia and Kootenay rivers. A Doukhobor settlement heritage, Selkirk College, a regional airport, and a mill-and-highway service role define the community. About 8,000 people live in Castlegar.

Known for

  • Confluence of the Columbia and Kootenay rivers
  • Doukhobor settlement and communal-heritage sites
  • Selkirk College campus city
  • West Kootenay highway and airport hub
  • Mill-town river valley between Trail and Nelson

See & do

  • Zuckerberg Island Heritage Park

    Footbridge island park at the river confluence.

  • Doukhobor Discovery Centre

    Communal-settlement history on the city’s edge.

  • Millennium Park / riverfront

    Beaches and paths on the Columbia.

  • Downtown Castlegar

    Columbia Avenue shops and civic buildings.

  • Brilliant Suspension Bridge

    Historic Doukhobor-built span over the Kootenay.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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