Esquimalt Profile

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

National Rank:256 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Esquimalt Population

Total Population (2021)

17,533

Total Population (2016)

17,655

Population Growth

-0.7% (-122)

Growth Rank

#608 of 688Same geo level

Male

50.3%8,810

Female

49.7%8,720

Male-to-Female Ratio

1.010

Average Age

44.1

Median Age

43.2

Age Rank

#417 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

735(4.2%)

5–9

765(4.4%)

10–14

635(3.6%)

15–19

640(3.7%)

20–24

865(4.9%)

25–29

1,310(7.5%)

30–34

1,480(8.4%)

35–39

1,430(8.2%)

40–44

1,315(7.5%)

45–49

1,015(5.8%)

50–54

1,095(6.2%)

55–59

1,335(7.6%)

60–64

1,290(7.4%)

65–69

1,225(7.0%)

70–74

1,005(5.7%)

75–79

615(3.5%)

80–84

390(2.2%)

85+

390(2.2%)

Esquimalt Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.0

Total Private Dwellings

8,995

Occupied Private Dwellings

8,565

Size Distribution

1 Person

3,325 (38.8%)

2 Persons

3,200 (37.4%)

3 Persons

1,040 (12.1%)

4 Persons

690 (8.1%)

5+ Persons

310 (3.6%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

1,315(15.4%)

Couples without children

2,240(26.2%)

One-parent families

610(7.1%)

One-person households

3,320(38.8%)

Multigenerational

100(1.2%)

Multiple-family

45(0.5%)

Esquimalt Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$77,400After tax

Median Household Income

$67,500After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$44,760After tax

Median Individual Income

$40,400After tax

Income Rank

#482 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

82.4%

Employment Income

67.8%

Government Transfers

17.6%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

910(6.1%)

$10k–$20k

1,415(9.5%)

$20k–$30k

2,110(14.2%)

$30k–$40k

2,115(14.3%)

$40k–$50k

1,800(12.1%)

$50k–$60k

1,530(10.3%)

$60k–$70k

1,265(8.5%)

$70k–$80k

1,060(7.2%)

$80k–$90k

820(5.5%)

$90k–$100k

620(4.2%)

$100k+

1,175(7.9%)

Esquimalt Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

60.7%

Unemployment Rate

7.9%

Total Labour Force

9,980

Employed

9,190

Unemployed

790

Not in Labour Force

5,170

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

9.6%

Children (0–17)

9.2%

Adults (18–64)

8.4%

Seniors (65+)

13.7%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.2880 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.259

Esquimalt 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

15,150

No certificate, diploma or degree

1,810 (11.9%)

High school diploma or equivalency

4,525 (29.9%)

Postsecondary credential

8,820 (58.2%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

2,745 (18.1%)64.1% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

1,120 (7.4%)26.1% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

35 (0.2%)0.8% 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

1,810(11.9%)

High school diploma or equivalency

4,525(29.9%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

1,135(7.5%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

2,955(19.5%)

University certificate below bachelor

445(2.9%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

4,285(28.3%)

Esquimalt 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

21.6%

1,990 people

Share of 9,195 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

1,990(21.6%)

Usual place of work

5,770(62.8%)

No fixed workplace address

1,410(15.3%)

Worked outside Canada

25(0.3%)

Esquimalt 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

9,980

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

105(1.1%)

Business, finance and administration

1,670(16.7%)

Natural and applied sciences

765(7.7%)

Health

780(7.8%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

1,645(16.5%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

345(3.5%)

Sales and service

2,590(26.0%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

1,525(15.3%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

155(1.6%)

Manufacturing and utilities

210(2.1%)

Esquimalt 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

9,980

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

75(0.8%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

10(0.1%)

Utilities

15(0.2%)

Construction

645(6.5%)

Manufacturing

415(4.2%)

Wholesale trade

120(1.2%)

Retail trade

1,030(10.3%)

Transportation and warehousing

315(3.2%)

Information and cultural industries

125(1.3%)

Finance and insurance

180(1.8%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

245(2.5%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

755(7.6%)

Management of companies and enterprises

0(0.0%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

495(5.0%)

Educational services

575(5.8%)

Health care and social assistance

1,345(13.5%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

210(2.1%)

Accommodation and food services

765(7.7%)

Other services (except public administration)

435(4.4%)

Public administration

2,045(20.5%)

Esquimalt Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

14,940 (86.0%)

French Only

10 (0.1%)

English & French

2,315 (13.3%)

Neither

100 (0.6%)

Mother Tongue

English

14,460 (83.3%)

French

545 (3.1%)

Non-official languages

1,865 (10.7%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

14,460(83.3%)

French

545(3.1%)

Tagalog

220(1.3%)

Spanish

215(1.2%)

Cantonese

90(0.5%)

Portuguese

85(0.5%)

Mandarin

80(0.5%)

Arabic

75(0.4%)

Vietnamese

75(0.4%)

Russian

65(0.4%)

Esquimalt Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

1,990(23.2%)

Semi-detached

680(7.9%)

Row house

420(4.9%)

Duplex

900(10.5%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

3,970(46.4%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

590(6.9%)

Other attached

15(0.2%)

Community snapshot

About Esquimalt

Esquimalt is a district municipality west of Victoria on Vancouver Island, wrapped around Esquimalt Harbour and CFB Esquimalt, Canada’s Pacific naval base. Working waterfront, older neighbourhoods, and harbour views sit next to the capital without being part of the City of Victoria. About 17,000 people live in Esquimalt.

Known for

District municipality west of Victoria, not the City of Victoria
CFB Esquimalt, Canada’s Pacific naval base
Esquimalt Harbour working waterfront
Older capital-region neighbourhoods and parks
West Bay and harbour shoreline recreation

See & do

West Bay / harbour walkways
Waterfront paths with views of the naval harbour.
Esquimalt Gorge Park
Japanese garden, trails, and creek estuary green space.
Saxe Point Park
Clifftop park overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Esquimalt Village / commercial streets
Local shops and services in the district core.
CFB Esquimalt Museum (when open to visitors)
Naval heritage interpretation at the base.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

Discover More Insights

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

Open comparison tool

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