Fort St. John Profile

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

National Rank:205 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Fort St. John Population

Total Population (2021)

21,465

Total Population (2016)

20,260

Population Growth

+5.9% (+1,205)

Growth Rank

#278 of 688Same geo level

Male

51.3%11,010

Female

48.7%10,455

Male-to-Female Ratio

1.053

Average Age

34.1

Median Age

32.4

Age Rank

#15 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

1,660(7.7%)

5–9

1,485(6.9%)

10–14

1,430(6.7%)

15–19

1,260(5.9%)

20–24

1,635(7.6%)

25–29

2,155(10.0%)

30–34

2,155(10.0%)

35–39

1,910(8.9%)

40–44

1,525(7.1%)

45–49

1,315(6.1%)

50–54

1,135(5.3%)

55–59

1,075(5.0%)

60–64

945(4.4%)

65–69

670(3.1%)

70–74

395(1.8%)

75–79

295(1.4%)

80–84

215(1.0%)

85+

205(1.0%)

Fort St. John Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.4

Total Private Dwellings

10,004

Occupied Private Dwellings

8,777

Size Distribution

1 Person

2,680 (30.5%)

2 Persons

2,745 (31.3%)

3 Persons

1,460 (16.6%)

4 Persons

1,180 (13.4%)

5+ Persons

715 (8.1%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

2,270(25.9%)

Couples without children

1,820(20.7%)

One-parent families

810(9.2%)

One-person households

2,680(30.5%)

Multigenerational

140(1.6%)

Multiple-family

40(0.5%)

Fort St. John Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$95,800After tax

Median Household Income

$89,000After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$52,850After tax

Median Individual Income

$46,400After tax

Income Rank

#145 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

88.2%

Employment Income

81.6%

Government Transfers

11.9%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

1,335(8.4%)

$10k–$20k

1,270(8.0%)

$20k–$30k

1,810(11.3%)

$30k–$40k

1,700(10.7%)

$40k–$50k

1,600(10.0%)

$50k–$60k

1,420(8.9%)

$60k–$70k

1,275(8.0%)

$70k–$80k

1,005(6.3%)

$80k–$90k

885(5.5%)

$90k–$100k

810(5.1%)

$100k+

2,845(17.8%)

Fort St. John Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

69.2%

Unemployment Rate

8.9%

Total Labour Force

12,600

Employed

11,480

Unemployed

1,125

Not in Labour Force

3,995

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

8.1%

Children (0–17)

9.7%

Adults (18–64)

6.7%

Seniors (65+)

14.6%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.2950 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.263

Fort St. John 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

16,600

No certificate, diploma or degree

3,075 (18.5%)

High school diploma or equivalency

5,650 (34.0%)

Postsecondary credential

7,865 (47.4%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

2,020 (12.2%)73.1% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

400 (2.4%)14.5% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

60 (0.4%)2.2% 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

3,075(18.5%)

High school diploma or equivalency

5,650(34.0%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

2,030(12.2%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

2,615(15.8%)

University certificate below bachelor

455(2.7%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

2,765(16.7%)

Fort St. John 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

9.0%

1,035 people

Share of 11,480 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

1,035(9.0%)

Usual place of work

8,120(70.7%)

No fixed workplace address

2,315(20.2%)

Worked outside Canada

0(0.0%)

Fort St. John 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

12,600

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

50(0.4%)

Business, finance and administration

1,745(13.8%)

Natural and applied sciences

970(7.7%)

Health

595(4.7%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

1,260(10.0%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

190(1.5%)

Sales and service

3,435(27.3%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

2,900(23.0%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

675(5.4%)

Manufacturing and utilities

575(4.6%)

Fort St. John 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

12,600

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

135(1.1%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

1,350(10.7%)

Utilities

220(1.7%)

Construction

1,580(12.5%)

Manufacturing

500(4.0%)

Wholesale trade

360(2.9%)

Retail trade

1,505(11.9%)

Transportation and warehousing

570(4.5%)

Information and cultural industries

90(0.7%)

Finance and insurance

225(1.8%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

260(2.1%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

710(5.6%)

Management of companies and enterprises

10(0.1%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

440(3.5%)

Educational services

805(6.4%)

Health care and social assistance

1,010(8.0%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

145(1.2%)

Accommodation and food services

1,135(9.0%)

Other services (except public administration)

585(4.6%)

Public administration

745(5.9%)

Fort St. John Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

20,150 (94.8%)

French Only

10 (0.0%)

English & French

1,010 (4.8%)

Neither

90 (0.4%)

Mother Tongue

English

17,930 (84.3%)

French

190 (0.9%)

Non-official languages

2,530 (11.9%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

17,930(84.3%)

Tagalog

555(2.6%)

Punjabi

395(1.9%)

French

190(0.9%)

Spanish

105(0.5%)

Russian

100(0.5%)

Korean

95(0.4%)

Hindi

75(0.4%)

Gujarati

75(0.4%)

Mandarin

60(0.3%)

Fort St. John Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

4,375(49.9%)

Semi-detached

1,005(11.5%)

Row house

875(10.0%)

Duplex

235(2.7%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

1,690(19.3%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

145(1.7%)

Other attached

10(0.1%)

Movable

450(5.1%)

Housing · Fort St. John (CA), B.C.

These figures are published for Fort St. John (CA), B.C., a census agglomeration, reference period 2021. They are not counts for Fort St. John alone. Shares are calculated on this site from the published household counts in tables 98-10-0252-01 and 98-10-0253-01.

Tenure

Private households

11,525

Owner households

7,370 (63.9%)

Renter households

4,160 (36.1%)

Owners with a mortgage

5,300 (71.9%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

2,070 (28.1%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

335 (8.1%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

3,820 (91.8%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$1,430All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,500All households, 2021

Owners, median

$1,680

Renters, median

$1,200

Owners with a mortgage, median

$1,960

Owners without a mortgage, median

$456

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

1,850 (16.1%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

805 (10.9%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

1,040 (25.0%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

15 (0.1%)

Monthly shelter cost

Published household counts by shelter-cost band. Census counts are randomly rounded, so the bands can differ slightly from the household total.

Less than $500

1,430(12.4%)

$500 to $749

1,000(8.7%)

$750 to $999

1,300(11.3%)

$1,000 to $1,249

1,170(10.2%)

$1,250 to $1,499

1,250(10.8%)

$1,500 to $1,999

2,445(21.2%)

$2,000 to $2,499

1,560(13.5%)

$2,500 to $2,999

705(6.1%)

$3,000 and over

660(5.7%)

Shelter cost is the census monthly amount. For owners it includes mortgage payments, property taxes and condominium fees, along with electricity, heat, water and other municipal services. For renters it includes rent and those utility payments when the tenant pays them. Current consumer prices are a separate series on the cost-of-living page. Data sources.

Community snapshot

About Fort St. John

Fort St. John is a city in northeastern British Columbia’s Peace River Country, a service hub for oil, gas, and agriculture on the Alaska Highway. Prairie-parkland surrounds a growing commercial centre that supplies camps and farms across the North Peace. It sits well north of Prince George along the highway corridor. About 21,000 people live in Fort St. John.

Known for

Peace River Country energy and agriculture hub
Alaska Highway service centre in northeast B.C.
Oil and gas industry workforce community
North Peace regional retail and health services
Northern prairie-parkland setting

See & do

Fish Creek Community Forest
Trails and outdoor recreation close to the city.
Peace River lookouts / countryside
River valley views on drives south and east of town.
North Peace Cultural Centre
Theatre, library, and arts programming downtown.
Centennial Park
Central green space and community events.
Alaska Highway corridor
Historic northern highway through the commercial strip.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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