Ladysmith Profile

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

National Rank:451 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Ladysmith Population

Total Population (2021)

8,990

Total Population (2016)

8,537

Population Growth

+5.3% (+453)

Growth Rank

#316 of 688Same geo level

Male

47.6%4,275

Female

52.4%4,715

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.907

Average Age

48.6

Median Age

52.8

Age Rank

#610 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

330(3.7%)

5–9

420(4.7%)

10–14

455(5.1%)

15–19

400(4.4%)

20–24

290(3.2%)

25–29

370(4.1%)

30–34

440(4.9%)

35–39

520(5.8%)

40–44

500(5.6%)

45–49

440(4.9%)

50–54

565(6.3%)

55–59

695(7.7%)

60–64

790(8.8%)

65–69

850(9.5%)

70–74

760(8.5%)

75–79

520(5.8%)

80–84

340(3.8%)

85+

320(3.6%)

Ladysmith Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.2

Total Private Dwellings

4,079

Occupied Private Dwellings

3,926

Size Distribution

1 Person

1,110 (28.3%)

2 Persons

1,690 (43.1%)

3 Persons

500 (12.7%)

4 Persons

415 (10.6%)

5+ Persons

210 (5.4%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

765(19.5%)

Couples without children

1,395(35.5%)

One-parent families

285(7.3%)

One-person households

1,110(28.3%)

Multigenerational

80(2.0%)

Multiple-family

35(0.9%)

Ladysmith Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$80,800After tax

Median Household Income

$72,500After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$42,720After tax

Median Individual Income

$37,200After tax

Income Rank

#403 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

78.4%

Employment Income

59.1%

Government Transfers

21.6%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

555(7.5%)

$10k–$20k

880(11.9%)

$20k–$30k

1,180(15.9%)

$30k–$40k

1,025(13.8%)

$40k–$50k

905(12.2%)

$50k–$60k

715(9.6%)

$60k–$70k

545(7.3%)

$70k–$80k

390(5.3%)

$80k–$90k

340(4.6%)

$90k–$100k

245(3.3%)

$100k+

640(8.6%)

Ladysmith Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

49.4%

Unemployment Rate

8.0%

Total Labour Force

4,085

Employed

3,755

Unemployed

325

Not in Labour Force

3,515

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

8.3%

Children (0–17)

7.7%

Adults (18–64)

6.7%

Seniors (65+)

11.6%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.2770 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.248

Ladysmith 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

7,600

No certificate, diploma or degree

990 (13.0%)

High school diploma or equivalency

2,360 (31.1%)

Postsecondary credential

4,255 (56.0%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

1,000 (13.2%)65.1% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

325 (4.3%)21.2% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

10 (0.1%)0.7% 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

990(13.0%)

High school diploma or equivalency

2,360(31.1%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

820(10.8%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

1,570(20.7%)

University certificate below bachelor

330(4.3%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

1,535(20.2%)

Ladysmith 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%

550 people

Share of 3,755 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

550(14.6%)

Usual place of work

2,525(67.2%)

No fixed workplace address

680(18.1%)

Worked outside Canada

0(0.0%)

Ladysmith 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

4,085

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

25(0.6%)

Business, finance and administration

535(13.1%)

Natural and applied sciences

230(5.6%)

Health

295(7.2%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

555(13.6%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

90(2.2%)

Sales and service

1,055(25.8%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

920(22.5%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

115(2.8%)

Manufacturing and utilities

200(4.9%)

Ladysmith 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

4,085

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

115(2.8%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

30(0.7%)

Utilities

25(0.6%)

Construction

400(9.8%)

Manufacturing

325(8.0%)

Wholesale trade

90(2.2%)

Retail trade

530(13.0%)

Transportation and warehousing

235(5.8%)

Information and cultural industries

105(2.6%)

Finance and insurance

130(3.2%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

35(0.9%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

225(5.5%)

Management of companies and enterprises

0(0.0%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

165(4.0%)

Educational services

340(8.3%)

Health care and social assistance

525(12.9%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

50(1.2%)

Accommodation and food services

275(6.7%)

Other services (except public administration)

195(4.8%)

Public administration

225(5.5%)

Ladysmith Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

8,315 (93.5%)

French Only

5 (0.1%)

English & French

550 (6.2%)

Neither

20 (0.2%)

Mother Tongue

English

8,165 (91.8%)

French

95 (1.1%)

Non-official languages

510 (5.7%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

8,165(91.8%)

French

95(1.1%)

Tagalog

30(0.3%)

Mandarin

30(0.3%)

Punjabi

30(0.3%)

Spanish

25(0.3%)

Polish

25(0.3%)

Italian

20(0.2%)

Greek

20(0.2%)

Vietnamese

15(0.2%)

Ladysmith Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

2,650(67.5%)

Semi-detached

245(6.2%)

Row house

230(5.9%)

Duplex

175(4.5%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

375(9.6%)

Other attached

40(1.0%)

Movable

215(5.5%)

Housing · Ladysmith (CA), B.C.

These figures are published for Ladysmith (CA), B.C., a census agglomeration, reference period 2021. They are not counts for Ladysmith 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

6,095

Owner households

5,050 (82.9%)

Renter households

1,050 (17.2%)

Owners with a mortgage

2,660 (52.7%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

2,390 (47.3%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

80 (7.6%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

970 (92.4%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$1,030All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,238All households, 2021

Owners, median

$960

Renters, median

$1,130

Owners with a mortgage, median

$1,740

Owners without a mortgage, median

$500

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

1,045 (17.1%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

660 (13.1%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

380 (36.2%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

20 (0.3%)

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

1,300(21.3%)

$500 to $749

1,125(18.5%)

$750 to $999

545(8.9%)

$1,000 to $1,249

565(9.3%)

$1,250 to $1,499

570(9.4%)

$1,500 to $1,999

855(14.0%)

$2,000 to $2,499

600(9.8%)

$2,500 to $2,999

300(4.9%)

$3,000 and over

240(3.9%)

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 Ladysmith

Ladysmith is a town on Vancouver Island’s east coast in the Cowichan Valley, between Nanaimo and Duncan, facing the Salish Sea. A former coal port, it is known for Transfer Beach, a steep downtown above the harbour, and 49th-parallel heritage. About 9,000 people live in Ladysmith.

Known for

Harbour town between Nanaimo and Duncan
Transfer Beach and waterfront park
Former coal-port and 49th-parallel heritage
Steep downtown above the harbour
Salish Sea / Cowichan Valley Island community

See & do

Transfer Beach Park
Sand, pier, and summer concerts on the harbour.
Downtown Ladysmith
Heritage shops on the hillside above the water.
Ladysmith Waterfront / First Avenue walks
Harbour views and the machine-shop precinct.
Local museums and heritage buildings
Coal-port and railway interpretation in town.
Island Highway drives toward Nanaimo and Duncan
Coastal corridor of the mid-Island.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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