North Cowichan Profile

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

National Rank:149 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

North Cowichan Population

Total Population (2021)

31,990

Total Population (2016)

29,696

Population Growth

+7.7% (+2,294)

Growth Rank

#207 of 688Same geo level

Male

48.3%15,465

Female

51.7%16,530

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.936

Average Age

47.3

Median Age

51.2

Age Rank

#583 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

1,275(4.0%)

5–9

1,535(4.8%)

10–14

1,640(5.1%)

15–19

1,545(4.8%)

20–24

1,305(4.1%)

25–29

1,330(4.2%)

30–34

1,645(5.1%)

35–39

1,780(5.6%)

40–44

1,745(5.5%)

45–49

1,730(5.4%)

50–54

1,980(6.2%)

55–59

2,490(7.8%)

60–64

2,815(8.8%)

65–69

2,865(9.0%)

70–74

2,620(8.2%)

75–79

1,720(5.4%)

80–84

1,080(3.4%)

85+

890(2.8%)

North Cowichan Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.3

Total Private Dwellings

14,266

Occupied Private Dwellings

13,741

Size Distribution

1 Person

3,895 (28.3%)

2 Persons

5,680 (41.3%)

3 Persons

1,885 (13.7%)

4 Persons

1,425 (10.4%)

5+ Persons

860 (6.3%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

2,605(19.0%)

Couples without children

4,565(33.2%)

One-parent families

1,045(7.6%)

One-person households

3,895(28.3%)

Multigenerational

335(2.4%)

Multiple-family

105(0.8%)

North Cowichan Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$82,000After tax

Median Household Income

$71,000After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$42,960After tax

Median Individual Income

$36,800After tax

Income Rank

#446 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

78.2%

Employment Income

56.8%

Government Transfers

21.9%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

1,980(7.5%)

$10k–$20k

3,135(11.9%)

$20k–$30k

4,225(16.1%)

$30k–$40k

3,780(14.4%)

$40k–$50k

3,230(12.3%)

$50k–$60k

2,565(9.8%)

$60k–$70k

1,825(6.9%)

$70k–$80k

1,465(5.6%)

$80k–$90k

1,055(4.0%)

$90k–$100k

825(3.1%)

$100k+

2,205(8.4%)

North Cowichan Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

51.9%

Unemployment Rate

7.1%

Total Labour Force

15,085

Employed

14,025

Unemployed

1,065

Not in Labour Force

11,920

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

10.0%

Children (0–17)

12.3%

Adults (18–64)

8.6%

Seniors (65+)

11.1%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3040 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.272

North Cowichan 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

27,005

No certificate, diploma or degree

4,175 (15.5%)

High school diploma or equivalency

8,735 (32.3%)

Postsecondary credential

14,095 (52.2%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

3,150 (11.7%)65.6% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

1,075 (4.0%)22.4% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

130 (0.5%)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

4,175(15.5%)

High school diploma or equivalency

8,735(32.3%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

2,835(10.5%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

5,255(19.5%)

University certificate below bachelor

1,205(4.5%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

4,800(17.8%)

North Cowichan 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

15.7%

2,200 people

Share of 14,025 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

2,200(15.7%)

Usual place of work

9,510(67.8%)

No fixed workplace address

2,290(16.3%)

Worked outside Canada

25(0.2%)

North Cowichan 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

15,085

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

110(0.7%)

Business, finance and administration

1,880(12.5%)

Natural and applied sciences

820(5.4%)

Health

1,315(8.7%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

1,945(12.9%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

420(2.8%)

Sales and service

4,030(26.7%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

3,065(20.3%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

700(4.6%)

Manufacturing and utilities

595(3.9%)

North Cowichan 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

15,085

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

675(4.5%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

85(0.6%)

Utilities

35(0.2%)

Construction

1,565(10.4%)

Manufacturing

1,075(7.1%)

Wholesale trade

230(1.5%)

Retail trade

2,040(13.5%)

Transportation and warehousing

490(3.2%)

Information and cultural industries

205(1.4%)

Finance and insurance

345(2.3%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

230(1.5%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

820(5.4%)

Management of companies and enterprises

10(0.1%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

640(4.2%)

Educational services

1,125(7.5%)

Health care and social assistance

2,205(14.6%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

375(2.5%)

Accommodation and food services

1,115(7.4%)

Other services (except public administration)

695(4.6%)

Public administration

900(6.0%)

North Cowichan Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

29,715 (93.6%)

French Only

5 (0.0%)

English & French

1,910 (6.0%)

Neither

125 (0.4%)

Mother Tongue

English

28,520 (89.8%)

French

330 (1.0%)

Non-official languages

2,410 (7.6%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

28,520(89.8%)

Punjabi

395(1.2%)

French

330(1.0%)

Tagalog

185(0.6%)

Arabic

90(0.3%)

Spanish

90(0.3%)

Mandarin

80(0.3%)

Cantonese

65(0.2%)

Polish

65(0.2%)

Korean

60(0.2%)

North Cowichan Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

8,590(62.5%)

Semi-detached

1,005(7.3%)

Row house

955(7.0%)

Duplex

765(5.6%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

1,740(12.7%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

10(0.1%)

Other attached

70(0.5%)

Movable

610(4.4%)

Community snapshot

About North Cowichan

North Cowichan is a district municipality in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, wrapping around the separate City of Duncan rather than forming a city of its own. Chemainus, Crofton, Maple Bay, and Westholme sit among farms, forested hills, and the Cowichan River. Chemainus is known for outdoor murals and a theatre festival. About 32,000 people live in North Cowichan.

Known for

District municipality, not a city, surrounding Duncan
Chemainus murals and the Chemainus Theatre Festival
Crofton ferry to Salt Spring Island
Maple Bay and the Cowichan River
Cowichan Valley farms and forested hills

See & do

Chemainus murals
Outdoor mural walk through the former mill town.
Chemainus Theatre Festival
Year-round professional theatre in Chemainus.
Maple Bay
Harbour village, waterfront, and trails on the east side of the district.
Crofton
Mill town and BC Ferries terminal for Salt Spring Island.
Cowichan River
River parks and trails through the valley floor of the district.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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