Penticton Profile

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

National Rank:132 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Penticton Population

Total Population (2021)

36,885

Total Population (2016)

33,761

Population Growth

+9.3% (+3,124)

Growth Rank

#160 of 688Same geo level

Male

46.9%17,300

Female

53.1%19,585

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.883

Average Age

48.9

Median Age

Age Rank

#622 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

1,305(3.5%)

5–9

1,485(4.0%)

10–14

1,605(4.4%)

15–19

1,510(4.1%)

20–24

1,565(4.2%)

25–29

1,800(4.9%)

30–34

2,070(5.6%)

35–39

2,185(5.9%)

40–44

2,040(5.5%)

45–49

1,970(5.3%)

50–54

2,140(5.8%)

55–59

2,760(7.5%)

60–64

3,275(8.9%)

65–69

3,020(8.2%)

70–74

2,605(7.1%)

75–79

2,040(5.5%)

80–84

1,545(4.2%)

85+

1,965(5.3%)

Penticton Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.1

Total Private Dwellings

18,457

Occupied Private Dwellings

17,361

Size Distribution

1 Person

6,515 (37.5%)

2 Persons

6,630 (38.2%)

3 Persons

1,995 (11.5%)

4 Persons

1,475 (8.5%)

5+ Persons

745 (4.3%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

2,520(14.5%)

Couples without children

5,105(29.4%)

One-parent families

1,300(7.5%)

One-person households

6,515(37.5%)

Multigenerational

340(2.0%)

Multiple-family

115(0.7%)

Penticton Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$74,100After tax

Median Household Income

$61,600After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$41,600After tax

Median Individual Income

$35,200After tax

Income Rank

#580 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

76.6%

Employment Income

55.5%

Government Transfers

23.4%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

1,930(6.3%)

$10k–$20k

3,740(12.1%)

$20k–$30k

5,830(18.9%)

$30k–$40k

4,680(15.2%)

$40k–$50k

3,920(12.7%)

$50k–$60k

2,995(9.7%)

$60k–$70k

2,220(7.2%)

$70k–$80k

1,500(4.9%)

$80k–$90k

1,105(3.6%)

$90k–$100k

735(2.4%)

$100k+

2,160(7.0%)

Penticton Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

50.9%

Unemployment Rate

8.4%

Total Labour Force

17,420

Employed

15,960

Unemployed

1,460

Not in Labour Force

13,915

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

11.8%

Children (0–17)

11.0%

Adults (18–64)

9.7%

Seniors (65+)

16.3%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3190 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.282

Penticton 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

31,335

No certificate, diploma or degree

4,805 (15.3%)

High school diploma or equivalency

10,455 (33.4%)

Postsecondary credential

16,080 (51.3%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

3,690 (11.8%)66.7% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

985 (3.1%)17.8% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

210 (0.7%)3.8% 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

4,805(15.3%)

High school diploma or equivalency

10,455(33.4%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

2,920(9.3%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

6,645(21.2%)

University certificate below bachelor

980(3.1%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

5,530(17.6%)

Penticton 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

14.4%

2,305 people

Share of 15,960 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

2,305(14.4%)

Usual place of work

11,230(70.4%)

No fixed workplace address

2,400(15.0%)

Worked outside Canada

30(0.2%)

Penticton 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

17,420

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

135(0.8%)

Business, finance and administration

2,770(15.9%)

Natural and applied sciences

750(4.3%)

Health

1,810(10.4%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

1,550(8.9%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

515(3.0%)

Sales and service

5,335(30.6%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

3,165(18.2%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

470(2.7%)

Manufacturing and utilities

605(3.5%)

Penticton 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

17,420

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

325(1.9%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

175(1.0%)

Utilities

70(0.4%)

Construction

1,755(10.1%)

Manufacturing

1,165(6.7%)

Wholesale trade

315(1.8%)

Retail trade

2,540(14.6%)

Transportation and warehousing

465(2.7%)

Information and cultural industries

235(1.3%)

Finance and insurance

510(2.9%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

350(2.0%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

990(5.7%)

Management of companies and enterprises

15(0.1%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

750(4.3%)

Educational services

765(4.4%)

Health care and social assistance

2,975(17.1%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

435(2.5%)

Accommodation and food services

1,560(9.0%)

Other services (except public administration)

675(3.9%)

Public administration

1,025(5.9%)

Penticton Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

33,490 (92.8%)

French Only

30 (0.1%)

English & French

2,350 (6.5%)

Neither

210 (0.6%)

Mother Tongue

English

30,915 (85.7%)

French

610 (1.7%)

Non-official languages

3,890 (10.8%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

30,915(85.7%)

Punjabi

750(2.1%)

French

610(1.7%)

Tagalog

265(0.7%)

Spanish

220(0.6%)

Portuguese

210(0.6%)

Italian

120(0.3%)

Cantonese

95(0.3%)

Russian

90(0.2%)

Polish

80(0.2%)

Penticton Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

6,990(40.3%)

Semi-detached

685(3.9%)

Row house

1,800(10.4%)

Duplex

880(5.1%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

5,065(29.2%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

1,200(6.9%)

Other attached

115(0.7%)

Movable

625(3.6%)

Housing · Penticton (CA), B.C.

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

20,860

Owner households

14,105 (67.6%)

Renter households

6,760 (32.4%)

Owners with a mortgage

7,360 (52.2%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

6,740 (47.8%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

865 (12.8%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

5,895 (87.2%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$1,080All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,276All households, 2021

Owners, median

$940

Renters, median

$1,190

Owners with a mortgage, median

$1,760

Owners without a mortgage, median

$484

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

5,055 (24.2%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

2,085 (14.8%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

2,975 (44.0%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

25 (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

4,040(19.4%)

$500 to $749

3,195(15.3%)

$750 to $999

2,360(11.3%)

$1,000 to $1,249

2,240(10.7%)

$1,250 to $1,499

1,885(9.0%)

$1,500 to $1,999

3,355(16.1%)

$2,000 to $2,499

1,955(9.4%)

$2,500 to $2,999

905(4.3%)

$3,000 and over

920(4.4%)

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 Penticton

Penticton sits on the bench between Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake in British Columbia’s southern Interior. A channel and parkway join the two lakes through the centre of town, with beaches at both ends and vineyards on the surrounding benches. The city is a wine, fruit, and summer-festival centre for the south Okanagan. About 37,000 people live in Penticton.

Known for

Beaches on both Okanagan and Skaha lakes
Channel Parkway through the centre of town
South Okanagan wine and fruit country
SS Sicamous sternwheeler on the waterfront
Peach Festival and a long summer-visitor season

See & do

Okanagan Lake Beach
Main city beach, pier, and the lakeshore promenade at the north end.
SS Sicamous
Beached Okanagan sternwheeler museum on the channel.
Skaha Lake Beach
South-end beach, park, and the cliffs used by climbers and paragliders.
Kettle Valley Rail Trail
Trestle trail climbing from town toward the Naramata Bench.
Munson Mountain
Lookout over both lakes and the channel that joins them.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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