Quesnel Profile

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

National Rank:420 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Quesnel Population

Total Population (2021)

9,889

Total Population (2016)

9,879

Population Growth

+0.1% (+10)

Growth Rank

#569 of 688Same geo level

Male

48.9%4,835

Female

51.1%5,055

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.956

Average Age

Median Age

45.6

Age Rank

#413 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

435(4.4%)

5–9

495(5.0%)

10–14

595(6.0%)

15–19

570(5.8%)

20–24

550(5.6%)

25–29

615(6.2%)

30–34

560(5.7%)

35–39

555(5.6%)

40–44

515(5.2%)

45–49

610(6.2%)

50–54

615(6.2%)

55–59

750(7.6%)

60–64

770(7.8%)

65–69

685(6.9%)

70–74

610(6.2%)

75–79

385(3.9%)

80–84

295(3.0%)

85+

275(2.8%)

Quesnel Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.2

Total Private Dwellings

4,766

Occupied Private Dwellings

4,508

Size Distribution

1 Person

1,695 (37.6%)

2 Persons

1,555 (34.5%)

3 Persons

575 (12.7%)

4 Persons

420 (9.3%)

5+ Persons

270 (6.0%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

780(17.3%)

Couples without children

1,130(25.1%)

One-parent families

440(9.8%)

One-person households

1,695(37.6%)

Multigenerational

85(1.9%)

Multiple-family

20(0.4%)

Quesnel Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$73,600After tax

Median Household Income

$61,600After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$41,960After tax

Median Individual Income

$34,800After tax

Income Rank

#588 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

75.6%

Employment Income

62.0%

Government Transfers

24.4%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

615(7.8%)

$10k–$20k

1,045(13.3%)

$20k–$30k

1,380(17.5%)

$30k–$40k

1,160(14.7%)

$40k–$50k

875(11.1%)

$50k–$60k

620(7.9%)

$60k–$70k

460(5.8%)

$70k–$80k

420(5.3%)

$80k–$90k

305(3.9%)

$90k–$100k

245(3.1%)

$100k+

760(9.6%)

Quesnel Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

48.7%

Unemployment Rate

10.5%

Total Labour Force

4,440

Employed

3,970

Unemployed

465

Not in Labour Force

3,720

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

13.8%

Children (0–17)

15.2%

Adults (18–64)

11.4%

Seniors (65+)

19.1%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3100 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.275

Quesnel 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

8,160

No certificate, diploma or degree

1,955 (24.0%)

High school diploma or equivalency

2,780 (34.1%)

Postsecondary credential

3,430 (42.0%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

680 (8.3%)69.0% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

205 (2.5%)20.8% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

20 (0.2%)2.0% 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

1,955(24.0%)

High school diploma or equivalency

2,780(34.1%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

770(9.4%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

1,445(17.7%)

University certificate below bachelor

235(2.9%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

985(12.1%)

Quesnel 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

7.1%

280 people

Share of 3,970 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

280(7.1%)

Usual place of work

3,185(80.2%)

No fixed workplace address

500(12.6%)

Worked outside Canada

0(0.0%)

Quesnel 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

4,440

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

35(0.8%)

Business, finance and administration

480(10.8%)

Natural and applied sciences

175(3.9%)

Health

350(7.9%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

625(14.1%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

75(1.7%)

Sales and service

1,165(26.2%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

890(20.0%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

175(3.9%)

Manufacturing and utilities

345(7.8%)

Quesnel 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

4,440

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

105(2.4%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

95(2.1%)

Utilities

25(0.6%)

Construction

265(6.0%)

Manufacturing

750(16.9%)

Wholesale trade

65(1.5%)

Retail trade

610(13.7%)

Transportation and warehousing

165(3.7%)

Information and cultural industries

65(1.5%)

Finance and insurance

85(1.9%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

50(1.1%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

130(2.9%)

Management of companies and enterprises

0(0.0%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

110(2.5%)

Educational services

335(7.5%)

Health care and social assistance

625(14.1%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

70(1.6%)

Accommodation and food services

385(8.7%)

Other services (except public administration)

200(4.5%)

Public administration

165(3.7%)

Quesnel Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

9,415 (96.4%)

English & French

310 (3.2%)

Neither

40 (0.4%)

Mother Tongue

English

8,880 (90.9%)

French

85 (0.9%)

Non-official languages

670 (6.9%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

8,880(90.9%)

Punjabi

190(1.9%)

French

85(0.9%)

Tagalog

75(0.8%)

Italian

35(0.4%)

Portuguese

25(0.3%)

Cantonese

20(0.2%)

Hindi

20(0.2%)

Mandarin

15(0.2%)

Spanish

15(0.2%)

Quesnel Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

2,690(59.6%)

Semi-detached

120(2.7%)

Row house

250(5.5%)

Duplex

175(3.9%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

1,035(22.9%)

Other attached

30(0.7%)

Movable

205(4.5%)

Housing · Quesnel (CA), B.C.

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

9,890

Owner households

7,450 (75.3%)

Renter households

2,445 (24.7%)

Owners with a mortgage

3,905 (52.4%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

3,540 (47.5%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

300 (12.3%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

2,145 (87.7%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$775All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$886All households, 2021

Owners, median

$685

Renters, median

$850

Owners with a mortgage, median

$1,290

Owners without a mortgage, median

$314

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

1,245 (12.6%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

590 (7.9%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

655 (26.8%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

0 (0.0%)

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

3,255(32.9%)

$500 to $749

1,455(14.7%)

$750 to $999

1,615(16.3%)

$1,000 to $1,249

1,125(11.4%)

$1,250 to $1,499

915(9.3%)

$1,500 to $1,999

1,020(10.3%)

$2,000 to $2,499

340(3.4%)

$2,500 to $2,999

85(0.9%)

$3,000 and over

80(0.8%)

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 Quesnel

Quesnel is a city in British Columbia’s Cariboo, at the confluence of the Quesnel and Fraser rivers, on the Highway 97 gold-rush corridor. A forestry and service hub, it is the usual jumping-off point toward Barkerville Historic Town, which lies farther east and is not inside the city. About 10,000 people live in Quesnel.

Known for

Fraser—Quesnel river confluence in the Cariboo
Highway 97 gold-rush corridor service city
Forestry and interior mill-town economy
Gateway toward Barkerville Historic Town (separate)
Billy Barker Days community festival

See & do

Quesnel riverfront walkways
Paths at the Fraser and Quesnel confluence.
Quesnel Museum & Archives
Cariboo gold-rush and forestry history downtown.
Ceal Tingley Park / trestle views
River parks and the historic rail trestle setting.
Downtown Quesnel
Shops and heritage buildings in the city core.
Highway 26 toward Barkerville
Day trip east to the restored gold-rush town.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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