Vancouver Profile

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

National Rank:8 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Consumer Price Index

Vancouver, British Columbia

All-items index for September 2026, up 3.0% from September 2025, calculated from the published index (2002=100). Statistics Canada publishes this series as “Vancouver, British Columbia”. It follows that price-index area, not the municipal boundary of Vancouver alone.

All-items: 166.8
12-month change: +3.0%

Source: Statistics Canada table 18-10-0004-01, reference month September 2026 (2002=100). Compare consumer prices across Canada. Data sources.

Vancouver Population

Total Population (2021)

662,248

Total Population (2016)

631,486

Population Growth

+4.9% (+30,762)

Growth Rank

#338 of 688Same geo level

Male

49.0%324,570

Female

51.0%337,675

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.961

Average Age

42.2

Median Age

39.6

Age Rank

#290 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

23,840(3.6%)

5–9

23,070(3.5%)

10–14

23,660(3.6%)

15–19

26,315(4.0%)

20–24

43,290(6.5%)

25–29

67,155(10.1%)

30–34

69,225(10.5%)

35–39

57,330(8.7%)

40–44

45,075(6.8%)

45–49

42,045(6.3%)

50–54

44,840(6.8%)

55–59

44,360(6.7%)

60–64

39,320(5.9%)

65–69

34,590(5.2%)

70–74

30,055(4.5%)

75–79

18,520(2.8%)

80–84

13,865(2.1%)

85+

15,695(2.4%)

Vancouver Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.1

Total Private Dwellings

328,347

Occupied Private Dwellings

305,336

Size Distribution

1 Person

119,805 (39.2%)

2 Persons

100,730 (33.0%)

3 Persons

38,600 (12.6%)

4 Persons

29,140 (9.5%)

5+ Persons

17,060 (5.6%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

53,125(17.4%)

Couples without children

69,085(22.6%)

One-parent families

20,160(6.6%)

One-person households

119,805(39.2%)

Multigenerational

8,260(2.7%)

Multiple-family

2,030(0.7%)

Vancouver Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$92,500After tax

Median Household Income

$72,000After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$50,080After tax

Median Individual Income

$38,000After tax

Income Rank

#378 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

87.2%

Employment Income

69.6%

Government Transfers

12.9%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

55,370(9.8%)

$10k–$20k

61,180(10.9%)

$20k–$30k

86,405(15.3%)

$30k–$40k

67,875(12.0%)

$40k–$50k

55,555(9.9%)

$50k–$60k

46,055(8.2%)

$60k–$70k

37,150(6.6%)

$70k–$80k

30,195(5.4%)

$80k–$90k

24,045(4.3%)

$90k–$100k

19,545(3.5%)

$100k+

80,345(14.3%)

Vancouver Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

61.9%

Unemployment Rate

9.0%

Total Labour Force

394,670

Employed

359,280

Unemployed

35,390

Not in Labour Force

185,345

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

13.2%

Children (0–17)

13.0%

Adults (18–64)

12.2%

Seniors (65+)

17.9%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.4130 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.361

Vancouver 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

580,010

No certificate, diploma or degree

60,930 (10.5%)

High school diploma or equivalency

134,790 (23.2%)

Postsecondary credential

384,290 (66.3%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

164,040 (28.3%)63.0% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

60,335 (10.4%)23.2% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

8,125 (1.4%)3.1% 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

60,930(10.5%)

High school diploma or equivalency

134,790(23.2%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

24,410(4.2%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

78,400(13.5%)

University certificate below bachelor

21,240(3.7%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

260,240(44.9%)

Vancouver 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

34.3%

123,110 people

Share of 359,280 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

123,110(34.3%)

Usual place of work

194,315(54.1%)

No fixed workplace address

39,640(11.0%)

Worked outside Canada

2,210(0.6%)

Vancouver 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

394,670

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

6,520(1.7%)

Business, finance and administration

76,280(19.3%)

Natural and applied sciences

43,880(11.1%)

Health

29,825(7.6%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

50,680(12.8%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

32,435(8.2%)

Sales and service

95,630(24.2%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

39,750(10.1%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

3,475(0.9%)

Manufacturing and utilities

8,285(2.1%)

Vancouver 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

394,670

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

1,840(0.5%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

1,250(0.3%)

Utilities

1,665(0.4%)

Construction

20,765(5.3%)

Manufacturing

16,305(4.1%)

Wholesale trade

11,445(2.9%)

Retail trade

38,470(9.7%)

Transportation and warehousing

14,565(3.7%)

Information and cultural industries

22,390(5.7%)

Finance and insurance

18,710(4.7%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

11,855(3.0%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

58,070(14.7%)

Management of companies and enterprises

1,225(0.3%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

14,660(3.7%)

Educational services

34,035(8.6%)

Health care and social assistance

45,910(11.6%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

11,100(2.8%)

Accommodation and food services

30,480(7.7%)

Other services (except public administration)

16,780(4.3%)

Public administration

15,240(3.9%)

Vancouver Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

555,235 (84.8%)

French Only

345 (0.1%)

English & French

61,055 (9.3%)

Neither

38,195 (5.8%)

Mother Tongue

English

332,135 (50.7%)

French

9,925 (1.5%)

Non-official languages

277,105 (42.3%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

332,135(50.7%)

Cantonese

77,435(11.8%)

Mandarin

41,695(6.4%)

Tagalog

18,675(2.9%)

Spanish

16,735(2.6%)

Punjabi

13,305(2.0%)

Vietnamese

11,870(1.8%)

Persian

10,315(1.6%)

French

9,925(1.5%)

Korean

8,605(1.3%)

Vancouver Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

44,750(14.7%)

Semi-detached

4,800(1.6%)

Row house

10,815(3.5%)

Duplex

54,305(17.8%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

95,120(31.2%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

94,815(31.1%)

Other attached

695(0.2%)

Movable

20(0.0%)

Housing · Vancouver (CMA), B.C.

These figures are published for Vancouver (CMA), B.C., a census metropolitan area, reference period 2021. They are not counts for Vancouver 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

1,037,535

Owner households

644,275 (62.1%)

Renter households

393,260 (37.9%)

Owners with a mortgage

381,415 (59.2%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

262,855 (40.8%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

43,585 (11.1%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

349,680 (88.9%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$1,550All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,846All households, 2021

Owners, median

$1,620

Renters, median

$1,500

Owners with a mortgage, median

$2,500

Owners without a mortgage, median

$660

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

307,440 (29.6%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

156,800 (24.3%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

150,640 (38.3%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

4,125 (0.4%)

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

82,980(8.0%)

$500 to $749

130,510(12.6%)

$750 to $999

99,835(9.6%)

$1,000 to $1,249

94,745(9.1%)

$1,250 to $1,499

90,340(8.7%)

$1,500 to $1,999

172,495(16.6%)

$2,000 to $2,499

123,205(11.9%)

$2,500 to $2,999

84,845(8.2%)

$3,000 and over

158,585(15.3%)

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 Vancouver

Vancouver is British Columbia’s largest city, on Burrard Inlet between the Pacific and the North Shore mountains. It is a Pacific Rim port with a dense downtown peninsula of apartments, parks, and seawalls. The city proper is relatively small; most of the metro area lies in surrounding municipalities. About 660,000 people live in Vancouver itself.

Known for

Stanley Park and the seawall
Pacific port and Asia–Pacific trade
Film and television production
A mountains-and-ocean setting
Large East and South Asian communities

See & do

Stanley Park
Large park with seawall, forest, and the aquarium.
Granville Island
Public market and arts district under the Granville Bridge.
Museum of Anthropology at UBC
Northwest Coast and world collections on Point Grey.
Queen Elizabeth Park
Hilltop gardens and the Bloedel Conservatory dome.
Gastown
Historic neighbourhood with the steam clock and cobbled streets.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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