Yellowknife Profile

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

National Rank:217 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Consumer Price Index

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

All-items index for September 2026, up 4.7% from September 2025, calculated from the published index (2002=100). Statistics Canada publishes this series as “Yellowknife, Northwest Territories”. It follows that price-index area, not the municipal boundary of Yellowknife alone.

All-items: 170.0
12-month change: +4.7%
Food: 193.1+2.5% in 12 months

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

Yellowknife Population

Total Population (2021)

20,340

Total Population (2016)

19,569

Population Growth

+3.9% (+771)

Growth Rank

#390 of 688Same geo level

Male

50.0%10,160

Female

50.1%10,185

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.998

Average Age

35.5

Median Age

35.2

Age Rank

#28 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

1,360(6.7%)

5–9

1,420(7.0%)

10–14

1,340(6.6%)

15–19

1,195(5.9%)

20–24

1,310(6.4%)

25–29

1,630(8.0%)

30–34

1,855(9.1%)

35–39

1,745(8.6%)

40–44

1,670(8.2%)

45–49

1,410(6.9%)

50–54

1,325(6.5%)

55–59

1,385(6.8%)

60–64

1,115(5.5%)

65–69

725(3.6%)

70–74

425(2.1%)

75–79

235(1.2%)

80–84

95(0.5%)

85+

105(0.5%)

Yellowknife Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.7

Total Private Dwellings

7,975

Occupied Private Dwellings

7,519

Size Distribution

1 Person

1,785 (23.7%)

2 Persons

2,305 (30.7%)

3 Persons

1,360 (18.1%)

4 Persons

1,310 (17.4%)

5+ Persons

755 (10.0%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

2,270(30.2%)

Couples without children

1,575(20.9%)

One-parent families

740(9.8%)

One-person households

1,785(23.7%)

Multigenerational

210(2.8%)

Multiple-family

55(0.7%)

Yellowknife Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$137,000After tax

Median Household Income

$126,000After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$65,700After tax

Median Individual Income

$62,000After tax

Income Rank

#5 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

91.6%

Employment Income

84.6%

Government Transfers

8.3%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

1,435(9.1%)

$10k–$20k

855(5.4%)

$20k–$30k

1,195(7.6%)

$30k–$40k

1,110(7.1%)

$40k–$50k

1,085(6.9%)

$50k–$60k

1,020(6.5%)

$60k–$70k

940(6.0%)

$70k–$80k

1,040(6.6%)

$80k–$90k

940(6.0%)

$90k–$100k

945(6.0%)

$100k+

5,135(32.7%)

Yellowknife Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

74.4%

Unemployment Rate

5.8%

Total Labour Force

12,475

Employed

11,755

Unemployed

720

Not in Labour Force

3,320

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

4.3%

Children (0–17)

6.3%

Adults (18–64)

3.4%

Seniors (65+)

5.4%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.2910 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.262

Yellowknife 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

15,795

No certificate, diploma or degree

2,240 (14.2%)

High school diploma or equivalency

4,265 (27.0%)

Postsecondary credential

9,290 (58.8%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

3,355 (21.2%)66.0% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

1,265 (8.0%)24.9% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

85 (0.5%)1.7% 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

2,240(14.2%)

High school diploma or equivalency

4,265(27.0%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

1,040(6.6%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

2,635(16.7%)

University certificate below bachelor

530(3.4%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

5,085(32.2%)

Yellowknife 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

13.1%

1,540 people

Share of 11,760 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

1,540(13.1%)

Usual place of work

8,980(76.4%)

No fixed workplace address

1,225(10.4%)

Worked outside Canada

10(0.1%)

Yellowknife 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

12,475

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

235(1.9%)

Business, finance and administration

2,435(19.5%)

Natural and applied sciences

1,070(8.6%)

Health

770(6.2%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

2,695(21.6%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

320(2.6%)

Sales and service

2,485(19.9%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

1,940(15.6%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

265(2.1%)

Manufacturing and utilities

130(1.0%)

Yellowknife 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

12,475

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

50(0.4%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

610(4.9%)

Utilities

70(0.6%)

Construction

565(4.5%)

Manufacturing

130(1.0%)

Wholesale trade

190(1.5%)

Retail trade

1,075(8.6%)

Transportation and warehousing

870(7.0%)

Information and cultural industries

270(2.2%)

Finance and insurance

215(1.7%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

110(0.9%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

695(5.6%)

Management of companies and enterprises

0(0.0%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

455(3.6%)

Educational services

805(6.5%)

Health care and social assistance

1,290(10.3%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

185(1.5%)

Accommodation and food services

715(5.7%)

Other services (except public administration)

355(2.8%)

Public administration

3,675(29.5%)

Yellowknife Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

16,485 (82.4%)

French Only

85 (0.4%)

English & French

3,340 (16.7%)

Neither

100 (0.5%)

Mother Tongue

English

15,280 (76.3%)

French

855 (4.3%)

Non-official languages

3,070 (15.3%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

15,280(76.3%)

French

855(4.3%)

Tagalog

650(3.2%)

Vietnamese

150(0.7%)

Punjabi

135(0.7%)

Cantonese

120(0.6%)

Arabic

115(0.6%)

Mandarin

85(0.4%)

Spanish

85(0.4%)

Urdu

65(0.3%)

Yellowknife Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

3,335(44.4%)

Semi-detached

195(2.6%)

Row house

890(11.8%)

Duplex

310(4.1%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

1,940(25.8%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

300(4.0%)

Other attached

20(0.3%)

Movable

545(7.3%)

Housing · Yellowknife (CA), N.W.T.

These figures are published for Yellowknife (CA), N.W.T., a census agglomeration, reference period 2021. They are not counts for Yellowknife 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

7,515

Owner households

4,280 (57.0%)

Renter households

3,240 (43.1%)

Owners with a mortgage

3,145 (73.5%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

1,130 (26.4%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

700 (21.6%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

2,545 (78.5%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$2,040All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$2,120All households, 2021

Owners, median

$2,360

Renters, median

$1,820

Owners with a mortgage, median

$2,660

Owners without a mortgage, median

$1,040

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

1,185 (15.8%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

425 (9.9%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

765 (23.6%)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

325(4.3%)

$500 to $749

275(3.7%)

$750 to $999

395(5.3%)

$1,000 to $1,249

445(5.9%)

$1,250 to $1,499

565(7.5%)

$1,500 to $1,999

1,540(20.5%)

$2,000 to $2,499

1,485(19.8%)

$2,500 to $2,999

1,210(16.1%)

$3,000 and over

1,275(17.0%)

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 Yellowknife

Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories, on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake on the Canadian Shield. Government, mining heritage, and northern research shape a compact city of old town rock outcrops, Frame Lake trails, and a modern downtown. It is the territories’ main air hub and service centre. About 20,000 people live in Yellowknife.

Known for

Capital of the Northwest Territories
Great Slave Lake waterfront and Old Town rock outcrops
Northern lights viewing and polar-day summers
Diamond and gold mining heritage
Main air and government hub for the N.W.T.

See & do

Old Town / Pilot’s Monument
Historic harbour quarter and lookout over the bay.
Frame Lake Trail
Popular urban walking loop around Frame Lake.
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
Territorial museum of northern cultures and history.
Bush Pilots Monument / Ragged Ass Road area
Classic Yellowknife viewpoints and colourful streets.
Great Slave Lake shore ice road season
Winter lake travel and summer floatplane country.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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