Photo: The Interior · CC BY-SA 4.0Blind Bay has fewer jobs than residents in work: 0.5 for each
Half the households in Blind Bay had more than $74,500 in 2020, before tax, next to $85,900 for the middle of Canadian towns. At the 2021 census, 70% of Blind Bay’s 15-to-64s were in work, and the middle of Canadian towns sits at 73%. The average trip to work from Blind Bay is 28.6 minutes; 11% of commuters spend an hour or more getting there.
What the numbers say about work in Blind Bay
Work near the middle
Of residents aged 15 to 64, 70% held a job in 2021; the middle of Canadian towns is 73%, and over all adults the share is 44%. In work ↓
Unemployment near the middle
Unemployment was 9.3% at the 2021 census, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns. The Labour Force Survey for the wider area read 6.6% in October 2026. Unemployment ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
On jobs and income, Blind Bay grades C−
Better than 18% of Canadian towns on three measures together, #228 of 254 in British Columbia.
Its strongest measure is household income; its weakest, trip times.
Graded against Canadian towns of 2,500 people or more; less unemployment and a shorter commute count in its favour.
How the grade works
Census 2021 measures, weighed equally against every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 people or more: the share of residents aged 15 to 64 in work, median household income (2020), the unemployment rate and the average commute. Each becomes a percentile; their average sets the letter.
A commuter town: Blind Bay sends out more workers than it takes in
For every person who comes in to work, about 5 residents travel out. The job is inside the municipality for 34% of its commuters.
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
66% of Blind Bay’s residents in work leave it to work; Salmon Arm takes the most
- Salmon Arm830
- Chase155
- Kamloops55
- Fort McMurray35
- Armstrong35
- Switsemalph30
- Sicamous25
- Kamloops 120
- Vernon20
- Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap20
Coming the other way, Salmon Arm sends the most (130).
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (98-10-0459): commuting flows between municipalities (census subdivisions), rounded to 5; linked names have their own pages.
In and out of work in Blind Bay
Of the 7 other places of 2,500 people or more in the Columbia-Shuswap census division, 2 have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
The monthly Labour Force Survey, which covers the wider area, put its employment rate at 56% in October 2026. Participation, the share of residents 15 and over working or looking for work, came to 48%. Many residents are past working age, so among everyone 15 and over the share in work drops to 44%. These are census figures from May 2021, during COVID’s third wave; jobs have recovered since, which the Labour Force Survey shows.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: people in work of any age over residents aged 15 to 64, and the census unemployment rate (15 and over); the 25-to-54 rate is Statistics Canada’s own (98-10-0485). The Labour Force Survey and business counts are context, not grade inputs.
What households in Blind Bay earn
Before tax, 2020: lower than in 56% of Canadian towns.
Of the 7 other places of 2,500 or more in the Columbia-Shuswap census division, 4 have a higher median. Set beside British Columbia’s towns, where the median is $86,900, Blind Bay sits 14% below. Pandemic support paid in 2020, CERB first among it, is part of these before-tax incomes.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
Blind Bay gets to work without a car for 6.9% of commuters
Transit takes 0.5% of commuters, against 3.5% in the middle of Canadian towns. The car is the way to work for 92% of commuters. Home was the workplace for 15%, under the 21% in the middle of Canadian towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: main mode of commuting; average durations by mode from table 98-10-0458 (whole municipalities only).
Time on the road to work from Blind Bay
Statistics Canada’s own average, timed exactly rather than by band, is 26.4 minutes. In the middle of British Columbia’s towns, the average commute is 26.4 minutes. Only 28% get to work within a quarter-hour, against 39% in the middle of British Columbia’s towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: commuting duration in five bands; our average uses each band’s middle (75 minutes for an hour or more), so it runs about two minutes above Statistics Canada’s own.
In the Columbia-Shuswap census division, 23% more people receive EI than in 2019
Per 100 residents aged 15 to 64, about 4.7 receive EI. In the twelve months to August 2026 the number rose by 4%. February 2021 was the busiest month, with 3,670 people on EI, 2.5 times 2019’s average.
Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance beneficiaries by census division (14-10-0323): all income benefits, not seasonally adjusted. EI counts are context, not part of any grade.
People receiving Employment Insurance each month, as a share of the 2019 average (100). Nobody publishes EI beneficiaries for Blind Bay alone, so this card uses the figure for the Columbia-Shuswap census division.
Everyday places on foot in Blind Bay: C+
Better than 39% of Canadian towns on two measures together, #215 of 254 in British Columbia.
OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); active commuting from the 2021 Census.
Blind Bay places 568th of 657 on jobs and income among Canadian towns of 7,000 to 13,500
| # | Place | People | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labrador City Newfoundland and Labrador | 7,965 | 79% | 5.5% | $146K | A+ |
| 2 | Silverwood Heights Saskatchewan | 8,153 | 81% | 5.8% | $118K | A+ |
| 3 | North River Heights Manitoba | 7,228 | 82% | 8.4% | $143K | A+ |
| 4 | North Saanich British Columbia | 12,986 | 85% | 5.9% | $121K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 19 | Revelstoke British Columbia | 9,464 | 77% | 10% | $97K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 27 | Saltspring Island British Columbia | 12,429 | 84% | 5.5% | $77K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 566 | Caledonia-Fairbank Ontario | 10,037 | 69% | 13% | $90K | C− |
| 567 | Ramara Ontario | 11,551 | 70% | 14% | $85K | C− |
| 568 | Electoral Area C, Columbia-Shuswap British Columbia | 9,984 | 70% | 9.3% | $75K | C− |
| 569 | University Ontario | 7,595 | 62% | 15% | $81K | C− |
| 570 | Yonge-Bay Corridor Ontario | 12,888 | 68% | 13% | $69K | C− |
| … | ||||||
| 657 | René-Goupil Quebec | 11,663 | 58% | 15% | $54K | D− |
Ordered by Jobs & income Grade: the top three, the places either side of Blind Bay, and others among British Columbia’s towns.
Work in and around Blind Bay
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blind Bay | 70% | 9.3% | $75K | 28.6 min | C− | C+ |
| Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap 11 km | 67% | 13% | $66K | 30.7 min | D | C+ |
| Salmon Arm 18.8 km | 78% | 7.9% | $75K | 17.5 min | A− | A− |
The people of each place: the share in work, unemployment, household income and the average commute, with both grades once they come.
What this data can and can’t tell you
What each figure measures for Blind Bay, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- The Labour Force Survey. A monthly household survey by Statistics Canada, reported for metro areas and economic regions only. It supplies a recent rate next to the 2021 census figure.
- In work. Working residents per resident of working age (15 to 64), from the 2021 Census.
- Unemployment. Of everyone 15 or older who was working or job-hunting in the census week, the part still looking. Someone not seeking work isn’t in it at all.
- Household income. Before-tax total income of the middle household for 2020, from the census. Neighbourhood medians are worked out from bracket counts, since Statistics Canada publishes none of their own.
- Trip times. One way, on a usual day, from the census’s travel-time bands. Band midpoints overstate it a little next to the figure Statistics Canada times.
- Where people commute. Only people with a usual place of work are in it: those who work from home or have no fixed site are not. Home and work are both counted by municipality.
- Employment Insurance. Statistics Canada counts EI beneficiaries each month by census division. Seasonal work makes it swing, so read it as a trend, not a jobless rate.
- Which towns we compare. The comparison pool is places of 2,500 people or more, towns or neighbourhoods inside cities, without whole cities or reserves, and we compare with its median.
- The municipality’s figures. Statistics Canada counts Blind Bay as part of Electoral Area C, Columbia-Shuswap, so every census figure on this page is the whole municipality’s.
Questions about work in Blind Bay
What is the average household income in Blind Bay?
At $74,500 before tax in 2020, the median household in Blind Bay compares with $85,900 in the middle of Canadian towns.
How do people in Blind Bay get to work?
Driving takes 92% of commuters to work, 0.5% take public transit, 5.2% walk and 1.2% cycle, and on census day 15% of those in work were at home.
How long is the commute from Blind Bay?
About 28.6 minutes on average, with 28% under a quarter-hour and 11% at an hour or longer.
Where do people in Blind Bay work?
Only 34% work in Blind Bay itself; the rest go first to Salmon Arm (830) and Chase (155).
How many jobs are there in Blind Bay?
Statistics Canada counted 260 businesses with employees in June 2026.
What is the unemployment rate in Blind Bay?
In October 2026 the Labour Force Survey put the Thompson-Okanagan economic region at 6.6%; the 2021 census, which counts the town itself, found 9.3%, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns.
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population (Census Profile) · Statistics Canada, tables 98-10-0458 and 98-10-0459 (commuting) · Statistics Canada, table 14-10-0323 (EI beneficiaries) · Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey (14-10-0459, 14-10-0462) · Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Counts (33-10-1176) · grades: TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).