Burns LakeBritish Columbia
Some 2,007 people live in this town, in British Columbia. It is part of Bulkley-Nechako, a census division.
Is Burns Lake a good place to live?
Households here earn well (A). Safety is its weak spot (D). Health is weaker too (C). Pupils here do less well than most (C+).
An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; Burns Lake has its subject grades alone.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Safety is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Burns Lake grades
Each subject compares Burns Lake with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; Burns Lake has its subject grades alone.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Burns Lake stand out
The 3 things Burns Lake does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Burns Lake.
Trips to work from Burns Lake are shorter than from British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 15 min on average
87% of commuters drove, close to both British Columbia’s towns (87%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Burns Lake | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 15 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 87% | 87% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
The force covering Burns Lake records more serious violence than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns, at 196
Violence across its police area runs at 41.8 per 1,000 residents a year. The index for the force that serves it came to 142, above British Columbia’s towns (83) and Canadian towns (67) alike. In addition, for every 1,000 residents of its police area, 47.6 property crimes are reported each year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Burns Lake | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 41.8 | 12.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 196 | 76 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 142 | 83 | 67 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 47.6 | 31 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Data for Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 covers the Burns Lake detachment area
Renting in Burns Lake costs 16% of household income, less than in British Columbia’s towns and across Canadian towns
Nearly three in five households own their home, lower than both British Columbia’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for just over one in ten households, lower than both British Columbia’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Burns Lake | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 11% | 21% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 24% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 59% | 76% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.
Winter nights bite in Burns Lake: January lows of −14.8°C, colder than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns
Summer highs in Burns Lake reach 22.1°C in July. There are 246 days of frost in a typical year, higher than both British Columbia’s towns (60) and Canadian towns (159). For the wettest month, look to October: 66 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Burns Lake | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 246 | 60 | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 506 mm | 1,152 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −14.8°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 22.1°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Burns Lake Decker Lake)
Lives run shorter around Burns Lake: 76.6 years, 4.9 below the typical Canadian town’s region
Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Northern Interior Health Service Delivery Area
Smoking takes in 12% of adults, age-standardised, higher than both British Columbia’s towns (9%) and Canadian towns (12%). The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 39%, behind the 50% for British Columbia. For Burns Lake itself the measure is access, and it scores well: 0.8 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Burns Lake | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 39% | 50% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 76.6 | 81.0 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 12% | 9% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Hazards in Burns Lake: wildfire moderate, radon over the guideline in 12% of tested homes
The burn rate around Burns Lake is 0.09% a year (3.4% of the land within 25 km since 1986), a moderate band. The expected yearly loss to earthquakes is $0.008 for each $1,000 of buildings, about level with Canadian towns ($0.030) and below British Columbia’s towns ($0.36). No flood study for Burns Lake is on the national inventory. Figures for radon tests are published for the Northern Interior health region as a whole, not for Burns Lake alone.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Burns Lake | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.008 | $0.36 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 12% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Most schools around Burns Lake score below the middle in British Columbia: 3 of 3
Taken together, Burns Lake and its 3 km edge hold 2 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 alternative or adult school.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Konkin Elementary Fourth fifth in British ColumbiaIn Burns LakeElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Lakes District Secondary Fourth fifth in British ColumbiaIn Burns LakeSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
More of Burns Lake’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 21%
Children under 15 make up 19%, higher than both British Columbia’s towns (14%) and Canadian towns (16%). Nearly one in ten residents came to Canada as immigrants, lower than British Columbia’s towns (12%) yet higher than Canadian towns (6.4%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 49.8% of Burns Lake
Here the census found 830 women and 835 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.
| Burns Lake | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 61% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 21% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 15% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 49% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Burns Lake, November normally means 1°C afternoons and −8°C nights
Then December: −4°C by day, −14°C at night. In November, the normal is 54 mm of rain and snow. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Burns Lake forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −14°C | 110 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −5°C | 85 mm |
| Summer | 21°C | 4°C | 140 mm |
| Autumn | 9°C | −4°C | 170 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Burns Lake Decker Lake); the forecast is on the Weather page
Ellis Ross (Conservative Party of Canada) holds Skeena—Bulkley Valley, the riding that includes Burns Lake
Burns Lake sends one MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly, the provincial or territorial legislature) to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from Nechako Lakes, though no open record we can reuse gives the name.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Burns Lake Public Library is Burns Lake’s public library
Burns Lake Public Library reports for 6,106 people, a wider area than Burns Lake, and its figures cover all of them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Dead Man's Island Park is 0.3 km from Burns Lake
The nearest national park is more than 100 km away. 4.7% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%). The 10 km around town hold 3 protected areas.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Burns Lake | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 3 | 14 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 4.7% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Burns Lake grew mostly after 1961: 84% of its homes
| Heritage | Burns Lake | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 16% | 11% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Burns Lake
Famous people from Burns Lake
4 notable people were born in Burns Lake.
About Burns Lake
Town in British Columbia
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Burns Lake is one census subdivision in British Columbia, and TownRatings describes all of it.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,007 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- Census division
- Bulkley-Nechako
- Census subdivision
- 5951022
Burns Lake’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burns Lake | 2,007 | — | — | A− | D | C |
| Electoral Area B, Bulkley-Nechako | 1,769 | 3.3 | — | A− | D | C− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Burns Lake
Who are the people of Burns Lake?
Visible minorities are 7% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 8%, and Indigenous people 21%.
Is Burns Lake growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 1,779 to 1,659 residents (6.7% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 2,007.
What kind of homes are in Burns Lake?
64% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.3 people; 33% are one person living alone.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by 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).