Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainElectoral Area E, Cariboo has fewer jobs than residents in work: 0.1 for each
7.4% of the labour force in Electoral Area E, Cariboo was out of work at the 2021 census, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns. Half the households in Electoral Area E, Cariboo had more than $92,000 in 2020, before tax, and the middle of Canadian towns sits at $85,900. 77% of people aged 15 to 64 in Electoral Area E, Cariboo had a job at the 2021 census, next to 73% for the middle of Canadian towns.
What stands out about work in Electoral Area E, Cariboo
Less unemployment than most towns
On census day in 2021 7.4% were unemployed, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns; by October 2026 the Labour Force Survey put the area at 6.1%. Unemployment ↓
Shorter trips than most towns
Commutes take 22.7 minutes on average, against 26 in the middle of Canadian towns; 8.5% take an hour or more. The trip to work ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
Jobs and income in Electoral Area E, Cariboo earn A−
Better than 83% of Canadian towns on three measures together, #47 of 254 in British Columbia.
Its strongest measure is household income; its weakest, the share of 15-to-64s in work.
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.
77% of working-age people in Electoral Area E, Cariboo have jobs
Of the 8 other places of 2,500 people or more in the Cariboo census division, 7 have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
An older population pulls the all-ages rate down: 58% of residents 15 and over were in work. The Labour Force Survey’s employment rate for the wider area was 59% in October 2026. 62% of residents aged 15 and over were in the labour force, in work or seeking it. The figures are a snapshot of 11 May 2021, when pandemic rules still kept many people out of work or at home.
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.
22.7 minutes from Electoral Area E, Cariboo to work, under the middle of Canadian towns
An hour or more: 8.5% of commuters, above the 6.3% in the middle of British Columbia’s towns. Statistics Canada’s own average, timed exactly rather than by band, is 21.7 minutes. In the middle of British Columbia’s towns, the average commute is 26.4 minutes. Trips under 15 minutes: 43%, more than the 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.
Electoral Area E, Cariboo empties a little on a working day
For every person who comes in to work, about 28 residents travel out. Of those who commute, 6.1% stay within the municipality; the middle of Canadian towns is 70%.
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
94% of Electoral Area E, Cariboo’s residents in work leave it to work; Williams Lake takes the most
- Williams Lake1,090
- Electoral Area D, Cariboo115
- Alkali Lake 115
- Tsinstikeptum 910
- Mile 108 Recreational Ranch10
Williams Lake sends the largest group the other way, 30 people.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (98-10-0459): commuting flows between municipalities (census subdivisions), rounded to 5; linked names have their own pages.
How Electoral Area E, Cariboo’s household incomes compare
Before tax, 2020: higher than in 78% of Canadian towns.
No other place of 2,500 or more in the Cariboo census division has a higher median. Electoral Area E, Cariboo’s median is 6% above the middle of British Columbia’s towns ($86,900). In 2020 emergency benefits topped up many low incomes, and the census counts them here.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
Leaving the car at home: 3.4% of commuters in Electoral Area E, Cariboo
The car is the way to work for 95% of commuters. Only 9.2% worked at home on census day, against 21% in the middle of Canadian towns. Transit takes 2% of commuters, against 3.5% 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).
In the Cariboo census division, 14% fewer people receive EI than in 2019
That is about 4.7 people on EI for every 100 aged 15 to 64 in the division. In the twelve months to August 2026 the number rose by 7%. The highest month was April 2021: 3,550 people, 1.8 times the 2019 level.
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). For EI beneficiaries, the only official count covers all of the Cariboo census division, Electoral Area E, Cariboo included.
Electoral Area E, Cariboo earns C− for walkability
Better than 16% of Canadian towns on two measures together, #240 of 254 in British Columbia.
OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); active commuting from the 2021 Census.
For jobs and income, Electoral Area E, Cariboo is 120th of 724 Canadian towns of 3,000 to 5,700
| # | Place | People | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crescentwood Manitoba | 3,060 | 87% | 5% | $123K | A+ |
| 2 | Cornwallis Manitoba | 4,705 | 85% | 2.1% | $99K | A+ |
| 3 | New Maryland New Brunswick | 4,455 | 81% | 6.5% | $118K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 10 | Smithers British Columbia | 5,627 | 83% | 6% | $85K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 22 | Invermere British Columbia | 4,305 | 82% | 5.9% | $84K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 39 | Golden British Columbia | 4,433 | 78% | 7% | $87K | A |
| … | ||||||
| 118 | Flagstaff County Alberta | 3,724 | 83% | 8% | $90K | A− |
| 119 | Central Okanagan British Columbia | 4,784 | 79% | 8.3% | $99K | A− |
| 120 | Electoral Area E, Cariboo British Columbia | 4,242 | 77% | 7.4% | $92K | A− |
| 121 | Kirkendall South Ontario | 3,033 | 75% | 9.3% | $139K | A− |
| 122 | Idlewood Ontario | 5,005 | 74% | 6.3% | $125K | A− |
| … | ||||||
| 724 | Saint-Alexis-des-Monts Quebec | 3,190 | 61% | 11% | $50K | D− |
Ordered by Jobs & income Grade: the top three, the places either side of Electoral Area E, Cariboo, and others among British Columbia’s towns.
How Electoral Area E, Cariboo compares with the places nearby
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area E, Cariboo | 77% | 7.4% | $92K | 22.7 min | A− | C− |
| Williams Lake 6.8 km | 72% | 7.9% | $77K | 15.6 min | B+ | A− |
| Electoral Area D, Cariboo 12.6 km | 79% | 6.5% | $86K | 20.9 min | A | C− |
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 Electoral Area E, Cariboo, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- In work. Everyone with a job, whatever their age, divided by the residents aged 15 to 64 at the 2021 Census: below the municipality the census doesn’t split work by age, and this is the one rate every town and neighbourhood can be given.
- Unemployment. A census-day figure: people without a job who were looking, divided by all those working or looking, ages 15 and up.
- Household income. The census median total income of households in 2020, before tax; a neighbourhood’s is estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups.
- 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. Who travels where, from the census: workers with a regular workplace, sorted by the municipality they live in and the one they work in.
- Employment Insurance. How many people in the census division drew Employment Insurance each month; it moves with layoffs and hiring, yet people who don’t qualify are absent from it.
- The Labour Force Survey. Sampled each month and released for regions rather than towns, so its rate describes the area around the town.
- Which towns we compare. Towns and city neighbourhoods of 2,500 people or more, never a whole city and never a First Nations reserve. Middles are medians.
Questions about work in Electoral Area E, Cariboo
What is the average household income in Electoral Area E, Cariboo?
Electoral Area E, Cariboo’s middle household had $92,000 in 2020, before tax; Canadian towns have $85,900 at their middle.
How do people in Electoral Area E, Cariboo get to work?
Driving takes 95% of commuters to work, 2% take public transit and 1.4% walk, and on census day 9.2% of those in work were at home.
How long is the commute from Electoral Area E, Cariboo?
About 22.7 minutes on average, with 43% under a quarter-hour and 8.5% at an hour or longer.
Where do people in Electoral Area E, Cariboo work?
Only 6.1% work in Electoral Area E, Cariboo itself; the rest go first to Williams Lake (1,090) and Electoral Area D, Cariboo (115).
How many jobs are there in Electoral Area E, Cariboo?
In June 2026, 104 businesses with employees were on Statistics Canada’s count.
What is the unemployment rate in Electoral Area E, Cariboo?
On census day in May 2021, unemployment stood at 7.4% of the labour force (9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns). For a recent figure, the Labour Force Survey put the Cariboo economic region at 6.1% in October 2026.
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).