Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainOlder than 96% of Canadian towns: half of Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay is over 56
The figure for renter households is 12% in Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay and 25% across Canada’s towns. At 9.7%, the share of Indigenous residents is higher than in 86% of Canadian towns. Some 1,672 people live in the town, by the estimate for July 2025. Residents aged 15 to 24 account for 7.1%.
What stands out about the people of Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay
Older than most towns
Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay’s median age is 56; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 33% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
±0% since 2016, a pace below 76% of Canadian towns
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 13%. The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across British Columbia’s towns +6%.
A higher share of residents aged 65 and over than 96% of Canadian towns, at 33%
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
Here 13% of residents are under 15, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 16%. The usual figure: 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 109 men for every 100 women.
Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay households average 2.3 people, smaller than in 64% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
A quarter of households are one person living alone (Canada’s towns: 27%). The share of one-parent families stands at 3.9%.
A higher share of married residents 15 and over than 84% of Canadian towns, at 56%
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: 18% of adults, against a typical 27%. By way of comparison, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. Common-law partners account for 11%.
Households in single-detached houses: 91%, a higher share than 90% of Canadian towns
Occupied homes by type, by owners and renters, and by when they were built. Prices, rents and shelter costs are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Owners and renters · share of households
When homes were built · share of homes
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. The comparison figure for households in single-detached houses is 64% across Canada’s towns.
The middle household earns $66,500 a year
The census asked about income in 2020: a pandemic year, with CERB and other emergency benefits counted in. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay had $66,500 before tax, 23% below the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across British Columbia’s towns, half of households had more than $87,000 before tax. Pandemic benefits reached 18% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
Residents who moved in within the year: 10%, a lower share than 59% of Canadian towns
Immigrants, newcomers and movers.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 20%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
The share of residents without Canadian citizenship is 1.7%, against 5.8% across Canada’s towns. On average, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across Canada’s towns. The census found that just over one in ten residents are immigrants in Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay.
54% of residents said they have no religion, a share 91% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
1.7% of residents belong to a visible minority (Canada’s towns: 15%). The benchmark for residents with no religion across Canada’s towns: 35%.
English is the mother tongue of 92%, and 4.1% speak French as well
Knowledge of the two official languages, first languages, and the language of home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
Across Canada’s towns, 7.5% of residents speak English and French; in Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay, 4.1%. 1.4% of residents have French as their mother tongue.
A smaller share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 99% of Canadian towns: 7.4%
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Employment: 49% of residents 15 and over had a job
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
Across Canada’s towns the typical rate is 58%, above this 49%; 33% of residents are 65 or over.
Nearby, 1 of 2 towns have older populations than Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay | 1,672 | — | 56 | 33% | 12% |
| Creston | 5,976 | 2.9 km | 57.6 | 39% | 12% |
| Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay | 5,243 | 5.7 km | 52 | 29% | 12% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. The Census Profile has no unpaid care, cars or internet access, and no change by age since 2016; ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- The census’s own words. “Visible minority” is the census’s term from the Employment Equity Act: people, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered. The page compares them with other towns and never labels a town by them.
- Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns. The middle of British Columbia’s towns of 2,500 or more comes first, the middle of all Canadian towns second; cities as a whole and First Nations reserves stay out, and percentiles are within Canada.
Questions about Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay’s residents
What is the population of Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay?
About 1,672, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 1,475 people in Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay, about the same as 2016.
What is the average age in Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay?
The median age is 56. 13% are under 15 and 33% 65 or older.
Is Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 4.1% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 96% speak only English and 0% only French; 1.4% grew up with French.
How diverse is Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay?
Immigrants: 12% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 1.7%. Indigenous identity: 9.7%.
What religion are people in Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay?
54% said they have no religion and 46% that they are Christian; 0.7% named another faith.
Is Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay good for families?
13% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 61% of households and one-parent families 3.9%. Schools near Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay?
Half of Electoral Area C, Central Kootenay’s households had more than $66,500 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population · Statistics Canada, population estimates for 1 July 2025 (table 17-10-0155). 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).