Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainOlder than 95% of Canadian towns: half of Central Okanagan West is over 54.8
Across Canada’s towns, the share of households in single-detached houses is 64%; Central Okanagan West has 96%. Statistics Canada puts the town’s population at 3,298 for July 2025. 6.2% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Indigenous residents are more common here than in 85% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Central Okanagan West
Growing faster than most
Central Okanagan West went from 1,991 people in 2016 to 2,897 in 2021, +46%: faster growth than in 99% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Older than most towns
The middle resident of Central Okanagan West is 54.8; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 25% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
A town people move to
A year before the census, 18% of residents lived elsewhere, 1.7 times the typical share; over five years, 52% moved. Immigrants & newcomers ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
+46% since 2016, a pace 99% of Canadian towns didn’t match
Figures are from the 2021 Census unless dated otherwise. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 14%. Across Canada’s towns, half of towns changed by more than +4%; across British Columbia’s towns, by more than +6%.
Children under 15 make up 11% in Central Okanagan West, less than in 93% of Canadian towns
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
With residents aged 65 and over at 25%, Central Okanagan West is ahead of 80% of Canadian towns on that count. Measured more widely, 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Central Okanagan West, 54.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 110 men for every 100 women.
Smaller households than 74% of Canadian towns: 2.2 people on average
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The share of one-parent families trails 98% of Canadian towns: 3.9%. Census figures put one-person households at 27% in Central Okanagan West.
Central Okanagan West ranks above 75% of Canadian towns on married residents 15 and over: 54%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: 20% of adults, against a typical 27%. As a yardstick, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. Common-law partners account for 13%.
Central Okanagan West sits below 88% of Canadian towns for renter households (11%)
Dwelling types, tenure and age of the housing. 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
52% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 3.5% built before 1961. The usual figure: a quarter of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns.
$85,000 a year is the median household income here
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
Central Okanagan West’s median household took in $85,000 before tax, about the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). $87,000 is the median household income across British Columbia’s towns. Emergency and recovery benefits reached 24% of those with an income, beside a typical 28%.
In Central Okanagan West, 18% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, more than in 90% of Canadian towns
Where immigrants were born and when they came, and how recently residents moved in.
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 largest groups of immigrants were born in Europe (81%) and in the Americas (9.3%). Across Canada’s towns, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier. On residents without Canadian citizenship, Central Okanagan West sits lower than nearly two thirds of Canadian towns: 3.1%. Recent arrivals are a fifth of immigrants (2011 to 2021), beside 27% across Canada’s towns.
A larger share of residents with no religion than 91% of Canadian towns: 53%
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Visible minority residents: 2.4% here and 15% across Canada’s towns. Measured more widely, 35% of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns.
89% have English as their mother tongue; 7.2% also speak French
The official languages residents can speak, and the ones they learned first.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
At 2.4%, the share of residents whose mother tongue is French is in line with the figure across Canada’s towns.
13% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 87% of Canadian towns
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
11% of those aged 25 to 64 have no formal credential, where the typical town has 9.5%.
Employment: 46% of residents 15 and over had a job
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
With 25% of residents 65 or over, the employment rate of 46% sits under the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
41 towns of 3,247 to 3,349 people: this is the 5th oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
At one end is Arviat (21.8), at the other Electoral Area A, Sunshine Coast (61.2). Closest in median age to Central Okanagan West are Bonavista (54.8), Inverness County, Subdivision C (54.8), Grande-Rivière (55.6) and Sheet Harbour (57.3).
Nearby, 2 of 3 towns have older populations than Central Okanagan West
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Okanagan West | 3,298 | — | 54.8 | 25% | 13% |
| Lake Country | 17,637 | 11.4 km | 44 | 19% | 12% |
| Duck Lake 7 | 2,091 | 15.1 km | 60 | 37% | 12% |
| Okanagan (Part) 1 | 3,482 | 18.8 km | 65 | 50% | 8.2% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. The census takes “visible minority” from the Employment Equity Act: anyone other than Indigenous peoples who is non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are what residents reported, compared here with other towns and never used as a label.
- Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns. Two medians frame each figure: one for British Columbia’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, one for all Canadian towns of that size, with whole cities and First Nations reserves left out. Percentiles rank the town within Canada.
- What these tables don’t give. Some things the page can’t show: the Census Profile asks nothing about unpaid care, cars or internet access, and gives no change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted.
Questions about Central Okanagan West’s residents
Is Central Okanagan West good for families?
Under 15: 11% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 58% of households. One-parent families: 3.9%. Schools near Central Okanagan West are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Central Okanagan West?
The median household in Central Okanagan West took in $85,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Central Okanagan West?
Central Okanagan West had about 3,298 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 2,897, 46% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Central Okanagan West?
A median age of 54.8, older than 95% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 11%, and people 65 and over 25%.
Is Central Okanagan West bilingual?
English and French: 7.2% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 93%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 2.4%.
How diverse is Central Okanagan West?
13% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 2.4% belong to a visible minority and 8.9% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Central Okanagan West?
45% are Christian and 53% have no religion; 1.4% follow another religion.
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).