ChilliwackBritish Columbia
Home to 105,520 people, this town lies in British Columbia. Its census division is Fraser Valley.
Is Chilliwack a good place to live?
A tough set of grades. Prices are high against local incomes (D). At C− overall, Chilliwack ranks #198 of 250 in British Columbia. Set against the rest, it does better than 19% of Canadian towns. Crime is the sore point (D). Also worth knowing: its best grade is for walkability (B+). The rest of its grades are middling: B for schools, B for health and B− for jobs & income.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in 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.
What makes Chilliwack stand out
The 3 things Chilliwack does most differently from other towns.
How Chilliwack grades
Each subject compares Chilliwack with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society and 12 more in and around Chilliwack
Museums, historic sites, parks, gardens and days out in and near Chilliwack, the best known first.
MuseumChilliwack Museum and Historical Societyin townMuseumMuseumCFBCHS Chilliwack Military Museumin townMuseumMuseumDicken's Sweets & British Museumin townAttractionAttractionGreendale Acresin townAttractionAttractionPetey's Pumpkin Patchin townArt galleryArt galleryJulie Anne's Art Supplies and Galleryin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society: Thats Just Great, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Chilliwack.
For cost of living, Chilliwack gets a D
Source area for rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom: the Chilliwack metro area
A year’s rent came to 22% of the median household income, between British Columbia’s towns (24%) and Canadian towns (20%). 72% of households are owner-occupiers.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Chilliwack | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 22% | 24% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 22% | 21% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 72% | 76% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
Chilliwack’s Violent Crime Severity Index, 158, runs above British Columbia’s towns and Canadian towns
Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 51.3 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 27 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, above British Columbia’s towns (12.5) and Canadian towns (12) alike.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Chilliwack | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 27 | 12.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 158 | 76 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 51.3 | 31 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
July highs in Chilliwack: 24.9°C, against 23.1°C in British Columbia’s towns and 25.5°C in Canadian towns
Chilliwack sees January nights of 0.8°C on average. A normal year brings 1,734 mm of precipitation, above British Columbia’s towns (1,152 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm) alike. January is the snowiest month, with 18 cm on average. For the wettest month, look to November: 268 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Chilliwack | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 1,734 mm | 1,152 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 35 | 60 | 159 |
| January night low | 0.8°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 24.9°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Agassiz)
3 school boards share Chilliwack
Counting a 3 km margin, Chilliwack has 32 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools, 4 schools for every grade and 3 alternative or adult schools. Of its 38 tested schools, 14 sit in the top two fifths in British Columbia and 13 in the bottom two. One of the 42 teaches in French, against 2% of schools in British Columbia.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| A D Rundle Middle School Fourth fifth in British ColumbiaIn ChilliwackElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Cascade Christian School IndependentIn ChilliwackAll grades | All grades | – | Independent |
| La Verendrye FrenchTeaches in FrenchAll grades | All grades | – | French public |
| Greendale Elementary Top fifth in British ColumbiaResults in the top fifth in British ColumbiaElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Chilliwack | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Shaking costs buildings in Chilliwack $0.31 a year per $1,000 of value, 10 times the typical town’s
Measured across the Fraser East health region: radon tests
Fewer homes than usual carry radon here, 3% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. Fire seldom reaches Chilliwack: since 1986, 0.5% of the land within 25 km has burned (0.01% a year).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Chilliwack | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.31 | $0.36 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 3% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Life expectancy around Chilliwack is 80.0 years, 1.5 less than for the typical Canadian town
Health survey and life expectancy for the Fraser East Health Service Delivery Area
The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 17% of adults, higher than British Columbia’s towns (15%) and near Canadian towns (17%). Adults here are less upbeat about their health than the province: 47% very good or excellent, against 50% in British Columbia. What sets Chilliwack apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 5.1 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Chilliwack | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 47% | 50% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.0 | 81.0 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 17% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 10% | 9% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
A town of families: 19% of people in Chilliwack are under 15, more than in both British Columbia’s towns and Canadian towns
First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 7.9% of residents, above both British Columbia’s towns (5%) and Canadian towns (2.8%). Those 65 and older account for nearly a fifth of residents.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
50.9% of Chilliwack’s residents are women
Here the census found 45,745 men and 47,460 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Chilliwack | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 19% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 16% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 47% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Expect November days around 9°C in Chilliwack, nights around 4°C
Snow is normal by November, about 7 cm over the month. Looking ahead to December, expect highs near 6°C and lows near 1°C. A normal November brings 268 mm of rain and snow. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Chilliwack forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 7°C | 1°C | 604 mm |
| Spring | 15°C | 6°C | 365 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 13°C | 215 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 7°C | 552 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Agassiz); the forecast is on the Weather page
Mark Strahl (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Chilliwack in Ottawa as MP for Chilliwack—Hope
Chilliwack is a city by Statistics Canada’s count of municipalities.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Chilliwack has 3 public library branches
Among them: FVRL: Chilliwack Library, FVRL: Sardis Library and FVRL: Yarrow Library.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Protected land around Chilliwack beats nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns
Count 36 protected areas within 10 km of town. The nearest national park is Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, 75 km away. 26 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Hamilton Bar. Walkers have 4 mapped routes close by, starting with the Thom Creek Trail and Karver's Trail.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Chilliwack | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 11% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 12 | 14 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Households in Chilliwack have higher incomes than those in 65% of Canadian towns
The car took 91% of commuters, above British Columbia’s towns (87%) and close to Canadian towns (89%). The average trip to work took 26 min, in line with British Columbia’s towns (26 min) and Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Chilliwack | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 91% | 87% | 89% |
| Average trip | 26 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
One place in Chilliwack, at the top of the registers
11% of its homes were built before 1961, above British Columbia’s towns (11%) but below Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
- Chilliwack City Hall 1910
| Heritage | Chilliwack | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 11% | 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 Chilliwack
Famous people from Chilliwack
29 notable people were born in Chilliwack.
Photo credits
Jordyn Huitema: Douglas O'Brien from Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Reece Howden: Clément Bucco-Lechat, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kevin Hill: LG전자, CC BY 2.0 · Bria Skonberg: Zoot mojo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Steven Point: Tony Sprackett, CC BY 2.0 · Andy Thompson: Michael Julian Berz, CC BY-SA 3.0
Chilliwack’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilliwack | 105,520 | — | C− | D | D | B |
| Skowkale | 1,114 | 1.3 | — | — | — | B |
| Tzeachten 13 | 4,899 | 3 | — | — | — | B |
| Electoral Area E, Fraser Valley | 1,748 | 11 | — | D− | D | B− |
| Cultus Lake | 2,773 | 13 | C | D− | C+ | B− |
| Electoral Area C, Fraser Valley | 1,155 | 13 | — | — | D | B− |
| Rosedale | 2,401 | 15 | — | C− | D | B− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Chilliwack
Is Chilliwack growing?
It added people: 83,788 in 2016, 93,203 in 2021, 11.2% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 105,520.
What kind of homes are in Chilliwack?
Mostly 54% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 1% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.6 people on average, and 26% have just one.
Is Chilliwack a young town or an old one?
The typical resident is 40.4 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 19% of the population and under-15s at 19%.
About Chilliwack
Town in British Columbia
TownRatings counts Chilliwack as Statistics Canada does, as one municipality in British Columbia; the census, crime and housing figures all follow that boundary.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 105,520 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- Census division
- Fraser Valley
- Census subdivision
- 5909020
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).