ClearwaterBritish Columbia
It is part of Thompson-Nicola, a census division. The town, home to 2,500 people, lies in British Columbia.
Is Clearwater a good place to live?
Clearwater grades low on several counts. The town grades D overall, better than a tenth of Canadian towns, and ranks #223 of 250 in British Columbia. Its lowest grade is for schools (D). Cost of living is weaker too (C−). Natural hazards are few (A). Fewer journeys need a car (B+). Its other grades sit near the middle: C+ for safety and C+ for health.
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 Clearwater grades
Each subject compares Clearwater 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 →
What makes Clearwater stand out
The 3 things Clearwater does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Clearwater.
The nearest high school to Clearwater is 85 km away
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater Secondary Fourth fifth in British ColumbiaIn ClearwaterElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Clearwater | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 85 km | 1.8 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
January lows in Clearwater: −10.6°C, against 0.5°C in British Columbia’s towns and −13.5°C in Canadian towns
The warmest afternoons come in July, at around 24.6°C in Clearwater. Frosty days number 193 in a normal year, higher than both British Columbia’s towns (60) and Canadian towns (159). The frost-free season runs from 31 May to 11 September, 102 days. The most precipitation falls in November: 120 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Clearwater | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 416 cm | 51 cm | 141 cm |
| Days with frost a year | 193 | 60 | 159 |
| January night low | −10.6°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 24.6°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Blue River)
Clearwater’s grade for hazard risk: an A
Area-wide: radon tests, counted over the Thompson/Cariboo health region
About as many homes carry radon around Clearwater as elsewhere, 6.4% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. Averaged over the years, quake damage costs $0.009 per $1,000 of buildings, about level with Canadian towns ($0.030) and below British Columbia’s towns ($0.36). Flood mapping exists: 2 studies, most recently by Fraser Basin Council. The burn rate around Clearwater is 0.08% a year (3.1% of the land within 25 km since 1986), a moderate band.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Clearwater | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.009 | $0.36 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 6.4% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Measured against local pay, Clearwater costs more to live in than four in five Canadian towns
16% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below both British Columbia’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%). Owners put the median home at $324,000, below both British Columbia’s towns ($720,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Clearwater | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $324,000 | $720,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 16% | 21% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 20% | 24% | 20% |
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.
Trips to work from Clearwater are shorter than from British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 20 min on average
88% of commuters drove, about level with both British Columbia’s towns (87%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Clearwater | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 20 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 88% | 87% | 89% |
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.
Lives run shorter around Clearwater: 78.8 years, 2.7 below the typical Canadian town’s region
Health survey and life expectancy for the Thompson/Cariboo Health Service Delivery Area
The town’s own part is the trip to care: residents of Clearwater live 2.6 km from a hospital on average, close to the typical town’s 3.7 km. The region has more smokers than British Columbia, 13% of adults to 8.9%. The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 48%, behind the 50% for British Columbia. Chronic conditions run at 18% of adults, age-standardised, about level with Canadian towns (17%) and above British Columbia’s towns (15%).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Clearwater | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.8 | 81.0 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 13% | 9% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 48% | 50% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
The force covering Clearwater records less serious violence than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns, at 47
Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 21.4 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed. Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 69 over 2023–25, below British Columbia’s towns (83) and close to Canadian towns (67). Clearwater doesn’t get its own Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures; the ones here come from the Clearwater detachment area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Clearwater | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 47 | 76 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 21.4 | 31 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Expect November days around 1°C in Clearwater, nights around −4°C
At the extremes, July afternoons reach 25°C and January nights −11°C. Next comes December, with normal highs of −3°C and lows of −10°C. Snowfall in a normal November: 75 cm. Precipitation in November averages 120 mm.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −10°C | 257 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | −2°C | 200 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 8°C | 274 mm |
| Autumn | 10°C | 0°C | 310 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Blue River); the forecast is on the Weather page
Clearwater sends Frank Caputo (Conservative Party of Canada) to the Commons from Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola
20 of the 43 MPs from British Columbia belong to the Liberal Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Clearwater’s public library is TNRL: Clearwater Library
It stands 0.5 km from the centre of Clearwater.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
More of Clearwater’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 13%
17% of residents are children under 15. Visible minorities make up 3% of the population, below British Columbia’s towns (8.6%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. Retirement age and beyond: a quarter of residents are 65 or older.
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 50.4% of Clearwater
1,185 men and 1,205 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Clearwater | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 58% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 25% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 21% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 44% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Few places match Clearwater for protected land nearby: more than 8 in 10 Canadian towns
Within 100 km there is no national park. OpenStreetMap shows 3 unnamed beaches within 5 km. The tally of protected areas open to the public within 10 km is 4, below British Columbia’s towns (14) and close to Canadian towns (4).
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Clearwater | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 7.7% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 14 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Clearwater
Clearwater Ski Hill and 4 more within 40 km
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Clearwater; with it, the best known within 40 km.
WaterfallHelmcken Falls35 km north
WaterfallMoul Falls21 km north
WaterfallDawson Falls36 km northWaterfallWaterfallMcDiarmid Falls22 km northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Helmcken Falls: William Redmond, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Moul Falls: Roland Neave, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dawson Falls: Uli Harder, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Clearwater
Town in British Columbia
For Clearwater, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in British Columbia, and every figure on its pages covers that whole area.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,500 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- Census division
- Thompson-Nicola
- Census subdivision
- 5933067
Clearwater’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater | 2,500 | — | D | C− | C+ | C+ |
| Electoral Area A (Wells Gray Country), Thompson-Nicola | 1,766 | 12 | — | C− | C+ | C |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Clearwater
Who are the people of Clearwater?
3% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 13% have an Indigenous identity and 7% are immigrants.
What kind of homes are in Clearwater?
Mostly 73% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.2 people on average, and 32% have just one.
Has Clearwater grown?
It grew from 2,324 people in 2016 to 2,388 in 2021, up 2.8%; the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 2,500.
Is Clearwater a young town or an old one?
At 48.4, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 17% of the population and seniors 25%.
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).