CowichanBritish Columbia
2,509 residents make their home in this First Nations reserve in British Columbia. It sits within the Duncan census metropolitan area.
Is Cowichan a good place to live?
Work and incomes lag (C). Schools are weaker too (C+). Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for health and B− for hazard risk. It is hard to get around without a car (C+).
Reserves such as Cowichan stay out of the grades and the ranked lists. Statistics Canada publishes too little of their data, and what it does publish can’t be weighed fairly against other towns.
No Safety Grade: no police service publishes a crime rate for this place on its own. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread. A First Nations reserve: subject grades only, with no overall grade and no place in ranked lists.
How Cowichan grades
Each subject compares Cowichan with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Reserves such as Cowichan stay out of the grades and the ranked lists. Statistics Canada publishes too little of their data, and what it does publish can’t be weighed fairly against other towns.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Cowichan stand out
The 3 things Cowichan does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cowichan.
Winters are mild in Cowichan: January nights hold at 1.6°C, above British Columbia’s towns and Canadian towns
December is the snowiest month, with 12 cm on average. The thermometer drops below freezing on 45 days a year, lower than both British Columbia’s towns (60) and Canadian towns (159). Gardeners get 213 frost-free days, from 4 April to 4 November. Summer highs in Cowichan reach 22.7°C in July.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Cowichan | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 45 | 60 | 159 |
| January night low | 1.6°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 22.7°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 39 cm | 51 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Victoria (Airport))
More of Cowichan’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 93%
0.6% of residents belong to a visible minority, below British Columbia’s towns (8.6%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike.
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 46.8% of Cowichan
The 2021 census counted 1,135 women and 1,290 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Cowichan | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 23% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 68% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 9.3% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 42% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 27% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Trips to work from Cowichan are shorter than from British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 20 min on average
The car took 91% of commuters, above British Columbia’s towns (87%) and close to Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Cowichan | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 20 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 91% | 87% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Cowichan’s schools mostly sit under the middle in British Columbia, 8 of the 14 with results
The 3 km around Cowichan counts 12 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools, 2 schools for every grade and 3 alternative or adult schools. Schooling in French is on offer at one of the 19; in British Columbia, 2% of schools teach in it.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khowhemun Elementary Bottom fifth in British ColumbiaIn CowichanElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Queen of Angels School IndependentNearest secondary school, 0.2 kmAll grades | All grades | – | Independent |
| Des Cascades FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Sunrise Waldorf School IndependentResults in the top fifth in British ColumbiaAll grades | All grades | – | Independent |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Cowichan | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Nearest secondary school | 2 km | 1.8 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Cowichan in November: highs near 10°C, lows near 3°C
A normal November brings 146 mm of rain and snow. The month after, December, normally sees 7°C afternoons and 2°C nights. At the extremes, July afternoons reach 23°C and February nights 1°C. ECCC’s forecast for Duncan is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 386 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 5°C | 165 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 11°C | 73 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 6°C | 278 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Victoria (Airport)); the forecast is on the Weather page
Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, which takes in Cowichan, is held by Jeff Kibble (Conservative Party of Canada)
20 of the 43 MPs from British Columbia belong to the Liberal Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Cowichan is VIRL: Cowichan Branch, 1.9 km away
The next is VIRL: South Cowichan Branch (Electoral Area A, Cowichan Valley), 16 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve lies 10 km beyond Cowichan’s edge
Within 5 km are 4 beaches; Musgrave Landing Beach is the nearest. For a provincial park, Cowichan River Park lies 1.1 km off. 3 mapped walking routes pass within 2 km, among them the Trans-Canada Trail - Cowichan Valley Trail and Vancouver Island Trail.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Cowichan | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 16 | 14 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 5.9% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Lives run shorter around Cowichan: 79.8 years, 1.7 below the typical Canadian town’s region
In the health survey, 47% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, fewer than British Columbia’s 50%. The region has more smokers than British Columbia, 12% of adults to 8.9%. On average 16% of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, between British Columbia’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%). Closer to home, a hospital sits 3.5 km from the average resident of Cowichan, about the norm of 3.7 km. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Central Vancouver Island Health Service Delivery Area, Cowichan included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Cowichan | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 47% | 50% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.8 | 81.0 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 12% | 9% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 15% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Earthquakes are Cowichan’s biggest hazard: $0.72 of damage a year per $1,000 of buildings, 24 times the norm
Radon is lower than usual: 0.9% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. 2 flood studies cover the town, the latest by Cowichan Valley Regional District. Wildfire is rare near Cowichan: 0.1% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, a burn rate of 0.003% a year.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Cowichan | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.72 | $0.36 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 0.9% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Data for radon tests covers the Central Vancouver Island health region
Everything we know about Cowichan
Quw'utsun' Cultural and Conference Centre and 7 more in and around Cowichan
A first look at Cowichan’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
MuseumBC Forest Discovery Centre2.4 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumCowichan Valley Museum100 m outside town, to the northHeritage railwayHeritage railwayBloedel, Stewart & Welch No. 12.5 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumCowichan Bay Maritime Centre2.1 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumHand of Man Museum4.4 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- BC Forest Discovery Centre: SoftwareSimian, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from around Cowichan
One notable person was born in Cowichan; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Frances Oldham Kelsey: The photographer is unknown., Public domain · Mac DeMarco: Paul Carless from St Albans, UK, CC BY 2.0 · Matt Ellison: This photo is a work by Artem Korzhimanov . You can find more of my works in my gallery and in the category Photos by Artem Korzhimanov . Even more of my works can be found in my galleries at Pic, CC BY 3.0 · Russ Courtnall: Horge, CC BY 3.0
About Cowichan
First Nations reserve in British Columbia
Statistics Canada counts Cowichan, a First Nations reserve in British Columbia, as its own census subdivision.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,509 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- Census division
- Cowichan Valley
- Metro area
- Duncan
- First Nation
- Cowichan
- The community’s own name
- Cowichan Tribes
- Census subdivision
- 5919822
Cowichan’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowichan | 2,509 | — | — | — | — | B− |
| Electoral Area E, Cowichan Valley | 4,482 | 1.2 | D | D | D | B− |
| Duncan | 5,745 | 1.5 | D− | D− | D− | B |
| North Cowichan | 34,525 | 4.8 | D | D− | C− | B− |
| Cowichan Bay | 3,713 | 6.4 | D | D | D | B− |
| Cobble Hill | 5,074 | 12 | B | D− | B+ | C+ |
| Shawnigan | 9,903 | 13 | B | D | B+ | C+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Cowichan
Has Cowichan grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 2,066 to 2,420 residents (up 17.1%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 2,509.
How old are the people of Cowichan?
At 30.2, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 23% of the population and seniors 9%.
What kind of homes are in Cowichan?
74% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 4 people; 16% are one person living alone.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · 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).