CumberlandBritish Columbia
4,974 residents make their home in this town in British Columbia. It sits within the Courtenay census metropolitan area.
Is Cumberland a good place to live?
Cumberland’s grades pull in different directions. The local economy does well (A). Taken together, its subjects give Cumberland a B− overall, better than just over half of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #86 of 250 in British Columbia. People here tend to be in good health (B+). Where it falls short is cost of living (D).
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 Cumberland grades
Each subject compares Cumberland 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 Cumberland stand out
The 3 things Cumberland does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cumberland.
For cost of living, Cumberland gets a D
A year’s rent came to nearly a quarter of the median household income, near British Columbia’s towns (24%) and higher than Canadian towns (20%). 72% of households are owner-occupiers.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Cumberland | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 24% | 24% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 72% | 76% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 19% | 21% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020. · Area behind the rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom figures: the Courtenay metro area
Trips to work from Cumberland are shorter than from British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 22 min on average
At the census, 86% of commuters went by car.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Cumberland | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 86% | 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.
Cumberland has milder winters than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of 1.5°C
The warmest stretch brings July afternoons of 23.1°C, near British Columbia’s towns (23.1°C) and lower than Canadian towns (25.5°C). Between the last spring frost, 1 April, and the first in autumn, 6 November, lie 218 days. Rain and snow peak in December, at 194 mm. Snow peaks in December: 17 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Cumberland | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 46 | 60 | 159 |
| January night low | 1.5°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 23.1°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 51 cm | 51 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Comox)
The 2 schools of Cumberland: 1 elementary school and 1 school for every grade
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arden Elementary Bottom fifth in British ColumbiaNearest elementary school, 2.1 kmElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Cumberland Community School Fourth fifth in British ColumbiaIn CumberlandAll grades | All grades | – | English public |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Life expectancy around Cumberland is 79.5 years, 2.0 less than for the typical Canadian town
Measured across the North Vancouver Island Health Service Delivery Area: health survey and life expectancy
In the health survey, 54% of adults in the region rated their health very good or excellent, above both British Columbia’s towns (50%) and Canadian towns (52%). What sets Cumberland apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 8.6 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Cumberland | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.5 | 81.0 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 54% | 50% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 9% | 9% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Crime runs lighter where Cumberland is policed than in British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns, at an index of 50
Property crime in the area its police cover: 18.5 per 1,000 people a year. For violence alone, its police area’s index was 62, lower than both British Columbia’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86). Nobody publishes Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 for Cumberland alone, so this card uses the figure for the Comox Valley detachment area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Cumberland | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 18.5 | 31 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 50 | 83 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 62 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Children make up 20% of Cumberland, above British Columbia’s towns and Canadian towns
8% of residents have an Indigenous identity, higher than both British Columbia’s towns (5%) and Canadian towns (2.8%). Those 65 and older account for 15% of residents.
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 51.1% of Cumberland
In 2021 there were 2,270 women to 2,175 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| Cumberland | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 65% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 15% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 13% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 60% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Expect November days around 9°C in Cumberland, nights around 3°C
In November, the normal is 189 mm of rain and snow. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Courtenay forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 7°C | 1°C | 483 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 212 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 13°C | 97 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 361 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Comox); the forecast is on the Weather page
A 8,431-vote margin made Courtenay—Alberni closer in 2021 than 67% of Canada’s ridings
In the census’s list of municipalities, Cumberland is a village.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Cumberland has one public library, VIRL: Cumberland Branch
It sits 0.2 km from the centre of Cumberland.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
25 public protected areas lie within 10 km of Cumberland
Of the land within 10 km, 2.6% has protected status, between British Columbia’s towns (6.7%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). The closest provincial park is Wood Mountain Ski Park, 4.7 km from the edge of town. 69 km separate the town from Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, its nearest national park. Some protected land is inside the town: nearly a tenth of its area.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Cumberland | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 25 | 14 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 2.6% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Earthquakes are Cumberland’s biggest hazard: $0.41 of damage a year per $1,000 of buildings, 14 times the norm
Radon topped the guideline in 0.9% of tested homes, lower than both British Columbia’s towns (1.8%) and Canadian towns (6.6%). No one has filed a flood map for Cumberland on the national inventory. For radon tests, the only official count covers all of the North Vancouver Island health region, Cumberland included.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Cumberland | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.41 | $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
Everything we know about Cumberland
Cumberland Museum & Archives and 12 more in and around Cumberland
What there is to see in Cumberland and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
Famous people from Cumberland
5 notable people were born in Cumberland.
Photo credits
Bob Auchterlonie: Unknown author, Public domain
About Cumberland
Town in British Columbia
For Cumberland, 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
- 4,974 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- Census division
- Comox Valley
- Metro area
- Courtenay
- Census subdivision
- 5926014
Cumberland’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | 4,974 | — | B− | D | B+ | B+ |
| Courtenay | 32,869 | 8.8 | C+ | D− | D | A− |
| Comox | 15,884 | 10 | A | D− | A− | A− |
| Electoral Area A, Comox Valley | 8,415 | 11 | B− | D− | B+ | B+ |
| Electoral Area B (Lazo North), Comox Valley | 7,830 | 14 | B | D | B+ | A− |
| Electoral Area C (Puntledge - Black Creek), Comox Valley | 9,803 | 18 | C | D | B+ | B+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Cumberland
Has Cumberland grown?
Yes: the census counted 3,753 in 2016 and 4,447 in 2021, a rise of 18.5%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 4,974.
Who are the people of Cumberland?
Visible minorities are 5% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 10%, and Indigenous people 8%.
What kind of homes are in Cumberland?
65% 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 2.4 people; 28% are one person living alone.
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).