Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainElkford: 12% of residents have an Indigenous identity, above 90% of Canadian towns
Just over two in five immigrants arrived between 2011 and 2021, against 27% across Canada’s towns. Meanwhile, with a median age of 38.4, Elkford is younger than nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. This British Columbia town is home to some 3,030 people (July 2025 estimate), in 1,155 households at the 2021 Census. Locally, 15% of residents lived at another address a year earlier.
What stands out about the people of Elkford
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
An Indigenous identity is reported by 12% of residents, more than in 90% of Canadian towns, and 1.3% are Registered or Treaty Indians. Identity & religion ↓
A town of families
Children under 15 are 21% of residents, more than in 88% of Canadian towns. Households average 2.4 people, and 6.9% are one-parent families. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A +10% change since 2016: Elkford grew faster than 81% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
For comparison, the median is +4% across Canada’s towns and +6% across British Columbia’s towns.
A larger share of children under 15 than 88% of Canadian towns: 21%
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
Residents aged 65 and over make up 12%, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Measured more widely, 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Elkford, 38.4. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
About 115 men for every 100 women.
Elkford: 30% of households are one person living alone, above 63% of Canadian towns
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.
6.9% of households are one-parent families; across Canada’s towns the figure is 8.2%. The benchmark for one-person households across Canada’s towns: 27%. Households here average 2.4 people each.
15% of residents 15 and over live common-law, more than in 76% of Canadian towns
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
25% of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%. Measured more widely, 11% of residents 15 and over live common-law across Canada’s towns.
16% of households rent their home, below 73% of Canadian towns
Occupied homes by type, by owners and renters, and by when they were built. 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
Here 54% of households live in a single-detached house, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 64%. Against that, a quarter of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Newer homes outnumber old: 19% date from 2001 or later, 1.3% from before 1961. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns.
Household income, middle of the range: $117,000 a year
Census incomes are for 2020, the year before the census, when CERB and other pandemic benefits topped up many households. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
The median across Canada’s towns is $86,000; Elkford’s, at $117,000, is 36% higher. For British Columbia’s towns, the median household income is $87,000. Pandemic benefits reached 16% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
7.5% of residents are immigrants
Immigrants, newcomers and movers.
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
Most immigrants were born in Europe (39%) or in the Americas (24%). Lower than in 72% of Canadian towns: 7.5% of residents are immigrants. What’s more, the figure for residents without Canadian citizenship is 2.6% in Elkford and 5.8% across Canada’s towns.
In Elkford, 56% of residents said they have no religion, more than in 93% of Canadian towns
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
5.1% of residents belong to a visible minority; across Canada’s towns the figure is 15%. The benchmark for residents with no religion across Canada’s towns: 35%.
English is the mother tongue of 93%, and 3.8% speak French as well
Knowledge of the two official languages, first languages, and the language of home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
Against a figure of 7.5% across Canada’s towns, the share of bilingual residents in Elkford comes in at 3.8%. At home: English 97%, French 0.4%.
Only 14% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in Elkford
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 7.2% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. Measured more widely, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 65%
The census counted work in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so read these rates as a pandemic snapshot. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 65%, more residents are in work than the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
In its size band (2,985 to 3,075), the 9th youngest of 41 towns
Median age of the Canadian towns nearest in population; hover a dot.
The youngest is Albany (29.9) and the oldest Dewdney Place (54.7). By median age, Elkford sits among Alpine (38.2), Crawford Plains (38.4), Nutana Park (39.4) and Buchanan (40.5).
Around Elkford, 3 of 5 towns have a higher median age
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page. No closer places have figures: these lie 31–68 km from Elkford.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elkford | 3,030 | — | 38.4 | 12% | 7.5% |
| Sparwood | 4,486 | 31.4 km | 38.4 | 14% | 6.3% |
| Electoral Area A, East Kootenay | 2,092 | 48.1 km | 42.8 | 18% | 6.7% |
| Crowsnest Pass | 6,011 | 56.4 km | 52.8 | 28% | 9.1% |
| Fernie | 7,086 | 57.9 km | 38 | 15% | 14% |
| Electoral Area E, East Kootenay | 1,881 | 68.4 km | 54 | 29% | 7.8% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns. Each comparison is its own median: over British Columbia’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, and over all Canadian towns of that size (whole cities and First Nations reserves left out). Percentiles are within Canada only.
- What these tables don’t give. Missing from the census as published: unpaid care, cars and internet access, and the shift in each age band since 2016. Ethnic origins past visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- The census’s own words. These are self-reported answers: Indigenous identity, immigrant status, religion. The census’s “visible minority” comes from the Employment Equity Act (non-white in colour or race, Indigenous peoples aside), and the page sets each beside other towns without labelling any.
Questions about Elkford’s residents
What is the average age in Elkford?
A median age of 38.4, younger than 74% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 21%, and people 65 and over 12%.
Is Elkford bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 3.8% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 96% speak only English and 0% only French; 1.3% grew up with French.
How diverse is Elkford?
7.5% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 5.1% belong to a visible minority and 12% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Elkford?
44% are Christian and 56% have no religion; 0.8% follow another religion.
Is Elkford good for families?
Under 15: 21% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 56% of households. One-parent families: 6.9%. Schools near Elkford are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Elkford?
The median household in Elkford took in $117,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Elkford?
Elkford had about 3,030 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 2,749, 10% more than 2016.
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).