Photo: Murray Foubister · CC BY-SA 2.0Households in Golden earn more than those in 69% of Canadian towns
7% of the labour force in Golden was out of work at the 2021 census; the middle of Canadian towns is 9.9%. Most commutes from Golden take well under an hour: the average is 14.6 minutes, and 4.9% take 60 minutes or longer. 78% of people aged 15 to 64 in Golden had a job at the 2021 census, and the middle of Canadian towns sits at 73%.
What Golden’s work numbers say
Less unemployment than most towns
On census day in 2021 7% were unemployed, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns; by October 2026 the Labour Force Survey put the area at 6.6%. Unemployment ↓
A local job centre
2,215 people work in Golden and 1,420 residents commute to a fixed workplace; the middle of Canadian towns has 0.8 jobs per working resident. The daily tide ↓
Shorter trips than most towns
Commutes take 14.6 minutes on average, against 26 in the middle of Canadian towns; 4.9% take an hour or more. The trip to work ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
Jobs & income in Golden: graded A
Better than 95% of Canadian towns on three measures together, #12 of 254 in British Columbia.
Its strongest measure is trip times; its weakest, the share of 15-to-64s in work.
Graded against Canadian towns of 2,500 people or more; less unemployment and a shorter commute count in its favour.
How the grade works
Census 2021 measures, weighed equally against every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 people or more: the share of residents aged 15 to 64 in work, median household income (2020), the unemployment rate and the average commute. Each becomes a percentile; their average sets the letter.
Work and the working-age population of Golden
All 7 other places of 2,500 people or more in the Columbia-Shuswap census division have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
Across all ages 15 and over the share in work falls to 65%: many residents are past working age. By October 2026, the Labour Force Survey had 56% of the wider area’s adults in work. The census was taken on 11 May 2021, mid-pandemic, when lockdowns had pushed unemployment up and sent many to work from home.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: people in work of any age over residents aged 15 to 64, and the census unemployment rate (15 and over); the 25-to-54 rate is Statistics Canada’s own (98-10-0485). The Labour Force Survey and business counts are context, not grade inputs.
Each working day, Golden’s workforce swells by 47%
Inbound commuters outnumber outbound ones about 9 to 1 in Golden. 93% of residents who commute work inside the municipality, against 70% in the middle of Canadian towns.
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
Time on the road to work from Golden
Timed exactly, the average is 13.5 minutes (Statistics Canada). The middle of British Columbia’s towns averages 26.4 minutes. A quarter-hour or less for 76% of commuters, against 39% in the middle of British Columbia’s towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: commuting duration in five bands; our average uses each band’s middle (75 minutes for an hour or more), so it runs about two minutes above Statistics Canada’s own.
897 people come into Golden to work, most from Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap and Revelstoke
Of everyone working in Golden, 40% come in from elsewhere; 770 make the 5 km trip from Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap. Outbound, Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap takes the most: 25 people.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (98-10-0459): commuting flows between municipalities (census subdivisions), rounded to 5; linked names have their own pages.
Golden households: $86,500 a year at the median
One of the 7 other places of 2,500+ in the Columbia-Shuswap census division has a higher median. Read the incomes as 2020’s, before tax: pandemic benefits such as CERB are in them, and they raised many low incomes for that year.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
19% of commuters in Golden walk, cycle or take transit
Home was the workplace for 13%, under the 21% in the middle of Canadian towns. Few ride transit: 0.5%, where the middle of Canadian towns has 3.5%. More people cycle to work here than in the middle of British Columbia’s towns: 5.7% against 0.9%. The car takes 80% of commuters here, under the 87% in the middle of British Columbia’s towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: main mode of commuting; average durations by mode from table 98-10-0458 (whole municipalities only).
EI claims in the Columbia-Shuswap census division run 23% above their 2019 level
Over the year to August 2026, the count rose by 4%. In February 2021 it reached 3,670, the most in the series and 2.5 times the 2019 average. Per 100 residents aged 15 to 64, about 4.7 receive EI.
Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance beneficiaries by census division (14-10-0323): all income benefits, not seasonally adjusted. Area behind the EI beneficiaries figures: the Columbia-Shuswap census division. EI counts are context, not part of any grade.
People receiving Employment Insurance each month, as a share of the 2019 average (100).
Everyday places on foot in Golden: A+
Better than 98% of Canadian towns on two measures together, #56 of 254 in British Columbia.
OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); active commuting from the 2021 Census.
Golden is 39th of 736 Canadian towns of 3,100 to 6,000 people for jobs and income
| # | Place | People | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornwallis Manitoba | 4,705 | 85% | 2.1% | $99K | A+ |
| 2 | New Maryland New Brunswick | 4,455 | 81% | 6.5% | $118K | A+ |
| 3 | Hay River Northwest Territories | 3,317 | 78% | 6.5% | $129K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 9 | Smithers British Columbia | 5,627 | 83% | 6% | $85K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 18 | Electoral Area A, Bulkley-Nechako British Columbia | 5,829 | 82% | 7.4% | $98K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 21 | Invermere British Columbia | 4,305 | 82% | 5.9% | $84K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 37 | High Level Alberta | 4,390 | 73% | 8.8% | $105K | A+ |
| 38 | White City Saskatchewan | 4,379 | 83% | 4.1% | $171K | A+ |
| 39 | Golden British Columbia | 4,433 | 78% | 7% | $87K | A |
| 40 | Ascot Corner Quebec | 3,725 | 86% | 3.2% | $88K | A |
| 41 | Riverview Manitoba | 4,649 | 82% | 8.1% | $89K | A |
| … | ||||||
| 736 | Saint-Alexis-des-Monts Quebec | 3,190 | 61% | 11% | $50K | D− |
Ordered by Jobs & income Grade: the top three, the places either side of Golden, and others among British Columbia’s towns.
The places around Golden, side by side
Distances here run 5–97 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Golden.
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden | 78% | 7% | $87K | 14.6 min | A | A+ |
| Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap 4.5 km | 76% | 12% | $85K | 23 min | B+ | C |
| Improvement District No. 9 Banff 60.5 km | 29% | 0% | — | 16.7 min | C+ | B |
| Electoral Area G, East Kootenay 88.4 km | 79% | 11% | $79K | 26.5 min | B | B− |
| Revelstoke 92.1 km | 77% | 10% | $97K | 14.2 min | A+ | A |
| Radium Hot Springs 97.2 km | 78% | 8.5% | $83K | 19.8 min | A− | A |
The people of each place: the share in work, unemployment, household income and the average commute, with both grades once they come.
What this data can and can’t tell you
What each figure measures for Golden, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- In work. How many residents held a job in May 2021, set against how many were 15 to 64. It reads a little high where many people work past 65, since below the municipality the census gives no breakdown of workers by age.
- Unemployment. Unemployed people over the labour force (in work or looking), aged 15 and over, on census day.
- Household income. What the median household took in during 2020 before tax, as the census recorded it; an estimate built from income groups when the place is a neighbourhood.
- Trip times. How long getting to work normally takes, averaged from the census’s time bands at their middles; expect it to read slightly high against the timed figure.
- Where people commute. Jobs count everyone whose usual workplace lies in the municipality, residents or commuters from elsewhere, from Statistics Canada’s home-by-workplace table.
- Employment Insurance. Statistics Canada counts EI beneficiaries each month by census division. Seasonal work makes it swing, so read it as a trend, not a jobless rate.
- The Labour Force Survey. Statistics Canada’s monthly survey, published for metro areas and economic regions rather than towns: it gives a current rate beside the census’s 2021 one.
- Which towns we compare. Comparisons are with the median of Canadian towns and city neighbourhoods counting 2,500 people or more, reserves and entire cities excluded.
Questions about work in Golden
Where do people in Golden work?
Most stay: 93% work in Golden. The rest go first to Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap (25) and Revelstoke (15).
How many jobs are there in Golden?
The 2021 census found about 2,215 people with their usual workplace in Golden, or 1.6 for each resident who travels to a fixed job. In June 2026, 313 businesses with employees were on Statistics Canada’s count.
What is the unemployment rate in Golden?
The 2021 census found 7% unemployed, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns; the Labour Force Survey’s latest, for the Thompson-Okanagan economic region, is 6.6% (October 2026).
What is the average household income in Golden?
Golden’s middle household had $86,500 in 2020, before tax; Canadian towns have $85,900 at their middle.
How do people in Golden get to work?
80% of commuters drive, 0.5% take public transit, 13% walk and 5.7% cycle; 13% of everyone in work worked at home on census day.
How long is the commute from Golden?
The average commute is 14.6 minutes; 76% of trips take under 15 minutes and 4.9% an hour or more.
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population (Census Profile) · Statistics Canada, tables 98-10-0458 and 98-10-0459 (commuting) · Statistics Canada, table 14-10-0323 (EI beneficiaries) · Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey (14-10-0459, 14-10-0462) · Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Counts (33-10-1176) · grades: 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).