Photo: Murray Foubister · CC BY-SA 2.0Residents with no religion make up 62% in Golden, more than in 97% of Canadian towns
The median age in Golden is 39.6, lower than in nearly two thirds of Canadian towns. About 4,433 people lived in the town in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates. In Golden, 15% of residents lived at another address a year earlier. With residents aged 65 and over at 16%, Golden is behind 67% of Canadian towns on that count.
A +8% change since 2016: faster than 70% of Canadian towns
Every figure here comes from the 2021 Census unless it carries another date. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Across Canada’s towns, the typical town changed +4%; across British Columbia’s towns, +6%. By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 11%.
Fewer residents aged 15 to 24 than 68% of Canadian towns: 9.8%
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
The largest age band is 30–34: nearly one in ten residents, 1.5 times the share across Canada’s towns. Set beside that, 11% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Golden, 39.6. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split.
Golden ranks above 64% of Canadian towns on one-person households: 31%
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Households average 2.3 people, against 2.4 across Canada’s towns. Fewer one-parent families than in 67% of Canadian towns: 7.2%. Set beside that, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns.
A larger share of common-law partners than 79% of Canadian towns: 16%
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
28% of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%. Locally, just over two in five residents 15 and over are married. The share of common-law partners across Canada’s towns is 11%.
A higher share of renter households than 60% of Canadian towns, at 31%
Houses and apartments, owners and renters, older and newer homes. 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
10% of homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%. To put it in context, 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Across Golden, 57% of households live in a single-detached house. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns.
Half of households earn more than $87,000 a year
Incomes here are for 2020, the year before the census, CERB and other pandemic benefits included. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
At $87,000, the middle household in Golden earned close to the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Within British Columbia’s towns, the household in the middle had $87,000. 34% of income recipients received COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefits (typical: 28%).
A larger share of residents without Canadian citizenship than 62% of Canadian towns: 8.5%
Immigrants by continent of birth and when they arrived, citizenship, and who moved in recently.
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 (52%) or in Asia (33%). On immigrants, Golden sits lower than just over three fifths of Canadian towns: 11%. To put it in context, 5.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens across Canada’s towns. 38% of immigrants arrived between 2011 and 2021, against 27% across Canada’s towns.
Golden ranks above 84% of Canadian towns on Indigenous residents: 8.5%
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Here nearly one in ten residents belong to a visible minority, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 15%. The wider picture: 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns. Among other religions: Sikh (2.9%).
Bilingual residents: 13%, a higher share than 67% of Canadian towns
English, French and the other languages people grew up with or speak at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
Where 1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue across Canada’s towns, Golden has 3.9%. At home, 5.6% mostly speak another language; 0.3% speak neither English nor French. The share of bilingual residents across Canada’s towns is 7.5%.
A lower share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 53% of Canadian towns, at 25%
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Across Canada’s towns, 27% of 25- to 64-year-olds hold a degree; in Golden, 25%, and 39% have a college or trades credential (typical: 29%). Those with no credential make up 5.4%, next to 9.5% in the typical town.
In work on census day: 65% of adults
The census counted work in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so read these rates as a pandemic snapshot. The census’s work rates at a glance. 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 (4,342 to 4,525), the 18th youngest of 41 towns
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
At one end is Glenridding Heights (31.9), at the other Highlands East (58.8). The closest ages to Golden’s belong to Montgomery (39.2), Vulcan County (39.2), Eastmount (40) and Bells Corners West (40.1).
Around Golden, 4 of 5 towns have a higher median age
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page. Distances here run 5–97 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Golden.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden | 4,433 | — | 39.6 | 16% | 11% |
| Electoral Area A, Columbia-Shuswap | 3,672 | 4.5 km | 44.8 | 19% | 13% |
| Improvement District No. 9 Banff | 1,144 | 60.5 km | 44.8 | 15% | 14% |
| Electoral Area G, East Kootenay | 1,952 | 88.4 km | 52 | 25% | 8.8% |
| Revelstoke | 9,464 | 92.1 km | 37.6 | 14% | 12% |
| Radium Hot Springs | 1,489 | 97.2 km | 51.6 | 26% | 17% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. Unpaid care, car ownership and internet access aren’t in the Census Profile, nor is the change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins other than visible minority and Indigenous identity are left out of the charts.
- The census’s own words. The census takes “visible minority” from the Employment Equity Act: anyone other than Indigenous peoples who is non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are what residents reported, compared here with other towns and never used as a label.
- 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.
Questions about Golden’s residents
What is the median income in Golden?
Median total household income in Golden was $87,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Golden?
The latest figure is an estimate: 4,433 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Golden counted 3,986, 8% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Golden?
Half the residents are older than 39.6 and half younger, younger than 66% of Canadian towns; 16% are children under 15 and 16% are 65 or over.
Is Golden bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 13% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 87% speak only English and 0% only French; 3.9% grew up with French.
How diverse is Golden?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 11%. A visible minority makes up 9.4% and Indigenous residents 8.5%.
What religion are people in Golden?
Most often Christian (31%) or no religion (62%); other religions make up 6.3%.
Is Golden good for families?
Children under 15 are 16% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 49% of households and one-parent families 7.2%. Schools near Golden are on its Schools page.
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).