Grand ForksBritish Columbia

TownGrade

#994 of 2,556

Home to 4,308 people, this town lies in British Columbia. It is part of Kootenay Boundary, a census division.

2 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: Vxceprex · CC BY-SA 3.0

Population

4,308

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

years · British Columbia’s towns: 48

Postsecondary

48%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

18%

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

Is Grand Forks a good place to live?

A solid town with one catch. Where it does best is walkability (A+). Overall, Grand Forks earns a B, better than 60% of Canadian towns. Its place in the ranking is #42 of 250 in British Columbia. Health is a strength (A). Buying in is costly (D). The rest of its grades are middling: B− for safety and B− for jobs & income.

This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. 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.

StrongestA⁺Walkability AHealth A⁻SchoolsWeakestDCost of living C⁻Hazard risk

How Grand Forks grades

Each subject compares Grand Forks 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 grading works

WalkabilityAmong the easiest places to get around without a carA⁺Open →Cost of livingIn the bottom fifth of the towns comparedDOpen →HealthBased on how healthy residents are for their agesAOpen →Hazard riskAmong the most exposed to natural hazardsC⁻Open →SchoolsNear the top of the towns comparedA⁻Open →SafetyBased on crimes reported per residentB⁻Open →Jobs & incomeAbout average among the towns comparedB⁻Open →

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Grand Forks stand out

The 3 things Grand Forks does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Residents 65 and over

Who lives here

35% are 65 or over

Against 19% in the median of Canadian towns

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

Walkability

Better than 96%

of Canadian towns on walkability

Its walkability grade: A+.

Walk, cycle or transit to work

Getting around

18% walk, cycle or take transit

The median of Canadian towns: 8%

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Grand Forks.

HousingCost of living D

Measured against local pay, Grand Forks costs more to live in than nine in ten Canadian towns

$348,000median home value, 2021DCost of living Grade

The median home value was $348,000, below British Columbia’s towns ($720,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000) alike. A year’s rent came to 24% of the median household income, close to British Columbia’s towns (24%) and above Canadian towns (20%).

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Grand Forks$348,000

British Columbia$720,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Grand Forks	British Columbia	Canada
Median home value, 2021	$348,000	$720,000	$406,000
Rent as a share of income	24%	24%	20%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	18%	21%	18%

$900

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$710

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageGrand Forks’ cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Cost of living5.6 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $348,000, against the median household income Renting$900 a month · The median rent at the 2021 census Owners and renters74% own their home

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.

HealthHealth A

Grand Forks scores better for health than 87% of Canadian towns

55%very good or excellent healthAHealth Grade

Adults here are more upbeat about their health than the province: 55% very good or excellent, against 50% in British Columbia. On average 14% of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, below both British Columbia’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%). A baby born in the region can expect 79.5 years, 82.8 for a girl and 76.5 for a boy (2022/2024). The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Grand Forks is well placed: 1.2 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. Nobody publishes health survey and life expectancy for Grand Forks alone, so this card uses the figure for the Kootenay-Boundary Health Service Delivery Area.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Grand Forks55%

British Columbia’s towns50%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Grand Forks	British Columbia	Canada
Chronic conditions (average share)	14%	15%	17%
Very good or excellent health	55%	50%	52%
Life expectancy at birth	79.5	81.0	81.5
Smokers	9.9%	9%	12%

79.5

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

1.2 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

9.9%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

1.4 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageGrand Forks’ health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey55% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care1.2 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 1.4 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 82.8, men 76.5 Conditions and habits14% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities

Natural hazardsHazard risk C⁻

High radon around Grand Forks: 29% of homes tested in the area exceed 200 Bq/m³

Lowwildfire bandC⁻Hazard risk Grade

NRCan’s model puts the yearly earthquake loss at $0.028 per $1,000 of building value, about level with Canadian towns ($0.030) and below British Columbia’s towns ($0.36). Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy has mapped the flood hazard here: one study on the national inventory. Little of the land around Grand Forks has burned: 0.9% within 25 km since 1986, or 0.03% a year. Figures for radon tests are published for the Kootenay/Boundary health region as a whole, not for Grand Forks alone.

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Grand Forks29%

British Columbia’s towns1.8%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Grand Forks	British Columbia	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	29%	1.8%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.028	$0.36	$0.030

$0.028

expected earthquake loss a year per $1,000 of buildings

Low

wildfire band

6.8 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

flood study on the national inventory

Full pageGrand Forks’ flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

Radon29% of tests above the guideline WildfireLow wildfire band · 0.9% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986 FloodOne flood study on record Earthquakes$0.028 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

SchoolsSchools A⁻

Grand Forks’s 3 schools with results spread wide in British Columbia, 1 in the top two fifths and 1 in the bottom two

4schools within 3 kmA⁻Schools Grade

Within 3 km of Grand Forks are 2 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 alternative or adult school.

School	Level	Students	System
Dr. D.A. Perley Elementary Middle fifth in British ColumbiaIn Grand ForksElementary	Elementary	–	English public
Grand Forks Secondary Second fifth in British ColumbiaIn Grand ForksSecondary	Secondary	–	English public

See all 4 schools →

0.6 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageGrand Forks’ schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Results1 of 3 in the top two fifths · of the schools with results, placed against every school in British Columbia Every school4 schools within 3 km · 2 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 alternative or adult school Language0 of 4 teach in French · 2% of schools in British Columbia Questions“What schools are there in Grand Forks?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26

Climate

Grand Forks has warmer summers than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: July afternoons reach 29.3°C

29.3°CJuly afternoons

Between the last spring frost, 28 April, and the first in autumn, 13 October, lie 167 days. Winter lows in Grand Forks average −4.0°C in January. The thermometer drops below freezing on 120 days a year, above British Columbia’s towns (60) but below Canadian towns (159). Snow peaks in December: 20 cm in a normal year.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter1.3°C

Spring15.0°C

Summer27.6°C

Autumn13.6°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Grand Forks	British Columbia	Canada
July afternoon high	29.3°C	23.1°C	25.5°C
January night low	−4.0°C	0.5°C	−13.5°C
Days with frost a year	120	60	159
Precipitation a year	759 mm	1,152 mm	883 mm

62 cm

of snow a year

120

days with frost a year

167

frost-free days, 28 Apr to 13 Oct

122

days with precipitation a year

Full pageGrand Forks’ climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 29.3°C, January lows −4.0°C Rain and snow759 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow62 cm of snow a year Weather station52 km to the station · Warfield

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Warfield)

Who lives here

9.1% of Grand Forks’s residents are immigrants (British Columbia’s towns: 12%; Canadian towns: 6.4%)

56median age

6% of residents belong to a visible minority, below British Columbia’s towns (8.6%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike.

Grand ForksBritish ColumbiaCanada

British ColumbiaCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

35%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree20%

Postsecondary qualification48%

Women and men · all residents

51.8% of Grand Forks’ residents are women

Women numbered 2,130 and men 1,985 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.

Who lives in Grand Forks
	Grand Forks	British Columbia	Canada
Under 15	11%	14%	16%
15 to 64	54%	64%	64%
65+	35%	21%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	20%	13%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	48%	56%	56%

Full pageGrand Forks’ Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Immigrants9% are immigrants · 6% belong to a visible minority Ages56 median age · 35% are 65 or over Households1,870 households · 2.1 people per household English and French4% speak both · 0% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

Weather

A normal November in Grand Forks runs from −1°C to 5°C

5°Ca normal November afternoon

For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Grand Forks forecast. November normally sees 86 mm of precipitation. A typical November adds 8 cm of snow.

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November5°C

December0°C

January0°C

February3°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	1°C	−4°C	253 mm
Spring	15°C	3°C	186 mm
Summer	28°C	12°C	140 mm
Autumn	14°C	4°C	180 mm

−1°C

a normal November night

86 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageGrand Forks’ weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest August, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Warfield); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Grand Forks’ MP is Helena Konanz (Conservative Party of Canada), for Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay

For the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Grand Forks votes in Boundary-Similkameen; open data doesn’t yet say who its MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly, the provincial or territorial legislature) is.

Full pageGrand Forks’ town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Who runs itCity

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade A⁻

Grand Forks has one public library, Grand Forks & District Public Library

Grand Forks & District Public Library reports for 9,666 people, a wider area than Grand Forks, and its figures cover all of them.

Full pageGrand Forks’ library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

A year at the library4.5 visits per person served The libraries1 Libraries Places to belong7 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Outdoors

Boothman's Oxbow Park is 4.4 km from Grand Forks

4.5%of the land within 10 km protected

Within 10 km, the count of public protected areas is 3, lower than both British Columbia’s towns (14) and Canadian towns (4). There is no national park within 100 km of the town. 4.5% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%).

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Grand Forks4.5%

British Columbia’s towns6.7%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Grand Forks	British Columbia	Canada
Public protected areas within 10 km	3	14	4
Protected land within 10 km	4.5%	6.7%	2.3%

4.4 km

to Boothman's Oxbow Park

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pageGrand Forks’ outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas8 protected areas within 10 km · Gilpin Grasslands Park National & provincial parks4.4 km to a provincial park · Boothman's Oxbow Park

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

SafetySafety B⁻

Grand Forks is graded a B− for safety

67Crime Severity Index

Where it is policed, thefts, break-ins and damage came to 22.3 per 1,000 a year, below both British Columbia’s towns (31) and Canadian towns (31.2). The force’s area logs 11.3 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202380

202461

202561

2023–2025	Grand Forks	British Columbia	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	22.3	31	31.2
Crime Severity Index	67	83	67

non-violent Crime Severity Index

33%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageGrand Forks’ safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety67 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Grand Forks’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Grand Forks safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: the Boundary/Grand Forks detachment area

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁻

Trips to work from Grand Forks are shorter than from British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 14 min on average

18%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van80%

Walk15%

Bicycle3%

Census 2021	Grand Forks	British Columbia	Canada
Average trip	14 min	26 min	26 min

$61,600

median household income, 2020

10%

worked from home, May 2021

86%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageGrand Forks’ work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment6.6% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work18% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to90 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Kootenay Boundary C / Christina Lake

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.

History

Grand Forks has 1 historic place on the registers

1historic place

25% of its homes were built before 1961, higher than both British Columbia’s towns (11%) and Canadian towns (18%).

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations0

Other federal designations1

Provincial and local listings0

Among them

Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Grand Forks, British Columbia 1900

1900

oldest construction date on the record

25%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Grand Forks	British Columbia	Canada
Homes built before 1961	25%	11%	18%

Full pageGrand Forks’ history pageOpen the full History page

On the registersOne historic place inside the town Older homes25% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Grand Forks have?”

Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Grand Forks

15pages on Grand Forks

The big questions

SafetyB⁻Crime Severity Index 67 Housing & costDHomes 5.6 × income Property pricesSchoolsA⁻4 schools within 3 km HealthALife expectancy 79.5 in its region Work & commuteB⁻47% of adults in work Natural hazardsC⁻Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors4.5% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 29°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 56 HistoryOne place on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Gallery2 and 2 more in and around Grand Forks

Sights in Grand Forks and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.

All attractions →

Art galleryArt galleryGallery2in town MuseumMuseumBoundary Museum Society2.3 km outside town, to the west MuseumMuseumHardy Mountain Doukhobor Village Historic Site200 m outside town, to the northwest

Famous people from Grand Forks

9 notable people were born in Grand Forks.

See all 9 →

Edward DmytrykAmerican film director · 1908–1999

Bill BarleeCanadian politician · 1932–2012

Ron AreshenkoffCanadian ice hockey player · 1957–2019

Xiomara De OliverCanadian-born American artist · born 1967

Donald Leslie BrothersCanadian politician · 1923–2017

Igor AgarunovCanadian ice hockey player · born 1983

Photo credits

Edward Dmytryk: Unknown author, Public domain · Bill Barlee: BC NDP History Group, CC BY 2.0

About Grand Forks

Town in British Columbia

TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Grand Forks is one municipality in British Columbia, figures and all.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 4,308 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: British Columbia
Census division: Kootenay Boundary
Census subdivision: 5905032

Grand Forks’ neighbours

The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada

Electoral Area D (Rural Grand Forks), Kootenay BoundaryElectoral Area C (Christina Lake), Kootenay BoundaryGrand Forks

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Grand Forks	4,308	—	B	D	B⁻	A
Electoral Area D (Rural Grand Forks), Kootenay Boundary	3,570	2.7	B	C⁻	B⁻	A⁻
Electoral Area C (Christina Lake), Kootenay Boundary	1,666	18	—	D	B⁻	B⁺

People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.

Questions about Grand Forks

Is Grand Forks a young town or an old one?

56 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 35% of residents are 65 or over and 11% under 15.

Who are the people of Grand Forks?

Visible minorities are 6% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 9%, and Indigenous people 6%.

What kind of homes are in Grand Forks?

Mostly 76% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.1 people on average, and 33% have just one.

Is Grand Forks growing?

Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 4,049 to 4,112 residents (up 1.6%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 4,308.

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).