HighlandsBritish Columbia
It is a town of 2,753 residents in British Columbia. It grew by 12% between the 2016 and 2021 censuses.
Is Highlands a good place to live?
With a C− overall, Highlands is better than nearly a quarter of Canadian towns. The ranking puts it #175 of 250 in British Columbia. Prices are high against local incomes (D). Its strongest is health (A). It is strong on jobs & income as well (A).
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: no police service names this town, so its crime figure is the nearest police detachment's, shared with a wider area. 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 Highlands grades
Each subject compares Highlands 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 Highlands stand out
The 3 things Highlands does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Highlands.
Highlands gets an A for health
Measured across the South Vancouver Island Health Service Delivery Area: health survey and life expectancy
The region’s 2022/2024 life expectancy is 82.7, with women at 84.9 and men at 80.5. Smoking is rarer than in the province: 6% of adults, against 8.9% for British Columbia. Across the region, 55% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; British Columbia as a whole manages 50%. The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 14% of adults, below British Columbia’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Highlands | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 6% | 9% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 55% | 50% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.7 | 81.0 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Households in Highlands have higher incomes than those in 97% of Canadian towns
The car took 92% of commuters, about level with Canadian towns (89%) and above British Columbia’s towns (87%). The average trip to work takes 27 min.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Highlands | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 92% | 87% | 89% |
| Average trip | 27 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
More households own their home in Highlands than in British Columbia’s towns or across Canadian towns: 89%
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 17% of households, about level with Canadian towns (18%) and below British Columbia’s towns (21%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Highlands | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 89% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 21% | 24% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 17% | 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. · Rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom: one figure for all of the Victoria metro area
Highlands’s teenagers travel 7.7 km to the nearest high school
6 of 7 schools with results score below the middle in British Columbia. From the middle of town, the first elementary school is 6.1 km off, above both British Columbia’s towns (0.6 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millstream Elementary Fourth fifth in British ColumbiaNearest elementary school, 1.1 kmElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Highlands | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 7.7 km | 1.8 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 6.1 km | 0.6 km | 0.5 km |
| School boards | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Highlands has milder winters than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of 1.6°C
A normal winter brings 39 cm of snow, below British Columbia’s towns (51 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. Frost usually lifts by 4 April and returns around 4 November: 213 days without it. Expect July highs of around 22.7°C in Highlands. Snow peaks in December: 12 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Highlands | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 45 | 60 | 159 |
| January night low | 1.6°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 22.7°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 39 cm | 51 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Victoria (Airport))
The force covering Highlands records more serious violence than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns, at 168
These figures come from the closest detachment: none reports for Highlands itself
For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 27.8 violent incidents are reported each year. The index for the force that serves it came to 93, above British Columbia’s towns (83) and Canadian towns (67) alike. Across its police area, there are 24.2 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Highlands | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 27.8 | 12.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 168 | 76 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 93 | 83 | 67 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 24.2 | 31 | 31.2 |
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 Sidney/North Saanich detachment area
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve lies 13 km beyond Highlands’ edge
40 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. The largest named area nearby is Greater Victoria Water Supply Area, 20,620 ha, 2.9 km away. Protected areas take in 41% of the town itself. The protected share of the 10 km around the town is 24%, higher than both British Columbia’s towns (6.7%) and Canadian towns (2.3%).
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Highlands | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 24% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 24 | 14 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Highlands in November: highs near 10°C, lows near 3°C
Rain and snow over a typical November come to 146 mm. Normal highs peak at 23°C in July; nights bottom out at 1°C in February. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Malahat forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 386 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 5°C | 165 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 11°C | 73 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 6°C | 278 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Victoria (Airport)); the forecast is on the Weather page
Jeff Kibble (Conservative Party of Canada) holds Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, the riding that includes Highlands
Of the 43 Commons seats from British Columbia, the Liberal Party of Canada holds 20.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Highlands is GVPL: Central Saanich Branch, 6.6 km away
The next is GVPL: Goudy Branch (Langford), 9.7 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Shaking costs buildings in Highlands $0.37 a year per $1,000 of value, 12 times the typical town’s
1.8% of radon tests in the survey area came in above the guideline, about level with British Columbia’s towns (1.8%) and below Canadian towns (6.6%). Capital Regional District has mapped the flood hazard here: one study on the national inventory. Fire seldom reaches Highlands: since 1986, 0.2% of the land within 25 km has burned (0.005% a year). Behind radon tests sits data gathered across the South Vancouver Island health region, with Highlands one part of it.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Highlands | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.37 | $0.36 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 1.8% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
12% more residents in 2021 than in 2016: Highlands grew faster than most Canadian towns
6.4% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both British Columbia’s towns (8.6%) and Canadian towns (15%). The under-15s are 16% of the population here. Those 65 and older account for 18% of residents.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
49.8% of Highlands’ residents are women
By the 2021 count the town had 1,235 women and 1,245 men, while Canada has 50.9% women.
| Highlands | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 66% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 18% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 15% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 57% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Everything we know about Highlands
Malahat Skywalk and 4 more in and around Highlands
Museums, historic sites, parks, gardens and days out in and near Highlands, the best known first.
Famous people from around Highlands
No notable person born in Highlands is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Daniel Diemer: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Micah Zandee-Hart: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, CC BY 4.0 · Adam Olsen: BC NDP, CC BY 2.0 · Loisette M. Marsh: Unknown author, Public domain · Moka Only: Simon Law, CC BY-SA 2.0
About Highlands
Town in British Columbia
TownRatings counts Highlands as Statistics Canada does, as one municipality in British Columbia; the census, crime and housing figures all follow that boundary.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,753 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- Census division
- Capital
- Metro area
- Victoria
- Census subdivision
- 5917049
Highlands’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands | 2,753 | — | C− | D | C | A |
| Central Saanich | 18,184 | 7.5 | A | D− | A | A+ |
| Langford | 59,664 | 9.8 | B− | D− | B− | A+ |
| View Royal | 12,795 | 9.8 | B+ | D− | B | A+ |
| East Saanich 2 | 1,962 | 11 | — | — | — | A+ |
| New Songhees 1A | 2,052 | 12 | — | — | — | A+ |
| Electoral Area A, Cowichan Valley | 5,156 | 12 | B− | D | B+ | B− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Highlands
Is Highlands growing?
It grew from 2,225 people in 2016 to 2,482 in 2021, up 11.6%; the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 2,753.
What kind of homes are in Highlands?
Mostly 95% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.7 people on average, and 17% have just one.
Who are the people of Highlands?
6% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 5% have an Indigenous identity and 12% are immigrants.
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).