KeremeosBritish Columbia
A town of 1,779 in British Columbia. It lies in Okanagan-Similkameen.
Is Keremeos a good place to live?
Where it does best is walkability (A). Residents are healthier than most (B+). Hazards are a real consideration (D−). It lags on cost of living as well (D−). Jobs and pay trail most towns (D).
With fewer than 2,500 residents, Keremeos gets subject grades but no overall one among Canadian towns.
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 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. Wildfire lowers this town's Hazard risk Grade: a high share of the land around it has burned in the last 40 years.
How Keremeos grades
Each subject compares Keremeos with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
With fewer than 2,500 residents, Keremeos gets subject grades but no overall one among Canadian towns.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Keremeos stand out
The 3 things Keremeos does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Keremeos.
Keremeos faces more hazards than almost every Canadian town
In Health Canada’s survey, 17% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). Wildfire is a real hazard for Keremeos: 37% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, 0.95% a year, in the high band. Earthquakes are expected to cost $0.049 a year for every $1,000 of buildings, lower than British Columbia’s towns ($0.36) and near Canadian towns ($0.030). Flood mapping exists: a study by Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. Keremeos doesn’t get its own radon tests figures; the ones here come from the Okanagan health region.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Keremeos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 17% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.049 | $0.36 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Measured against local pay, Keremeos costs more to live in than 96% of Canadian towns
Owners put the median home at $376,000, below both British Columbia’s towns ($720,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). Home ownership covers 78% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Keremeos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 14% | 21% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 26% | 24% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $376,000 | $720,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 78% | 76% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
Keremeos’ household incomes are lower than in 97% of Canadian towns
The commute to work averages 26 min. The car took 87% of commuters, about level with both British Columbia’s towns (87%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Keremeos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 26 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 87% | 87% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
Summer runs warm in Keremeos: July highs of 29.2°C, above British Columbia’s towns and Canadian towns
Frost comes on 109 days a year, above British Columbia’s towns (60) but below Canadian towns (159). On a January night, the temperature in Keremeos falls to about −3.2°C. The frost-free season runs from 30 April to 8 October, 160 days. Rain and snow peak in June, at 44 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Keremeos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 29.2°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 344 mm | 1,152 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −3.2°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 109 | 60 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Penticton)
The force covering Keremeos records more serious violence than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns, at 144
A best guess: the nearest detachment’s figures, since none is filed under Keremeos
Its police area recorded 33.9 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, above British Columbia’s towns (12.5) and Canadian towns (12) alike. The force’s area logs 39.9 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. For Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, the only official count covers all of the South Okanagan/Oliver detachment area, Keremeos included.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Keremeos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 33.9 | 12.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 144 | 76 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 113 | 83 | 67 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 39.9 | 31 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Very good or excellent health for 52% of adults in Keremeos’ health region
At 12%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 8.9% for British Columbia. Life expectancy in the region is 81.0 years (84.1 for women, 78.2 for men, 2022/2024). The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 16% of adults, between British Columbia’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%). What sets Keremeos apart within its region is a short trip to hospital, 0.6 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Keremeos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 12% | 9% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 15% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 52% | 50% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the Okanagan Health Service Delivery Area
More of Keremeos’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 9.6%
Visible minorities make up 5.2% of the population, below both British Columbia’s towns (8.6%) and Canadian towns (15%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
52.6% of Keremeos’ residents are women
Women numbered 845 and men 760 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Keremeos | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 6.9% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 46% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 47% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 25% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 44% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
The nearest high school to Keremeos is 0.6 km away
Young children have 5.6 km to the nearest elementary school, above both British Columbia’s towns (0.6 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Similkameen Elem-Secondary Fourth fifth in British ColumbiaIn KeremeosElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Keremeos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest elementary school | 5.6 km | 0.6 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
A normal November in Keremeos runs from freezing to 7°C
The year peaks in July (29°C) and bottoms out in January (−3°C). A normal December brings highs of 2°C, lows of −3°C. Precipitation in November averages 28 mm. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Osoyoos.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 3°C | −3°C | 77 mm |
| Spring | 16°C | 3°C | 87 mm |
| Summer | 27°C | 12°C | 99 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 4°C | 82 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Penticton); the forecast is on the Weather page
Helena Konanz (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Keremeos in Ottawa as MP for Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay
Keremeos sends one MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly, the provincial or territorial legislature) to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from Boundary-Similkameen, though no open record we can reuse gives the name.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Keremeos’s public library is ORL: Keremeos Branch
It sits 0.4 km from the centre of Keremeos.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Keremeos is 4.1 km from Keremeos Columns Park
Within 100 km there is no national park. Parks and reserves take up 3.4% of the ground within 10 km, lower than British Columbia’s towns (6.7%) yet higher than Canadian towns (2.3%). The largest is Snowy Protected Area: 25,654 ha, 7.7 km from the edge of town. OpenStreetMap shows one beach within 5 km, without a name.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Keremeos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 3.4% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 14 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Keremeos
South Similkameen Museum and 2 more in and around Keremeos
The best-known places to visit in and around Keremeos come first; the full list is on the Attractions page.
About Keremeos
Town in British Columbia
Every figure TownRatings gives for Keremeos covers the municipality as Statistics Canada maps it, one census subdivision in British Columbia.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 1,779 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- Census division
- Okanagan-Similkameen
- Census subdivision
- 5907009
Keremeos’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keremeos | 1,779 | — | — | D− | C− | B+ |
| Electoral Area B, Okanagan-Similkameen | 1,190 | 8.3 | — | C− | C− | B |
| Electoral Area G, Okanagan-Similkameen | 2,402 | 11 | — | D | C− | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Keremeos
Is Keremeos a young town or an old one?
At 63.6, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 7% of the population and seniors 47%.
What kind of homes are in Keremeos?
72% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 1.9 people; 38% are one person living alone.
Is Keremeos growing?
Yes: the census counted 1,502 in 2016 and 1,608 in 2021, a rise of 7.1%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 1,779.
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).