Photo: Shawn from Airdrie, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0North Saanich is older than 97% of Canadian towns: a median age of 56.8
57% of residents said they have no religion (Canada’s towns: 35%). Its population is up 9% on 2016. On the census count, nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24. Fewer renter households than in 83% of Canadian towns: 12%.
What stands out about the people of North Saanich
Older than most towns
North Saanich’s median age is 56.8; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 35% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A +9% change since 2016: faster than 76% of Canadian towns
Figures are from the 2021 Census unless dated otherwise. How the population moved between the last two censuses, and since.
Change, 2016 to 2021
For comparison, the median is +4% across Canada’s towns and +6% across British Columbia’s towns.
A higher share of residents aged 65 and over than 97% of Canadian towns, at 35%
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
Across Canada’s towns, the share of children under 15 is 16%; North Saanich has 11%. On average, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ North Saanich, 56.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women.
North Saanich ranks below 80% of Canadian towns on one-person households: 19%
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Compared with 8.2% across Canada’s towns, 3.9% of households are one-parent families here. Measured more widely, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns. A household here holds 2.4 people on average.
North Saanich ranks above 99% of Canadian towns on married residents 15 and over: 63%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Singles who have never married make up 17% of adults, beside a typical 27%. At 9.2%, the share of common-law partners is lower than in 63% of Canadian towns. The usual figure: 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns.
A larger share of households in single-detached houses than 72% of Canadian towns: 79%
Dwelling types, tenure and age of the housing. 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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. Typically, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns.
Median household income here: $121,000 a year
Census incomes are for 2020, the year before the census, when CERB and other pandemic benefits topped up many households. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
Household incomes run high in North Saanich: half had more than $121,000, 41% above the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The figure for British Columbia’s towns: $87,000. 17% of income recipients received COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefits (typical: 28%).
17% of residents are immigrants
Where immigrants were born and when they came, and how recently residents moved in.
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
Recent arrivals are nearly one in ten immigrants (2011 to 2021), beside 27% across Canada’s towns. At 3.3%, the share of residents without Canadian citizenship is lower than in 63% of Canadian towns. Immigrants here were most often born in Europe (64%), then in Asia (15%).
57% said they have no religion, more than say they are Christian
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Visible minority: 6.5% (Canada’s towns: 15%). 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity.
North Saanich sits above 62% of Canadian towns for bilingual residents (10%)
The official languages residents can speak, and the ones they learned first.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
At home: English 97%, French 0.2%. 1.1% of residents have French as their mother tongue, fewer than in 67% of Canadian towns. Measured more widely, 7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns.
Degree holders aged 25 to 64 make up 39% in North Saanich, more than in 70% of Canadian towns
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Some 2.8% have no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. Elsewhere, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
A job for 52% of residents aged 15 and over
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
52% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 35% are 65 or more.
Among 41 towns of 12,773 to 13,237 people, the 1st oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
Median ages climb from 31 (Thompson) to 56.8 (North Saanich) across the group. Brighton (56) and Forest (56.8): the towns nearest North Saanich in median age.
Among its 6 nearest neighbours, 3 are older than North Saanich
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Saanich | 12,986 | — | 56.8 | 35% | 17% |
| Sidney | 13,445 | 2.4 km | 62 | 45% | 23% |
| East Saanich 2 | 1,962 | 9.2 km | 64 | 47% | 0% |
| Electoral Area A, Cowichan Valley | 5,156 | 9.5 km | 54 | 29% | 17% |
| Central Saanich | 18,184 | 10.5 km | 49.6 | 27% | 16% |
| Cobble Hill | 5,074 | 11.1 km | 58.8 | 38% | 16% |
| Highlands | 2,753 | 15.7 km | 45.6 | 18% | 12% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- 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.
Questions about North Saanich’s residents
How diverse is North Saanich?
Immigrants: 17% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 6.5%. Indigenous identity: 2.8%.
What religion are people in North Saanich?
57% said they have no religion and 40% that they are Christian; 3.1% named another faith.
Is North Saanich good for families?
11% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 67% of households and one-parent families 3.9%. Schools near North Saanich are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in North Saanich?
Half of North Saanich’s households had more than $121,000 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
What is the population of North Saanich?
About 12,986, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 12,235 people in North Saanich, 9% more than 2016.
What is the average age in North Saanich?
The median age is 56.8, older than 97% of Canadian towns. 11% are under 15 and 35% 65 or older.
Is North Saanich bilingual?
10% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 0% speak French only and 90% English only. French is the mother tongue of 1.1%.
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).