Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainHalf of Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen is over 57.6, older than 97% of Canadian towns
7.5% of residents are aged 15 to 24; across Canada’s towns the figure is 11%. Residents with no religion are more common here than in 84% of Canadian towns. The latest estimate, for July 2025, is 4,103 residents; the 2021 Census found 1,700 households. The share of renter households stands at 18%.
What stands out about the people of Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen
Older than most towns
Half of Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen’s residents are under 57.6 and half over; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 34% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Growing faster than most
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen went from 3,557 to 3,986 residents (+12%), faster growth than in 88% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A +12% change since 2016: faster than 88% of Canadian towns
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. How the population moved between the last two censuses, and since.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 3% higher again. The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across British Columbia’s towns +6%.
A higher share of residents aged 65 and over than 97% of Canadian towns, at 34%
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
The largest age band is 60–64: 11% of residents, 1.6 times the share across Canada’s towns. On average, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns. Census figures put children under 15 at 10% in Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen, 57.6. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split.
2.3 people per household, fewer than in 64% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
5.3% of households are one-parent families (Canada’s towns: 8.2%). One-person households: 28% of the total.
Married residents 15 and over: 55%, a higher share than 80% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Singles who have never married make up 19% of adults, beside a typical 27%. Across Canada’s towns, 46% of residents 15 and over are married. Common-law partners account for 9.8%.
77% of households live in a single-detached house, more than in 68% of Canadian towns
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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Set beside that, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. Newer homes outnumber old: 20% date from 2001 or later, 19% from before 1961.
Half of households earn more than $68,500 a year
Incomes here are for 2020, the year before the census, CERB and other pandemic benefits included. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen had $68,500 before tax, 20% below the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across British Columbia’s towns, half of households had more than $87,000 before tax. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 21% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
13% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, more than in 67% of Canadian towns
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 25%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
The largest groups of immigrants were born in Asia (43%) and in Europe (34%). Across Canada’s towns, residents who moved in within the year come to 11%. Compared with other places, residents without Canadian citizenship are common here: 8%, more than in three fifths of Canadian towns. Immigrants: 22% here and 17% across Canada’s towns.
More Indigenous residents than 76% of Canadian towns: 6.3%
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Among other religions: Sikh (14%). For comparison, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns. Compared with 15% across Canada’s towns, a fifth of residents belong to a visible minority here.
More residents whose mother tongue is French than 68% of Canadian towns: 3.1%
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
At home, 14% mostly speak another language; 3.4% speak neither English nor French. On average, 1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue across Canada’s towns. Compared with other places, bilingual residents are scarce here: 5.5%, fewer than in 69% of Canadian towns.
Degree holders aged 25 to 64 make up 12% in Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen, less than in 92% of Canadian towns
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Without any certificate: 16% of 25- to 64-year-olds (typical: 9.5%).
47% of adults were employed in May 2021
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
With 34% of residents 65 or over, the employment rate of 47% sits under the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
Ranked by age, 3rd oldest of 41 towns this size
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
The youngest is Mistissini (29) and the oldest Barry's Bay (58.4). In age, Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen keeps company with Kirkfield (54.1), Lac-Etchemin (56.8), Lake of Bays (58.4) and Barry's Bay (58.4).
A younger town than 3 of the 5 around it: Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen | 4,103 | — | 57.6 | 34% | 22% |
| Oliver | 5,262 | 3.6 km | 58 | 37% | 19% |
| Osoyoos 1 | 1,484 | 6.2 km | 58.8 | 36% | 0% |
| Electoral Area B, Okanagan-Similkameen | 1,190 | 15.1 km | 50.4 | 27% | 18% |
| Okanagan Falls | 4,002 | 16.3 km | 59.2 | 35% | 13% |
| Electoral Area I, Okanagan-Similkameen | 2,372 | 18.9 km | 55.6 | 28% | 14% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. Some things the page can’t show: the Census Profile asks nothing about unpaid care, cars or internet access, and gives no change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted.
- 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. For each measure we take the median of British Columbia’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, then the median of all Canadian towns. Neither counts whole cities or reserves, and every percentile is a Canadian one.
Questions about Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen’s residents
Is Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen good for families?
Across Canada’s towns, a typical 16% of residents are under 15; here, 10%. 53% of households are couple families and 5.3% one-parent families. Schools near Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen?
$68,500 before tax, in 2020: the middle household’s income in Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen (Canada’s towns: $86,000).
What is the population of Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen?
Statistics Canada estimates 4,103 residents for July 2025; the 2021 Census counted 3,986 in Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen, 12% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen?
57.6 is the median age, older than 97% of Canadian towns. Under 15: 10%. 65 and over: 34%.
Is Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen bilingual?
5.5% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 0.1% speak French only and 91% English only. French is the mother tongue of 3.1%.
How diverse is Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen?
Immigrants make up 22% of residents, against 17% across Canada’s towns. 20% are members of a visible minority, and 6.3% are First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What religion are people in Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen?
Christian: 36%. No religion: 48%. Another religion: 16%.
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).