OsoyoosBritish Columbia
Home to 5,724 people, this town lies in British Columbia. Its census division is Okanagan-Similkameen.
Is Osoyoos a good place to live?
A town with more to fix than most. Natural hazards weigh more here (D−). Overall, Osoyoos earns a C−: better than 18% of Canadian towns, and #200 of 250 in British Columbia. Owners valued their homes at a median $500,000 in 2021, which is 7.6 years of the typical household’s pay. Where it does best is walkability (A). The rest of its grades are middling: B for schools, B− for health and B− for jobs & income.
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
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. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but many visitors or second-home owners add to it, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk. 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 Osoyoos grades
Each subject compares Osoyoos 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 Osoyoos stand out
The 3 things Osoyoos does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Osoyoos.
Hazard risk in Osoyoos is higher than in almost every Canadian town
Wildfire is a real hazard for Osoyoos: 36% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, 0.96% a year, in the high band. Radon is higher than usual: 17% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Averaged over the years, quake damage costs $0.030 per $1,000 of buildings, about level with Canadian towns ($0.030) and below British Columbia’s towns ($0.36). Okanagan Basin Water Board has mapped the flood hazard here: one study on the national inventory. Osoyoos shares its radon tests numbers with the rest of the Okanagan health region.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Osoyoos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 17% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.030 | $0.36 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Rent takes more of local pay in Osoyoos than in British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 27% of household income
81% of households own their home, above both British Columbia’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 18% of households, lower than British Columbia’s towns (21%) and near Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Osoyoos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 27% | 24% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $500,000 | $720,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 81% | 76% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 18% | 21% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Summer runs warm in Osoyoos: July highs of 31.6°C, above British Columbia’s towns and Canadian towns
Snow peaks in December: 20 cm in a normal year. A normal year brings 344 mm of precipitation, lower than both British Columbia’s towns (1,152 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm). Winter lows in Osoyoos average −3.8°C in January.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Osoyoos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 31.6°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 344 mm | 1,152 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −3.8°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 111 | 60 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Osoyoos)
Osoyoos’s grade for safety: a C−
Property crime accounts for 41.7 incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Violent incidents came to 13.9 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both British Columbia’s towns (12.5) and Canadian towns (12).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Osoyoos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 41.7 | 31 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 69 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
10% of Osoyoos’s residents belong to a visible minority (British Columbia’s towns: 8.6%; Canadian towns: 15%)
4.1% of residents have an Indigenous identity, below British Columbia’s towns (5%) but above Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 52.8% of Osoyoos
The 2021 census counted 2,930 women and 2,620 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Osoyoos | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 7.7% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 46% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 46% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 17% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 48% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
2 schools in and around Osoyoos: 1 elementary school and 1 secondary school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osoyoos Elementary Middle fifth in British ColumbiaIn OsoyoosElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Osoyoos Secondary Middle fifth in British ColumbiaIn OsoyoosSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Osoyoos in November: highs near 7°C, lows near freezing
Expect around 8 cm of snow in November. Next comes December, with normal highs of 2°C and lows of −3°C. In November, the normal is 28 mm of rain and snow. At the extremes, July afternoons reach 32°C and January nights −4°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 3°C | −3°C | 77 mm |
| Spring | 18°C | 4°C | 87 mm |
| Summer | 30°C | 14°C | 99 mm |
| Autumn | 16°C | 4°C | 82 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Osoyoos); the forecast is on the Weather page
Osoyoos’ MP is Helena Konanz (Conservative Party of Canada), for Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay
Statistics Canada lists Osoyoos as a town.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Osoyoos’s public library is ORL: Osoyoos Branch
The library is 0.6 km from the centre of Osoyoos.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Few places match Osoyoos for protected land nearby: more than 9 in 10 Canadian towns
Biggest among them: South Okanagan Grasslands Protected Area, 9,364 ha, 0.2 km off. Swimmers have 9 beaches within 5 km, Gyro Beach the nearest. Within 100 km there is no national park.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Osoyoos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 14% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 7 | 14 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
52% of adults around Osoyoos rate their health very good or excellent
Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Okanagan Health Service Delivery Area
The average trip from home to a hospital is 18 km, above British Columbia’s towns (4.4 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km) alike. Smoking is commoner than in the province: 12% of adults, against 8.9% for British Columbia. Women in the region live to 84.1 and men to 78.2, 81.0 years taken together (2022/2024).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Osoyoos | 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
Trips to work from Osoyoos are shorter than from British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 17 min on average
82% of commuters took the car to work at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Osoyoos | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 17 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 82% | 87% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Everything we know about Osoyoos
Rattlesnake Canyon Amusement Park and 5 more in and around Osoyoos
A first look at Osoyoos’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
Famous people from Osoyoos
4 notable people were born in Osoyoos.
Photo credits
Chuck Kobasew: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Mitch Fritz: FrenchKheldar, CC BY-SA 3.0
About Osoyoos
Town in British Columbia
For Osoyoos, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in British Columbia, and every figure on its pages covers that whole area.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 5,724 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- Census division
- Okanagan-Similkameen
- Census subdivision
- 5907005
Osoyoos’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osoyoos | 5,724 | — | C− | D− | C− | B− |
| Electoral Area A, Okanagan-Similkameen | 2,429 | 1.7 | — | C− | C− | B− |
| Osoyoos 1 | 1,484 | 16 | — | — | — | B+ |
| Oliver | 5,262 | 19 | C+ | D | D | B+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Osoyoos
Is Osoyoos growing?
It added people: 5,050 in 2016, 5,556 in 2021, 10% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 5,724.
How old are the people of Osoyoos?
The median resident is 63.2 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 8% are under 15 and 46% are 65 or over.
What kind of homes are in Osoyoos?
Single-detached houses make up 59% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 33% of households are one person, and the average is 2.
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).