Photo: Keefer4~commonswiki · CC BY-SA 2.5Saanich: 58% of residents said they have no religion, above 94% of Canadian towns
Here nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 19%. 13% of residents are under 15. Few places have as many residents who moved in within the year: 14% here, more than in 75% of Canadian towns. The latest estimate, for July 2025, is 126,011 residents; the 2021 Census found 48,045 households.
Saanich changed by +3% from 2016 to 2021, behind 56% of Canadian towns
The figures are the 2021 Census’s, except where another date is given. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across British Columbia’s towns +6%. Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 7% higher again.
More residents aged 15 to 24 than 82% of Canadian towns: 13%
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
20–24 is the most common age band: 7.7% of residents, 1.4 times the share across Canada’s towns. With a median age of 44.4, Saanich is older than 64% of Canadian towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Saanich, 44.4. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women.
Smaller households than 53% of Canadian towns: 2.4 people on average
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.
Shared houses stand out: 7.3% of households are unrelated adults living together, more than in 88% of Canadian towns. The census found that 7.6% of households are one-parent families in Saanich. One-person households are about as common here as across Canada’s towns: 27%.
Saanich sits below 59% of Canadian towns for common-law partners (9.6%)
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Never married and not common-law: 29% of adults (typical: 27%). The comparison figure for common-law partners is 11% across Canada’s towns. The census found that 46% of residents 15 and over are married in Saanich.
A lower share of households in single-detached houses than 72% of Canadian towns, at 47%
The kinds of homes people live in, who owns and who rents, and how old the homes are. 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
By its share of households in buildings of five or more storeys (1.3%), Saanich is above 62% of Canadian towns. Households in single-detached houses make up 64% across Canada’s towns. The share of renter households stands at 31%.
Households here have a median income of $93,000 a year
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
Saanich’s median household took in $93,000 before tax, 8% more than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across British Columbia’s towns the median is $87,000. Emergency and recovery benefits reached 24% of those with an income, beside a typical 28%.
Saanich ranks above 64% of Canadian towns on residents without Canadian citizenship: 8.9%
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 30%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
Immigrants: 23% here and 17% across Canada’s towns. For comparison, 5.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens across Canada’s towns.
A higher share of visible minority residents than 62% of Canadian towns, at 25%
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Other faiths: Sikh (2.8%). The comparison figure for visible minority residents is 15% across Canada’s towns. Indigenous residents are about as common here as across Canada’s towns, at 3.5%.
In Saanich, 8.9% of residents speak English and French, more than in 57% of Canadian towns
Who can speak English and French, mother tongue, and the language spoken most at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
10% most often speak a language other than English or French at home, and 1.6% speak neither official language. At 1.1%, the share of residents whose mother tongue is French is lower than in two thirds of Canadian towns. For bilingual residents, the comparison across Canada’s towns is 7.5%.
Saanich: 44% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, above 77% of Canadian towns
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 5.1% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. By way of comparison, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
A job for 58% of residents aged 15 and over
The census counted work in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so read these rates as a pandemic snapshot. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
About as many work here as in the typical town: 58%, against 58% across Canada’s towns.
Oldest by rank: 8th of 41 towns of 92,124 to 173,599 people
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
Median ages climb from 35.6 (Airdrie) to 50.4 (Cape Breton) across the group. Next to Saanich on this scale come Lévis (44), North Vancouver (44.4), Niagara Falls (44.8) and St. Catharines (44.8).
Saanich sits below 3 of its 6 closest neighbours on median age
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saanich | 126,011 | — | 44.4 | 23% | 23% |
| Victoria | 103,888 | 5.1 km | 42.8 | 23% | 20% |
| New Songhees 1A | 2,052 | 5.3 km | 50 | 28% | 11% |
| Esquimalt | 19,512 | 5.5 km | 43.2 | 21% | 15% |
| Oak Bay | 18,626 | 6.3 km | 54.4 | 34% | 22% |
| View Royal | 12,795 | 6.3 km | 44.8 | 21% | 18% |
| Colwood | 22,794 | 11.0 km | 42.4 | 19% | 13% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns. Provincial and national yardsticks: British Columbia’s towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500 residents, and all Canadian towns of that size. No whole city and no First Nations reserve is in either median.
- 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. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered them. “Visible minority” follows the Employment Equity Act, meaning people other than Indigenous peoples who are non-white in colour or race. We compare these figures across towns; none is a label for a town.
Questions about Saanich’s residents
How diverse is Saanich?
Immigrants: 23% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 25%. Indigenous identity: 3.5%.
What religion are people in Saanich?
58% said they have no religion and 34% that they are Christian; 9% named another faith.
Is Saanich good for families?
13% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 49% of households and one-parent families 7.6%. Schools near Saanich are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Saanich?
Half of Saanich’s households had more than $93,000 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
What is the population of Saanich?
About 126,011, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 117,735 people in Saanich, 3% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Saanich?
The median age is 44.4, older than 64% of Canadian towns. 13% are under 15 and 23% 65 or older.
Is Saanich bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 8.9% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 90% speak only English and 0% only French; 1.1% grew up with French.
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).