Photo: Kyle Wilson · CC BY-SA 4.0Sooke: 66% of residents said they have no religion, above 98% of Canadian towns
Most recent wave: 14% of immigrants arrived in 2011–2021 (Canada’s towns: 27%). Few places have so few residents aged 15 to 24: 8.9% here, fewer than in 81% of Canadian towns. Statistics Canada puts Sooke’s population at 17,248 for July 2025. Renter households: a fifth of the total.
What stands out about the people of Sooke
Growing faster than most
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Sooke went from 13,001 to 15,086 residents (+16%), faster growth than in 93% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Sooke grew +16% from 2016 to 2021, ahead of 93% of Canadian towns
Unless a figure says otherwise, it is from the 2021 Census. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across British Columbia’s towns, +6%. The July 2025 estimate adds another 14%.
A median age of 44.8: Sooke is older than 66% of Canadian towns
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
The largest age band is 60–64: nearly one in ten residents. Among British Columbia’s towns, Qualicum Beach has the highest share aged 65 or over, at 56%. Children under 15 make up 16%, close to the figure across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Sooke, 44.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split.
Only 24% of households are one person living alone in Sooke
Household types, then household sizes.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
In Sooke the average household is 2.4 people, beside 2.4 across Canada’s towns. Typically, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns. One-parent families account for 7.4%.
Common-law partners make up 14% in Sooke, more than in 74% of Canadian towns
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
In Sooke, nearly half of residents 15 and over are married, beside 46% across Canada’s towns. For common-law partners, the comparison across Canada’s towns is 11%.
Fewer households in single-detached houses than 52% of Canadian towns: 62%
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
44% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 7.2% built before 1961. To put it in context, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. Households in buildings of five or more storeys make up 0.3%, close to the figure across Canada’s towns.
Before tax, the median household income is $90,000 a year
Incomes here are for 2020, the year before the census, CERB and other pandemic benefits included. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
Sooke’s median household took in $90,000 before tax, about the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). British Columbia’s towns have a median of $87,000. COVID-19 benefits went to 24% of residents with an income (typical: 28%).
Sooke sits above 72% of Canadian towns for residents who moved in within the year (14%)
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
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
Most immigrants were born in Europe (62%) or in the Americas (18%). 3.1% of residents are not Canadian citizens, fewer than in 65% of Canadian towns. Residents who moved in within the year: 11% across Canada’s towns, for comparison. Immigrants: 12%, below 60% of Canadian towns.
7.1% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 79% of Canadian towns
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Across Canada’s towns, 15% of residents belong to a visible minority; in Sooke, 5.2%. The share of Indigenous residents across Canada’s towns is 2.8%.
A higher share of bilingual residents than 58% of Canadian towns, at 9%
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
There is little gap on residents whose mother tongue is French: 1.9%, about the same as across Canada’s towns. Across the comparison, 7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns.
A smaller share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 71% of Canadian towns: 19%
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
No certificate, diploma or degree is held by 11%; in the typical town the share is 9.5%. As a yardstick, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 58%
The census was taken in May 2021, during the pandemic, so these rates show a labour market still recovering. 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: 7th of 41 towns of 16,760 to 17,757 people
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
Median ages here range from 29.6 in Bay-Cloverhill to 57.2 in Saint-Charles-Borromée. Closest in median age to Sooke are Sunnyside (43.4), Lake Country (44), St.Andrew-Windfields (45.3) and Saint-Michel (45.6).
2 of the 4 nearest towns are older than Sooke
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sooke | 17,248 | — | 44.8 | 20% | 12% |
| Juan de Fuca (Part 1) | 5,439 | 4.3 km | 51.6 | 24% | 16% |
| Metchosin | 5,207 | 12.7 km | 50.8 | 26% | 14% |
| Langford | 59,664 | 17.1 km | 38.4 | 14% | 16% |
| Colwood | 22,794 | 17.8 km | 42.4 | 19% | 13% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. Not in the Census Profile: unpaid care, cars, internet access, and how each age group has changed since 2016. We also chart no ethnic origins besides visible minority and Indigenous identity.
- The census’s own words. “Visible minority” is the census’s term from the Employment Equity Act: people, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered. The page compares them with other towns and never labels a town by them.
- 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.
Questions about Sooke’s residents
How diverse is Sooke?
12% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 5.2% belong to a visible minority and 7.1% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Sooke?
32% are Christian and 66% have no religion; 2.6% follow another religion.
Is Sooke good for families?
Under 15: 16% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 56% of households. One-parent families: 7.4%. Schools near Sooke are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Sooke?
The median household in Sooke took in $90,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Sooke?
Sooke had about 17,248 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 15,086, 16% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Sooke?
A median age of 44.8, older than 66% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 16%, and people 65 and over 20%.
Is Sooke bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 9% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 91% speak only English and 0% only French; 1.9% 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).