Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0Immigrants: 52%, a higher share than 94% of Canadian towns
Here 54% of residents said they have no religion, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 35%. At the 2021 Census, 28,182 people lived in Marpole, in 12,775 households. For Marpole, the census puts residents who moved in within the year at 18%. 21% of households live in a single-detached house, a lower share than in 89% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Marpole
More immigrants than most towns
Immigrants make up 52% of residents; the medians are 16% across British Columbia’s towns and 17% across Canada’s towns. Immigrants here were most often born in Asia (84%), then in Europe (8.7%), and 24% arrived from 2011 to 2021. Immigrants & newcomers ↓
A mix of backgrounds
72% of residents belong to a visible minority, more than in 94% of Canadian towns; 52% are immigrants. Identity & religion ↓
A neighbourhood of renters
59% of households rent their home, more than in 90% of Canadian towns; 71% live in an apartment. Homes ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
11% of residents are under 15, fewer than in 92% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
Across Canada’s towns, nearly a fifth of residents are 65 or over; in Marpole, 17%. By way of comparison, 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns. With a median age of 40.3, Marpole is younger than 62% of Canadian towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Marpole, 40.3. 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.
In Marpole, 39% of households are one person living alone, more than in 88% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Households average 2.2 people, against 2.4 across Canada’s towns. The census found that 8% of households are one-parent families in Marpole. Shared houses stand out: 7.9% of households are unrelated adults living together, more than in 91% of Canadian towns. The share of one-person households across Canada’s towns is 27%.
A smaller share of common-law partners than 78% of Canadian towns: 7.3%
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Just over two in five residents 15 and over are married, against 46% across Canada’s towns. For common-law partners, the comparison across Canada’s towns is 11%.
59% of households rent their home, a share 90% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Occupied homes by type, by owners and renters, and by when they were built. 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
31% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 15% built before 1961. At 17%, the share of households in buildings of five or more storeys is higher than in 85% of Canadian towns. The usual figure: 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns.
Half above, half below $68,200 a year in household income
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. What households took in before tax, at the middle and across income groups.
Households by income · share of households
At $68,200, the middle household in Marpole earned 21% less than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across British Columbia’s towns the median is $87,000. Pandemic benefits reached 31% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
Marpole ranks above 94% of Canadian towns on residents without Canadian citizenship: 22%
Immigrants, newcomers and movers.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 60%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
Nearly a quarter of immigrants arrived between 2011 and 2021, against 27% across Canada’s towns. Across Canada’s towns, the share of residents without Canadian citizenship is 5.8%. Immigrants here were most often born in Asia (84%), then in Europe (8.7%).
In Marpole, 72% of residents belong to a visible minority, more than in 94% of Canadian towns
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Other faiths: Buddhist (5.1%). As a reference point, 15% of residents belong to a visible minority across Canada’s towns. Fewer Indigenous residents than in 75% of Canadian towns: 1.3%.
Beyond English and French: 63% grew up with another language
Knowledge of the two official languages, first languages, and the language of home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
At home: English 55%, French 0.3%. 5.4% of residents speak English and French, a lower share than in 70% of Canadian towns. There is little gap on residents whose mother tongue is French: 1%, about the same as across Canada’s towns.
Degree holders aged 25 to 64: 54%, a higher share than 89% of Canadian towns
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Without any certificate: 4.1% of 25- to 64-year-olds (typical: 9.5%).
Employment: 57% of residents 15 and over had a job
These rates date from May 2021, during the pandemic, and run lower than a normal year’s. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
Employment here, 57%, matches the middle of Canada’s towns (58%) within a couple of points.
Youngest by rank: 20th of 41 towns of 26,972 to 29,234 people
Median age of the Canadian towns nearest in population; hover a dot.
Between Montagne (32.2) and Picton (56.8) lies the rest of the group. Closest in median age to Marpole are West Hill (39.9), Clairlea-Birchmount (40), Austinville (41) and Bedford (41.3).
3 of the 6 nearest towns are older than Marpole
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marpole | 28,182 | — | 40.3 | 17% | 52% |
| Oakridge | 14,071 | 1.8 km | 43 | 23% | 54% |
| Sunset | 37,186 | 2.8 km | 38.8 | 16% | 54% |
| Kerrisdale | 14,105 | 2.9 km | 45.2 | 21% | 48% |
| Shaughnessy | 8,034 | 3.7 km | 45.1 | 22% | 46% |
| South Cambie | 9,846 | 4.1 km | 38.6 | 17% | 37% |
| Riley Park | 23,682 | 4.3 km | 39.6 | 16% | 34% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- 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.
- Neighbourhoods are sums of small areas. Statistics Canada reports the census by municipality; a neighbourhood’s figures are the sum of its dissemination areas, rounded counts and all, with medians estimated from age and income groups and no 2016 count, as the 2016 areas don’t fit.
- 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.
Questions about Marpole’s residents
How diverse is Marpole?
52% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 72% belong to a visible minority and 1.3% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Marpole?
33% are Christian and 54% have no religion; 14% follow another religion.
Is Marpole good for families?
Under 15: 11% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 38% of households. One-parent families: 8%. Schools near Marpole are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Marpole?
The median household in Marpole took in $68,200 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Marpole?
Marpole had 28,182 residents at the 2021 Census.
What is the average age in Marpole?
A median age of 40.3, younger than 62% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 11%, and people 65 and over 17%.
Is Marpole bilingual?
5.4% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 0% speak French only and 89% English only. French is the mother tongue of 1%.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population. 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).