Welcome Beachin Sunshine Coast B, British Columbia
A town in British Columbia, home to 3,130 people. Statistics Canada places it in the Sunshine Coast census division.
Is Welcome Beach a good place to live?
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Cost of living is its weak spot (D−). Safety lags (C+). Health is its strong suit (A+). Schools are another plus (B+). The overall grade lands at C+, #119 of 250 in British Columbia. Nationally, it does better than 43% of Canadian towns. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for walkability and B− for hazard risk.
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. Safety is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Welcome Beach grades
Each subject compares Welcome Beach 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 Welcome Beach stand out
The 3 things Welcome Beach does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Welcome Beach.
Rent takes more of local pay in Welcome Beach than in British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 27% of household income
84% of households are owner-occupiers. Shelter took 30% or more of income for nearly a quarter of households, higher than both British Columbia’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Welcome Beach | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 27% | 24% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 24% | 21% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 84% | 76% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
For health, Welcome Beach is ahead of almost every Canadian town
In the health survey, 59% of adults in the region rated their health very good or excellent, higher than both British Columbia’s towns (50%) and Canadian towns (52%). Across the region, life runs to 84.3 years on average: women 86.3, men 82.3, in 2022/2024. Smoking is rarer than in the province: 6.5% of adults, against 8.9% for British Columbia. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Welcome Beach’s is long: 11 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the North Shore/Coast Garibaldi Health Service Delivery Area, Welcome Beach included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Welcome Beach | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 59% | 50% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 84.3 | 81.0 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 6.5% | 9% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Winters are mild in Welcome Beach: January nights hold at 3.3°C, above British Columbia’s towns and Canadian towns
Frost comes on 17 days a year, below both British Columbia’s towns (60) and Canadian towns (159). Expect July highs of around 23.0°C in Welcome Beach. Snow peaks in December: 14 cm in a normal year. Rain and snow peak in November, at 245 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Welcome Beach | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 17 | 60 | 159 |
| January night low | 3.3°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,537 mm | 1,152 mm | 883 mm |
| Snowfall a year | 37 cm | 51 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Vancouver (Harbour))
Around Welcome Beach, 2 schools of 6 teach in French
In or within 3 km of Welcome Beach: 5 elementary schools and 1 secondary school. The 4 with results split, 1 in the upper two fifths in British Columbia and 1 in the lower. From the town centre, high school starts 11 km away, above both British Columbia’s towns (1.8 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halfmoon Bay Elementary Middle fifth in British ColumbiaIn Welcome BeachElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Secondaire Chatelech FrenchNearest secondary school, 2.2 kmSecondary | Secondary | – | French public |
| du Pacifique FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Welcome Beach | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 11 km | 1.8 km | 1.2 km |
| School boards | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Nearest elementary school | 2.7 km | 0.6 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Protected land around Welcome Beach beats 9 in 10 Canadian towns
72 km separate the town from Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, its nearest national park. 37 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. Some protected land is inside the town: 8.8% of its area.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Welcome Beach | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 15% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 29 | 14 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Welcome Beach gets a C+ for safety
Its police area recorded 16 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, above both British Columbia’s towns (12.5) and Canadian towns (12). The violent index for its police area came to 94, above both British Columbia’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86). Welcome Beach shares its Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 numbers with the rest of the Sunshine Coast detachment area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Welcome Beach | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 16 | 12.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 94 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Welcome Beach has fewer jobs than residents in work: 0.3 for each
The car took nine in ten commuters, above British Columbia’s towns (87%) and close to Canadian towns (89%). Getting to work takes 27 min on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Welcome Beach | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 90% | 87% | 89% |
| Average trip | 27 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
An older town: 32% of people in Welcome Beach are 65 or over, more than in British Columbia’s towns and across Canadian towns
First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 6.6% of residents, above British Columbia’s towns (5%) and Canadian towns (2.8%) alike. Under 15: 12% of residents.
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 48.4% of Welcome Beach
1,435 women and 1,530 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Welcome Beach | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 32% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 9% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 62% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Welcome Beach, November normally means 10°C afternoons and 5°C nights
Next comes December, with normal highs of 7°C and lows of 3°C. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Sechelt.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 3°C | 554 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 7°C | 353 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 14°C | 158 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 9°C | 473 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Vancouver (Harbour)); the forecast is on the Weather page
Welcome Beach’s MP is Patrick Weiler (Liberal Party of Canada), for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country
From British Columbia come 43 MPs, 20 of them with the Liberal Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Welcome Beach is Sechelt Public Library, 11 km away
After it comes Roberts Creek Community Library (Roberts Creek), 21 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Wildfire low, radon 2.5%: how Welcome Beach stands on hazards
Earthquakes are expected to cost $0.20 a year for every $1,000 of buildings, between British Columbia’s towns ($0.36) and Canadian towns ($0.030). Burn scars are few around Welcome Beach, with 0.5% of the land within 25 km touched by fire since 1986 (0.01% a year). No one has filed a flood map for Welcome Beach on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Welcome Beach | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.20 | $0.36 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 2.5% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Radon tests: one figure for all of the North Shore/Coast Garibaldi health region
Everything we know about Welcome Beach
Doriston Steam Donkey and 2 more in and around Welcome Beach
A first look at Welcome Beach’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
Famous people from around Welcome Beach
No notable person born in Welcome Beach is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
David Oliver: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Silas White: Kw28902955, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Welcome Beach
Town in British Columbia
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Welcome Beach is one municipality in British Columbia, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 3,130 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- Census division
- Sunshine Coast
- Census subdivision
- 5929022
Welcome Beach’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome Beach | 3,130 | — | C+ | D− | C+ | A+ |
| Sechelt | 11,558 | 11 | B− | D− | D | A+ |
| Electoral Area A, Sunshine Coast | 3,256 | 16 | C− | D− | C+ | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Welcome Beach
Has Welcome Beach grown?
Yes: the census counted 2,726 in 2016 and 2,969 in 2021, a rise of 8.9%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 3,130.
What kind of homes are in Welcome Beach?
Single-detached houses make up 96% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 29% of households are one person, and the average is 2.2.
Who are the people of Welcome Beach?
Visible minorities are 8% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 14%, and Indigenous people 7%.
Is Welcome Beach a young town or an old one?
At 56.4, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 12% of the population and seniors 32%.
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).