SelkirkManitoba
This town in Manitoba has a population of 11,570. It lies in Division No. 13.
Is Selkirk a good place to live?
A tough set of grades. Police record more crime here than in most towns (D). With a D− overall, Selkirk is better than 5% of Canadian towns and ranks #181 of 181 in Manitoba. The typical owner put their home at $270,000 in 2021: 4 years of the median household’s income. Fewer journeys need a car (A).
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. No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. 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 Selkirk grades
Each subject compares Selkirk 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 Selkirk stand out
The 3 things Selkirk does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Selkirk.
Selkirk earns a D for safety
Per 1,000 residents, 32.5 violent crimes are recorded each year. For violence alone the index was 197, near Manitoba’s towns (198) and higher than Canadian towns (86). Property crime accounts for 69.5 incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Selkirk | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 32.5 | 18 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 69.5 | 58.8 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 197 | 198 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Between the home and the car, Selkirk’s households spend 44% of income, above the 29% of the typical Canadian town
Shelter took 30% or more of income for nearly a fifth of households, higher than Manitoba’s towns (15%) and near Canadian towns (18%). Rent took just over a fifth of household income, in line with Manitoba’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Selkirk | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 19% | 15% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $270,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.
Trips to work from Selkirk are shorter than from Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns: 22 min on average
The car took 87% of commuters, close to both Manitoba’s towns (87%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Selkirk | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 24 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 87% | 87% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
Lives run shorter around Selkirk: 78.5 years, 3.0 below the typical Canadian town’s region
The region has more smokers than Manitoba, 17% of adults to 12%. Arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure affect 20% of the region’s adults on average, above Manitoba’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike. Self-rated health is ordinary for Manitoba: half of the region’s adults say very good or excellent, the province 51%. Closer to home, a hospital is just 1.9 km from the average resident of Selkirk, nearer than the usual 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Selkirk | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.5 | 80.0 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 50% | 52% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Area behind the health survey and life expectancy figures: the Interlake-Eastern Health Region
Midwinter lows in Selkirk sink below those of 95% of Canadian towns
Frost comes on 193 days a year, close to Manitoba’s towns (193) and above Canadian towns (159). Gardeners get 122 frost-free days, from 23 May to 22 September. July is the wettest month, with 77 mm of rain and snow on average. A normal December brings 27 cm of snow, the most of any month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Selkirk | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −21.2°C | −21.2°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 519 mm | 519 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 193 | 193 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Winnipeg Richardson (Airport))
Around Selkirk, 25% of tested homes have radon above the guideline
The burn rate around Selkirk is 0.09% a year (2.4% of the land within 25 km since 1986), a moderate band. Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.005 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Flood mapping: none on the national inventory of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Selkirk | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 25% | 12% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.005 | $0.006 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Data for radon tests covers the Interlake health region
The 9 schools of Selkirk: 7 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centennial SchoolIn SelkirkElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Lord Selkirk Regional SecondaryIn SelkirkSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Source note: the province publishes no results school by school, so there’s no schools grade in Manitoba.
In Selkirk, November normally means freezing afternoons and −9°C nights
A typical November adds 21 cm of snow. Into December, the normals move to −8°C and −17°C. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 25 mm. Across the year, normals run from −21°C nights in January to 26°C afternoons in July.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −9°C | −19°C | 51 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −3°C | 128 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 12°C | 225 mm |
| Autumn | 10°C | −1°C | 116 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Winnipeg Richardson (Airport)); the forecast is on the Weather page
James Bezan took Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman in 2021 by 18,704 votes, more than the margin in 88% of ridings
In the census’s list of municipalities, Selkirk is a city.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Gaynor Family Regional Library and Selkirk Public Library are Selkirk’s two public libraries
Without open library statistics in Manitoba, the page names Selkirk’s libraries but shows no visits or loans.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
More of Selkirk’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns: 35%
25% of residents are 65 or over, above both Manitoba’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (19%). The under-15s are 16% of the population here.
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 53.5% of Selkirk
Here the census found 5,615 women and 4,890 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.
| Selkirk | Manitoba | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 60% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 25% | 17% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 22% | 16% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 42% | 52% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Manitoba and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
The nearest provincial park, Birds Hill Provincial Park, is 7.0 km from Selkirk
2 protected areas lie within 10 km. The largest is Oak Hammock Marsh Wildlife Management Area: 3,579 ha, 9.0 km from the edge of town. There is no national park within 100 km of the town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Selkirk | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 2 | 12 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.8% | 1.1% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
The registers list 6 historic places in Selkirk, 2 at the top
Furloft and Saleshop, begun in 1830, is the oldest by its record. The list takes in 4 Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
- Furloft and Saleshop 1830
- The Big House 1830
- Warehouse 1838
- Southwest Bastion 1841
| Heritage | Selkirk | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 30% | 23% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Selkirk
Marine Museum of Manitoba and 13 more in and around Selkirk
What there is to see in Selkirk and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
MuseumMarine Museum of Manitobain town
Museum · Parks CanadaLower Fort Garry3.1 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumBig House3 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumBlacksmith's Shop3.1 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumDoctor's Office2.9 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumFarm Manager's House3.2 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Marine Museum of Manitoba: photo by Brian Westhouse, uploaded in en.wikipedia by Wrecksdale Wreck, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lower Fort Garry: Vintotal, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Selkirk
32 notable people were born in Selkirk.
Photo credits
Harry Oliver: Unknown author, Public domain · Murray Sinclair: Archkris, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andrew Murray: 5of7, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Bullet Joe Simpson: Unknown author, Public domain · Rich Chernomaz: Ailura, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alfie Michaud: Michael Söckneck, CC BY-SA 3.0
About Selkirk
Town in Manitoba
For Selkirk, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in Manitoba, 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
- 11,570 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Manitoba
- Census division
- Division No. 13
- Census subdivision
- 4613047
Selkirk’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selkirk | 11,570 | — | D− | C− | D | C |
| St. Clements | 12,029 | 3.7 | D | C | B− | C− |
| St. Andrews | 12,021 | 8.1 | C− | C | B− | C− |
| Brokenhead | 5,931 | 18 | C− | C | B | C− |
| West St. Paul | 10,796 | 19 | B | B− | B− | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Selkirk
Who are the people of Selkirk?
At the 2021 census, 7% were immigrants and 7% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 35% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
Is Selkirk growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 10,278 to 10,504 residents (up 2.2%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 11,570.
What kind of homes are in Selkirk?
Single-detached houses make up 61% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 6% are in high-rise apartments. 34% of households are one person, and the average is 2.3.
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).