VirdenManitoba
In Manitoba, this town has 3,322 residents. It is part of Division No. 6, a census division.
Is Virden a good place to live?
One weak subject stands out against an otherwise good record. Virden’s overall grade of B puts it better than 58% of Canadian towns, #41 of 181 in Manitoba. Households here earn well (A). Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (A). Crime runs high (C−). A median home here was worth $250,000 at the census, or 3.5 times what the middle household earns in a year. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B− for health and C+ for hazard risk.
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 Virden grades
Each subject compares Virden 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 Virden stand out
The 3 things Virden does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Virden.
Trips to work from Virden are shorter than from Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns: 15 min on average
The car took 90% of commuters, in line with Manitoba’s towns (87%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Virden | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 15 min | 24 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 90% | 87% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Virden’s Violent Crime Severity Index is 169 (Manitoba’s towns: 198; Canadian towns: 86)
Per 1,000 residents, 24.4 violent crimes are recorded each year. Property crime ran at 39.6 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, lower than Manitoba’s towns (58.8) yet higher than Canadian towns (31.2).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Virden | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 24.4 | 18 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 169 | 198 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 39.6 | 58.8 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
January lows in Virden: −19.6°C, against −21.2°C in Manitoba’s towns and −13.5°C in Canadian towns
Frosty days number 196 in a normal year, near Manitoba’s towns (193) and higher than Canadian towns (159). A normal June brings 101 mm of precipitation, more than any other month. December is the snowiest month, with 26 cm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Virden | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 517 mm | 519 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −19.6°C | −21.2°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 196 | 193 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 25.4°C | 25.8°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Elkhorn)
Around Virden, 35% of tested homes have radon above the guideline
Radon tests for the Assiniboine health region
Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.007 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). No flood study for Virden is on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Virden | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 35% | 12% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.007 | $0.006 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Buying in Virden takes 3.5 years of household income for the median home, fewer than the 4.7 typical across Canada
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 14% of households, below both Manitoba’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (18%). Owners make up 71% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Virden | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 20% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $250,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 71% | 75% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Around Virden, 3 elementary schools and 1 secondary school: 4 schools in all
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goulter SchoolIn VirdenElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Virden CollegiateIn VirdenSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · The schools grade is given only where results are open; in Manitoba, the province publishes no results school by school.
A normal November in Virden runs from −9°C to freezing
ECCC’s forecast for Virden is on the Weather page, hour by hour. The month after, December, normally sees −7°C afternoons and −16°C nights. Snowfall in a normal November: 22 cm. July brings the warmest days, 25°C; January the coldest nights, −20°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −8°C | −18°C | 70 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −3°C | 129 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 11°C | 228 mm |
| Autumn | 10°C | −1°C | 90 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Elkhorn); the forecast is on the Weather page
Brandon—Souris, which takes in Virden, is held by Grant Jackson (Conservative Party of Canada)
From Manitoba come 14 MPs, 7 of them with the Conservative Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Virden has one public library, Border Regional Library
It stands 0.3 km from the centre of Virden.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
1,400 households and a median age of 41.6: who lives in Virden
First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 4.6% of residents, lower than Manitoba’s towns (12%) yet higher than Canadian towns (2.8%). Visible minorities make up 9.9% of the population, below Manitoba’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike.
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 51.5% of Virden
Of the 2021 count, 1,605 were women and 1,510 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).
| Virden | Manitoba | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 25% | 17% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 16% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 46% | 52% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Manitoba and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Rivers Provincial Park, 54 km away, is the closest provincial park to Virden
A drive of 97 km reaches Riding Mountain National Park, the nearest national park.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Virden | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 12 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 0% | 1.1% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Lives run shorter around Virden: 78.8 years, 2.7 below the typical Canadian town’s region
Measured across the Prairie Mountain Health Region: health survey and life expectancy
15% of adults smoke, daily or now and then, above Manitoba’s towns (10%) and Canadian towns (12%) alike. About as many adults call their health very good or excellent here as across Manitoba, 51% against 51%. For Virden itself the measure is access, and it scores well: 1.1 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Virden | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.8 | 80.0 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
The registers record 1 historic place in Virden
Older housing, built before 1961, accounts for 31% of homes, higher than both Manitoba’s towns (23%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Virden | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 31% | 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 Virden
Famous people from Virden
11 notable people were born in Virden.
Photo credits
Lila Bell Wallace: Associated Press, Public domain · Wes Taylor: Chris Bolin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jim Treliving: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0
About Virden
Town in Manitoba
For Virden, 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
- 3,322 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Manitoba
- Census division
- Division No. 6
- Census subdivision
- 4606034
Virden’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virden | 3,322 | — | B | B | C− | B− |
| Wallace-Woodworth | 2,983 | 3.1 | — | A | — | C |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Virden
How old are the people of Virden?
The median resident is 41.6 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 19% are under 15 and 25% are 65 or over.
What kind of homes are in Virden?
79% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.2 people; 36% are one person living alone.
Who are the people of Virden?
10% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 5% have an Indigenous identity and 9% are immigrants.
Is Virden growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 3,322 to 3,118 residents (6.1% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 3,322.
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).