Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainWest Interlake’s household incomes are lower than in 96% of Canadian towns
At the 2021 census, 81% of West Interlake’s 15-to-64s were in work, against 73% in the middle of Canadian towns. 13% of the labour force in West Interlake was out of work at the 2021 census; the middle of Canadian towns is 9.9%. West Interlake is the usual workplace of 675 people, and 575 of its own residents commute to a job.
What sets West Interlake apart on jobs and income
More people in work than most towns
With 81% of its 15-to-64s in work in 2021, against 73% in the middle of Canadian towns, it has 55% of all adults employed. In work ↓
More unemployment than most towns
On census day in 2021 13% were unemployed, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns; by October 2026 the Labour Force Survey put the area at 2.9%. Unemployment ↓
Lower incomes than most towns
Household income at the median was $54,400 in 2020, before tax; Canadian towns have $85,900 at the middle. Household income ↓
A local job centre
675 people work in West Interlake and 575 residents commute to a fixed workplace; the middle of Canadian towns has 0.8 jobs per working resident. The daily tide ↓
Shorter trips than most towns
Commutes take 21.2 minutes on average, against 26 in the middle of Canadian towns; 9.7% take an hour or more. The trip to work ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
West Interlake grades B− for jobs and income
Better than 48% of Canadian towns on three measures together.
Its strongest measure is the share of 15-to-64s in work; its weakest, household income.
Graded against Canadian towns of 2,500 people or more; less unemployment and a shorter commute count in its favour.
How the grade works
Census 2021 measures, weighed equally against every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 people or more: the share of residents aged 15 to 64 in work, median household income (2020), the unemployment rate and the average commute. Each becomes a percentile; their average sets the letter.
How many in West Interlake were working in 2021
A larger share in work than in 78% of Canadian towns.
Counting retirees, 55% of everyone aged 15 and over was working. The monthly Labour Force Survey, which covers the wider area, put its employment rate at 61% in October 2026. Participation, the share of residents 15 and over working or looking for work, came to 63%. May 2021, when the census was taken, was a pandemic spring; unemployment has come down since, as the Labour Force Survey records.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: people in work of any age over residents aged 15 to 64, and the census unemployment rate (15 and over); the 25-to-54 rate is Statistics Canada’s own (98-10-0485). The Labour Force Survey and business counts are context, not grade inputs.
What households earned in West Interlake: $54,400 in 2020
That puts West Interlake 35% below the median of Manitoba’s towns, $83,900. Read the incomes as 2020’s, before tax: pandemic benefits such as CERB are in them, and they raised many low incomes for that year.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
A working day adds 12% to the people at work in West Interlake
For every resident who leaves West Interlake for work, about 2 people come in. 69% of residents who commute work inside the municipality, against 70% in the middle of Canadian towns.
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
A shorter commute than the middle of Canadian towns: 21.2 minutes from West Interlake
An hour or more: 9.7% of commuters, above the 5.5% in the middle of Manitoba’s towns. Statistics Canada’s own average, timed exactly rather than by band, is 20.7 minutes. The middle of Manitoba’s towns averages 23.6 minutes. A quarter-hour or less for 57% of commuters, against 46% in the middle of Manitoba’s towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: commuting duration in five bands; our average uses each band’s middle (75 minutes for an hour or more), so it runs about two minutes above Statistics Canada’s own.
276 people come into West Interlake to work, most from Grahamdale and Coldwell
- Grahamdale80
- Coldwell60
- Winnipeg40
- St. Laurent25
- Alonsa15
- Dog Creek 4610
- Fairford 5010
Of everyone working in West Interlake, 41% come in from elsewhere; 80 make the 43 km trip from Grahamdale. Of residents who leave for work, most head to Coldwell (90).
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (98-10-0459): commuting flows between municipalities (census subdivisions), rounded to 5; linked names have their own pages.
Walking, cycling or transit: 9.7% of West Interlake’s commuters
Transit takes 1.4% of commuters, against 3.5% in the middle of Canadian towns. The middle of Manitoba’s towns has 3.8% walking; here, 8.3% do. The car takes 86% of commuters here, under the 87% in the middle of Manitoba’s towns. Home was the workplace for 28%, where the middle of Canadian towns has 21%.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: main mode of commuting; average durations by mode from table 98-10-0458 (whole municipalities only).
17% more people are on EI in Census Division No. 18 than in 2019
West Interlake shares its EI beneficiaries numbers with the rest of Census Division No. 18.
Compared with a year earlier, the count in August 2026 fell by 4%. The highest month was April 2021: 1,620 people, 1.7 times the 2019 level. That is about 7.4 people on EI for every 100 aged 15 to 64 in the division.
Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance beneficiaries by census division (14-10-0323): all income benefits, not seasonally adjusted. EI counts are context, not part of any grade.
People receiving Employment Insurance each month, as a share of the 2019 average (100).
The walkability of West Interlake: B−
Better than 49% of Canadian towns on two measures together.
OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); active commuting from the 2021 Census.
Jobs near West Interlake: the places around it
The nearest places to West Interlake with figures are 37–47 km away.
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Interlake | 81% | 13% | $54K | 21.2 min | B− | B− |
| Ebb and Flow 52 37.3 km | 28% | 18% | $54K | 14.3 min | C− | C− |
| Grahamdale 43.5 km | 82% | 7.1% | $59K | 27.1 min | C | D |
| Alonsa 44 km | 60% | 18% | $55K | 26.4 min | D− | C− |
| Coldwell 46.8 km | 82% | 6.2% | $67K | 24.7 min | B− | B− |
The people of each place: the share in work, unemployment, household income and the average commute, with both grades once they come.
What this data can and can’t tell you
What each figure measures for West Interlake, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- The Labour Force Survey. A monthly household survey by Statistics Canada, reported for metro areas and economic regions only. It supplies a recent rate next to the 2021 census figure.
- In work. Working residents per resident of working age (15 to 64), from the 2021 Census.
- Unemployment. The share of people 15 and over in the labour force, working or looking for work, who had no job on census day in May 2021.
- Household income. The census median total income of households in 2020, before tax; a neighbourhood’s is estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups.
- Trip times. How long getting to work normally takes, averaged from the census’s time bands at their middles; expect it to read slightly high against the timed figure.
- Where people commute. Jobs count everyone whose usual workplace lies in the municipality, residents or commuters from elsewhere, from Statistics Canada’s home-by-workplace table.
- Employment Insurance. A monthly count of Employment Insurance beneficiaries for the whole census division. It tracks the local job market, but it is not an unemployment rate.
- Which towns we compare. Comparisons are with the median of Canadian towns and city neighbourhoods counting 2,500 people or more, reserves and entire cities excluded.
Questions about work in West Interlake
How many jobs are there in West Interlake?
The 2021 census counted about 675 people working in West Interlake: 1.2 jobs for every resident who commutes to a fixed workplace. In June 2026, 100 businesses with employees were on Statistics Canada’s count.
What is the unemployment rate in West Interlake?
At the 2021 census 13% of the labour force had no job and was looking (9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns). The latest monthly survey, for the Interlake economic region, gives 2.9% in October 2026.
What is the average household income in West Interlake?
West Interlake’s middle household had $54,400 in 2020, before tax; Canadian towns have $85,900 at their middle.
How do people in West Interlake get to work?
By car: 86% of commuters, 1.4% take public transit and 8.3% walk; on census day 28% of those in work worked from home.
How long is the commute from West Interlake?
21.2 minutes is the average trip, with 57% of commuters there in under 15 minutes and 9.7% taking an hour or more.
Where do people in West Interlake work?
Most stay: 69% work in West Interlake. The rest go first to Coldwell (90) and Grahamdale (20).
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population (Census Profile) · Statistics Canada, tables 98-10-0458 and 98-10-0459 (commuting) · Statistics Canada, table 14-10-0323 (EI beneficiaries) · Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey (14-10-0459, 14-10-0462) · Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Counts (33-10-1176) · grades: 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).