Photo: David Adamec · Public domainYounger than 99% of Canadian towns: half of Behchokò is under 28.8
Residents aged 15 to 24: 17% here and 11% across Canada’s towns. At the same time, at 6.1%, the share of residents who moved in within the year is lower than in 95% of Canadian towns. Behchokò is home to some 2,017 people (July 2025 estimate), in 460 households at the 2021 Census. Here, nearly a fifth of households are one-parent families.
What stands out about the people of Behchokò
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
An Indigenous identity is reported by 93% of residents, more than in 99% of Canadian towns. 89% are Registered or Treaty Indians and 39% grew up speaking an Indigenous language. Identity & religion ↓
Younger than most towns
Half of Behchokò’s residents are under 28.8 and half over; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 27% are under 15 and 8.9% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
Fewer people than before
Behchokò went from 1,874 people in 2016 to 1,746 in 2021, −7%: slower growth than in 98% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
A town of renters
Renters are 52% of households, more than in 87% of Canadian towns, and 2.2% of households live in an apartment. Homes ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Behchokò’s population moved −7% on 2016, less than in 98% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. How the population moved between the last two censuses, and since.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 16%. For comparison, Canada’s towns changed by a median +4%.
Behchokò: 27% of residents are under 15, above 99% of Canadian towns
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
10–14 is the most common age band: 11% of residents, 2 times the share across Canada’s towns. Measured more widely, 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns. The census found that nearly one in ten residents are 65 or over in Behchokò.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
About 111 men for every 100 women.
3.8 people per household, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Here 15% of households are one person living alone, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 27%.
26% of residents 15 and over are married, fewer than in 96% of Canadian towns
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
51% of adults have never married and don’t live common-law (typical: 27%). Typically, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. Common-law partners account for 17%.
In Behchokò, 52% of households rent their home, more than in 87% of Canadian towns
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
29% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 3.3% built before 1961. Renter households: 25% across Canada’s towns, for comparison. On households in single-detached houses, Behchokò sits higher than just over three fifths of Canadian towns: 72%.
A median household income of $115,000 a year
Census incomes are for 2020, the year before the census, when CERB and other pandemic benefits topped up many households. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
The median across Canada’s towns is $86,000; Behchokò’s, at $115,000, is 34% higher. Pandemic benefits reached 50% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
1.7% of residents are immigrants
Immigrants, newcomers and movers.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 20%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
Across Canada’s towns, 17% of residents are immigrants; in Behchokò, 1.7%. The census found that 0.9% of residents are not Canadian citizens locally.
A larger share of Indigenous residents than 99% of Canadian towns: 93%
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Visible minority: 2.6% (Canada’s towns: 15%). The census found that just over a fifth of residents said they have no religion in Behchokò. Set beside that, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
Beyond English and French: 11% 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, 21% mostly speak another language; 1.7% speak neither English nor French. Fewer bilingual residents than in 99% of Canadian towns: 1.4%. Across Canada’s towns, 1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue; in Behchokò, 0.3%.
Below 95% of Canadian towns: 10% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Some 43% have no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. Against that, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
41% of residents 15 and over were in work
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 41%, fewer residents are in work than the typical 58% across Canada’s towns, and 8.9% are 65 or over.
The places around Behchokò
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are. Behchokò has no close neighbour with figures; the nearest is 95 km away.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behchokò | 2,017 | — | 28.8 | 8.9% | 1.7% |
| Yellowknife | 22,858 | 95.1 km | 35.2 | 7.8% | 16% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. In the census, “visible minority” is the Employment Equity Act’s term for people who are non-white in colour or race and not Indigenous. Like immigrant status, Indigenous identity and religion, which residents reported themselves, it is compared with other towns, never turned into a label.
- Against Canada’s towns. Northwest Territories has too few towns of 2,500 or more for a median of its own, so each figure is set beside the median of all Canadian towns of that size (whole cities and First Nations reserves left out).
- What these tables don’t give. For origins the charts stop at visible minority and Indigenous identity, and the Census Profile has nothing on unpaid care, cars or the internet, or on change by age since 2016.
Questions about Behchokò’s residents
What religion are people in Behchokò?
Most often Christian (77%) or no religion (22%); other religions make up 1.7%.
Is Behchokò good for families?
Children under 15 are 27% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 38% of households and one-parent families 19%. Schools near Behchokò are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Behchokò?
Median total household income in Behchokò was $115,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Behchokò?
The latest figure is an estimate: 2,017 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Behchokò counted 1,746, 7% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Behchokò?
Half the residents are older than 28.8 and half younger; 27% are children under 15 and 8.9% are 65 or over.
Is Behchokò bilingual?
1.4% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 0% speak French only and 97% English only. French is the mother tongue of 0.3%.
How diverse is Behchokò?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 1.7%. A visible minority makes up 2.6% and Indigenous residents 93%.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population · Statistics Canada, population estimates for 1 July 2025 (table 17-10-0155). 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).