ArviatNunavut
3,330 residents make their home in this town in Nunavut. Statistics Canada counts it in the Territories (outside CAs, Nvt.) / Territoires (à l'extérieur des AR, Nt) metro area.
Is Arviat a good place to live?
Floods and other hazards weigh less here (A+). It is strong on walkability as well (A+). Also worth knowing: its weakest is health (D−). At $250,000, the median home value in 2021 came to 2.4 times local household income. Safety is weaker too (D).
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Arviat has no overall grade because cost of living isn’t graded here.
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 Cost Grade: fewer than 30% of households own their home here, so neither the home value nor the rent is a market price. Safety is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. 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 Arviat grades
Each subject compares Arviat with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Arviat has no overall grade because cost of living isn’t graded here.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Arviat stand out
The 3 things Arviat does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Arviat.
Few places are as safe from hazards as Arviat: it beats almost every Canadian town
Earthquakes matter little: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.004 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town. The national flood inventory has no study for Arviat.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Arviat | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 0% | – | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.004 | – | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
On health, Arviat falls short of almost every Canadian town
The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 39%; Nunavut as a whole is at 39%. 63% of adults smoke, daily or now and then, above Canadian towns (12%). People in the region live to 70.9 on average: 72.4 for women and 69.4 for men in 2022/2024. For Arviat itself, the measure is access: 216 km to the nearest hospital on average, with 100% of homes beyond 30 km. Arviat doesn’t get its own health survey and life expectancy figures; the ones here come from the Nunavut health region.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Arviat | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 39% | – | 52% |
| Smokers | 63% | – | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 70.9 | – | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | – | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
The force covering Arviat records more serious violence than Canadian towns, at 319
The index for the force that serves it came to 201, above Canadian towns (67). Violence across its police area runs at 66 per 1,000 residents a year. For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 131.9 property crimes are reported each year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Arviat | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 319 | – | 86 |
| Violent crime | 66 | – | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 131.9 | – | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 201 | – | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Area behind the Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures: the Arviat detachment area
More of Arviat’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Canadian towns: 96%
Immigrants make up 0.9% of residents, below Canadian towns (6.4%). 1.1% of residents belong to a visible minority, lower than Canadian towns (15%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
49.8% of Arviat’s residents are women
1,430 women and 1,440 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Arviat | Nunavut | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 37% | – | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | – | 64% |
| 65+ | 4% | – | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 61% | – | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 17% | – | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Nunavut and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Rent takes less of local pay in Arviat than in Canadian towns: 3% of household income
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 2% of households, below Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Arviat | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 3% | – | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 2% | – | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $250,000 | – | $406,000 |
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.
Arviat’s teenagers travel 253 km to the nearest high school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Arnalujuak High SchoolIn ArviatElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Arviat | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 253 km | – | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 253 km | – | 0.5 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Schools grade in Nunavut: none (the province publishes no results school by school).
Arviat has colder winters than Canadian towns: January lows of −31.9°C
The most precipitation falls in August: 60 mm in a normal year. Frosty days number 254 in a normal year, above Canadian towns (159). The warmest afternoons come in July, at around 15.2°C in Arviat. Most of the snow comes in October, about 13 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Arviat | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 15.2°C | – | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −31.9°C | – | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 254 | – | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 318 mm | – | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Arviat)
Fewer commuters in Arviat drive than in Canadian towns: 37%
Commutes averaged 11 min, lower than Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Arviat | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 37% | – | 89% |
| Average trip | 11 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.
In Arviat, November normally means −11°C afternoons and −19°C nights
The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Arviat. Expect around 12 cm of snow in November. Next comes December, with normal highs of −19°C and lows of −27°C. November normally sees 20 mm of precipitation.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −23°C | −30°C | 37 mm |
| Spring | −10°C | −18°C | 55 mm |
| Summer | 13°C | 5°C | 132 mm |
| Autumn | −1°C | −7°C | 94 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Arviat); the forecast is on the Weather page
Only 34% of electors voted in Nunavut in 2021, fewer than in 99% of Canada’s ridings
For local government, Arviat is a hamlet.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Arviat’s public library is Donald Suluk Library
It stands 0.7 km from the centre of Arviat.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
None of the land within 10 km of Arviat is protected
Within 5 km lie 72 beaches, unnamed on the map. No national park lies within 100 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Arviat | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0% | – | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | – | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
One place in Arviat, at the top of the registers
At the 2021 census, 1.6% of homes dated from before 1961, lower than Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Arviat | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 1.6% | – | 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 Arviat
About Arviat
Town in Nunavut
For Arviat, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in Nunavut, 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
- 3,330 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Nunavut
- Census division
- Kivalliq
- Metro area
- Territories (outside CAs, Nvt.) / Territoires (à l'extérieur des AR, Nt)
- Census subdivision
- 6205015
Questions about Arviat
How old are the people of Arviat?
The median resident is 21.8 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 37% are under 15 and 4% are 65 or over.
What kind of homes are in Arviat?
Single-detached houses make up 53% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 14% of households are one person, and the average is 4.5.
Has Arviat grown?
It grew from 2,657 people in 2016 to 2,864 in 2021, up 7.8%; the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 3,330.
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).