SanikiluaqNunavut
Between 2016 and 2021, its population grew by 15%. Population 1,141: a town in Nunavut.
Is Sanikiluaq a good place to live?
Hazard risk is low (A+). Residents’ health trails most towns (D−). Homes were valued at a median $147,000 at the 2021 census, 1.7 times the typical household’s income. Safety is weaker too (D−).
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; Sanikiluaq has its subject grades alone.
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 Sanikiluaq grades
Each subject compares Sanikiluaq with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; Sanikiluaq has its subject grades alone.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Sanikiluaq stand out
The 3 things Sanikiluaq does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sanikiluaq.
Fewer households own their home in Sanikiluaq than in Canadian towns: 13%
A year’s rent came to 3% of the median household income, lower than Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Sanikiluaq | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 3% | – | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 13% | – | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 0% | – | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $147,000 | – | $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.
Few places are as safe from hazards as Sanikiluaq: it beats almost every Canadian town
Seismic risk runs low: $0.006 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. No one has filed a flood map for Sanikiluaq on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Sanikiluaq | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 0% | – | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.006 | – | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
On health, Sanikiluaq falls short of almost every Canadian town
The town’s own part is the trip to care: residents of Sanikiluaq live 168 km from a hospital on average, and 100% of them more than 30 km. Statistics Canada puts life expectancy at 70.9, below Canadian towns (81.5). Self-rated health is ordinary for Nunavut: nearly two fifths of the region’s adults say very good or excellent, the province 39%. Figures for health survey and life expectancy are published for the Nunavut health region as a whole, not for Sanikiluaq alone.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Sanikiluaq | 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 police who cover Sanikiluaq record more serious crime than Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 403
Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over the Sanikiluaq detachment area
For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 108.4 violent incidents are reported each year. The violent index for its police area came to 833, higher than Canadian towns (86). Its police area records 134.5 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Sanikiluaq | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 403 | – | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 833 | – | 86 |
| Violent crime | 108.4 | – | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 134.5 | – | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
More of Sanikiluaq’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Canadian towns: 95%
Visible minorities make up 1% of the population, 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
Women make up 50.0% of Sanikiluaq
505 men and 505 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Sanikiluaq | Nunavut | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 38% | – | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 57% | – | 64% |
| 65+ | 4% | – | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 68% | – | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 14% | – | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Nunavut and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Sanikiluaq’s teenagers travel 161 km to the nearest high school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuiyak Elementary SchoolIn SanikiluaqElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Sanikiluaq | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 161 km | – | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 161 km | – | 0.5 km |
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 Nunavut.
Summers stay cool in Sanikiluaq: July afternoons reach 16.6°C, below Canadian towns
In January, overnight lows in Sanikiluaq settle at −25.3°C. Frosty days number 224 in a normal year, above Canadian towns (159). Between the last spring frost, 18 June, and the first in autumn, 30 September, lie 103 days. The most precipitation falls in September: 108 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Sanikiluaq | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 16.6°C | – | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −25.3°C | – | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 224 | – | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 664 mm | – | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Kuujjuarapik)
The car carries only 50% of commuters in Sanikiluaq, fewer than in Canadian towns
Commutes averaged 9 min, below Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Sanikiluaq | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 50% | – | 89% |
| Average trip | 9 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.
A normal November in Sanikiluaq runs from −6°C to −1°C
Over the year, July is warmest at 17°C by day and February coldest at −27°C by night. By December, a normal day reaches −10°C and a night falls to −17°C. November normally sees 65 mm of precipitation. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Sanikiluaq forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −15°C | −23°C | 101 mm |
| Spring | −2°C | −12°C | 84 mm |
| Summer | 15°C | 6°C | 224 mm |
| Autumn | 6°C | 0°C | 256 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Kuujjuarapik); the forecast is on the Weather page
Only 34% of electors voted in Nunavut in 2021, fewer than in 99% of Canada’s ridings
In the census’s list of municipalities, Sanikiluaq is a hamlet.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
No public library is mapped in or near Sanikiluaq
Library statistics aren’t published openly in Nunavut, so there are no visit or loan figures for Sanikiluaq.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
A provincial park at Sanikiluaq’s edge: Kingngaaluk Territorial Park
Within 10 km is a single protected area. No national park lies within 100 km. 1.2% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%). Inside the town itself, just over a tenth of the land is protected.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Sanikiluaq | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.2% | – | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | – | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
A younger housing stock: 100% of Sanikiluaq’s homes are from 1961 on
| Heritage | Sanikiluaq | Nunavut | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 0% | – | 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 Sanikiluaq
About Sanikiluaq
Town in Nunavut
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Sanikiluaq is one municipality in Nunavut, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 1,141 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Nunavut
- Census division
- Qikiqtaaluk
- Metro area
- Territories (outside CAs, Nvt.) / Territoires (à l'extérieur des AR, Nt)
- Census subdivision
- 6204001
Questions about Sanikiluaq
Has Sanikiluaq grown?
Yes: the census counted 882 in 2016 and 1,010 in 2021, a rise of 14.5%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 1,141.
How old are the people of Sanikiluaq?
The typical resident is 21.8 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 4% of the population and under-15s at 38%.
What kind of homes are in Sanikiluaq?
Mostly 49% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys.
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).