Real Estate

Parksville has the highest percentage of homeowners in British Columbia

Metropolitan areas lead B.C. in percentage of renters Among cities and municipalities with more than 5,000 people, Parksville leads British Columbia with the highest percentage of homeowners. Almost 82 per cent of home dwellers in the Vancouver Island city own their property, according to recently released data from the 2016 census. Other areas...

By Nathan Caddell /

Credit: City of Parksville

Metropolitan areas lead B.C. in percentage of renters

Among cities and municipalities with more than 5,000 people, Parksville leads British Columbia with the highest percentage of homeowners. Almost 82 per cent of home dwellers in the Vancouver Island city own their property, according to recently released data from the 2016 census.

Other areas with high rates of home ownership are Salmon Arm (77.3 per cent), Cranbrook (77.2 per cent), with Powell Rive and Quesnel (tied at 76.2 per cent) rounding out the top five.

On the other end of the scale, Prince Rupert reportedly has the highest proportion of renters, with just under 40 per cent of residents renting their homes. Dawson Creek (39.3 percent) and Fort St. John (32.3 per cent) make the top five, along with the province’s largest cities, Victoria (37.3 per cent) and Vancouver (36.3 per cent).

Although most areas saw an increase in both owners and renters over the 2011 census, Squamish’s 11.6 per cent rise was by far the biggest jump in home ownership. The largest drop: Williams Lake, down 2.5 per cent.

From Statistics Canada: 

Geographic name

Housing Tenure – Owner

Housing Tenure – Renter

Parksville

81.9

18.1

Salmon Arm

77.3

22.6

Cranbrook

77.2

22.8

Powell River

76.2

23.8

Quesnel

76.2

23.1

Courtenay

75.3

24.7

Chilliwack

75.1

24.6

Vernon

74.7

25.2

Kamloops

73.7

26.2

Kelowna

73.3

26.7

Port Alberni

73.3

26.7

Duncan

73.1

26.4

Campbell River

72.8

27

Squamish

72.6

27

Prince George

72.2

27.7

Abbotsford – Mission

71.6

28.4

Williams Lake

71.1

27.9

Terrace

70.8

29.3

Nelson

70.5

29.6

Nanaimo

69.8

30.1

Penticton

68.3

31.6

Fort St. John

67.7

32.3

Vancouver

63.7

36.3

Victoria

62.6

37.3

Dawson Creek

60.6

39.3

Prince Rupert

60.3

39.8

*Numbers do not include band housing rates