PlaceDossier / BC places / Okanagan-Similkameen
Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area A
An electoral area of the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District. 2,139 people lived here in 2021, up 15.1% from 2016.
Land and hazards
| Here | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| In the farmland reserve (ALR) | 24% | 56th of 267 |
| Burned by wildfire since 1996 | 45% | 5th of 215 |
| Years with a mapped wildfire since 1919 | 39 | most recent 2025 |
| Under mineral, placer or coal titles | 16% | 65th of 219 |
| Land area | 273 km² |
Shares of the land area, measured by us from the provincial maps. Fire perimeters before the 1950s are less complete. A title or a past fire somewhere in the area says nothing about a given lot: a property report checks the parcel itself.
Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Fire perimeters – historical, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Water wells
587 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 98 m, and the median tested yield is 45 L/min. Wells here rank 10th of 296 for depth.
Source: Groundwater wells (GWELLS), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Climate
| Here | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| January mean temperature | -0.7 °C | |
| July mean temperature | 21.9 °C | 7th of 237 |
| Yearly precipitation | 323 mm | |
| Yearly snowfall | 44 cm | 192nd of 237 |
Normals for 1981-2010 at the Osoyoos West station, about 9 km from the centre of the area. Elevation matters a lot in BC: a hillside lot can be much colder and snowier than the station.
Source: Climate normals 1981-2010, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).
People and homes
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2021 | 2,139 | 5,000,879 |
| Change since 2016 | +15.1% | +7.6% |
| Median age | 58 | 42.8 |
| Under 15 | 9.3% | 14.3% |
| 65 and over | 33.6% | 20.3% |
| Median household income (2020) | $82,000 | $85,000 |
| Homes owned by the people living in them | 83.1% | 66.8% |
| Single-detached houses | 91.4% | 42.4% |
| Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like) | 3.4% | 2.5% |
| Built before 1961 | 13.7% | 12.5% |
| Needing major repairs | 1.6% | 5.8% |
| Median home value (owners' estimate) | $800,000 | $785,000 |
| Median monthly rent | $900 | $1,370 |
| Worked from home | 19.9% | 22.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.4% | 8.4% |
Bars: the dark bar is this place, the gold mark is BC.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Who lives here
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous identity | 3.1% | 5.9% |
| Immigrants | 25.7% | 29.0% |
| Visible minority | 18.0% | 34.4% |
| No religion or a secular outlook | 47.6% | 52.1% |
Bars: the dark bar is this place, the gold mark is BC.
Shown for context, like the other census figures. We don't rank or score places on these.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Census figures are from 2021; the next census results start in 2027. Area boundaries are Statistics Canada's census subdivisions, which follow municipal and electoral area lines.