PlaceDossier / BC places / Columbia Shuswap

Salmon Arm

A city in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District. 19,432 people lived here in 2021, up 9.7% from 2016.

Land and hazards

HereRank in BC
In the farmland reserve (ALR)30%41st of 267
Burned by wildfire since 199611%39th of 215
Years with a mapped wildfire since 19194most recent 1998
Under mineral, placer or coal titles13%79th of 219
Land area176 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

228 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 49 m, and the median tested yield is 47 L/min. Wells here rank 121st of 296 for depth.

Source: Groundwater wells (GWELLS), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).

Climate

HereRank in BC
January mean temperature-3.7 °C
July mean temperature19.1 °C56th of 237
Yearly precipitation653 mm
Yearly snowfall184 cm36th of 237

Normals for 1981-2010 at the Salmon Arm A station, about 3 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

HereBC
Population, 202119,4325,000,879
Change since 2016+9.7%+7.6%
Median age51.642.8
Under 1514.5%14.3%
65 and over30.4%20.3%
Median household income (2020)$75,000$85,000
Homes owned by the people living in them77.7%66.8%
Single-detached houses62.4%42.4%
Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like)5.1%2.5%
Built before 196110.5%12.5%
Needing major repairs5.1%5.8%
Median home value (owners' estimate)$500,000$785,000
Median monthly rent$1,010$1,370
Worked from home14.1%22.6%
Unemployment rate7.9%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

HereBC
Indigenous identity7.6%5.9%
Immigrants10.2%29.0%
Visible minority5.5%34.4%
No religion or a secular outlook55.2%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.