PlaceDossier / BC places / North Okanagan

Vernon

A city in the North Okanagan Regional District. 44,519 people lived here in 2021, up 11% from 2016.

Land and hazards

HereRank in BC
In the farmland reserve (ALR)21%68th of 267
Burned by wildfire since 19961.6%110th of 215
Years with a mapped wildfire since 191923most recent 2025
Under mineral, placer or coal titles9.9%100th of 219
Land area117 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

295 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 13 m, and the median tested yield is 38 L/min. Wells here rank 274th of 296 for depth.

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

Climate

HereRank in BC
January mean temperature-2.1 °C
July mean temperature20.5 °C27th of 237
Yearly precipitation428 mm
Yearly snowfall91 cm108th of 237

Normals for 1981-2010 at the Vernon Bella Vista station, about 4 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, 202144,5195,000,879
Change since 2016+11%+7.6%
Median age49.242.8
Under 1513.5%14.3%
65 and over28.1%20.3%
Median household income (2020)$73,500$85,000
Homes owned by the people living in them66.0%66.8%
Single-detached houses47.6%42.4%
Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like)0.4%2.5%
Built before 196111.7%12.5%
Needing major repairs5.8%5.8%
Median home value (owners' estimate)$524,000$785,000
Median monthly rent$1,170$1,370
Worked from home13.6%22.6%
Unemployment rate8.2%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 identity7.3%5.9%
Immigrants12.4%29.0%
Visible minority8.0%34.4%
No religion or a secular outlook55.1%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.