PlaceDossier / BC places / Cariboo
Williams Lake
A city in the Cariboo Regional District. 10,947 people lived here in 2021, up 1.8% from 2016, on 36 km² of land.
BC place · city
How Williams Lake compares with BC's other towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people
- Evacuations: an order to leave, in July 2017 (fire). The Province's record starts in April 2017. One of 4 of BC's 39 towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people with one.
- Crime, weighted for how serious it is: the highest of BC's 38 towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people with police figures for the place alone. An index of 220, compared with 82 in a typical town that size.
- Homes: the 3rd most affordable of BC's 39 towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. The typical home costs 4.2 years of a typical household's income, compared with 7.8 years in a typical town that size. Property tax: the 3rd highest rate of BC's 39 towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. $9.37 a year for each $1,000 of assessed value, compared with $5.40 in a typical town that size.
- Winters: the 3rd coldest of BC's 39 towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. −5.9 °C on average in January, compared with 3.0 °C in a typical town that size.
Typical for its size 4 bus routes every day but Sunday, 16 licensed child care providers, 1 fire hall and a 24-hour emergency department.
How we compare
Each figure is set against BC's places of the same kind: cities of 50,000 or more, towns of 10,000 to 50,000, towns of 2,000 to 10,000, villages and towns under 2,000, or rural electoral areas. A figure stands out when it's among the top tenth of its kind at the end that matters to a buyer and clearly off the typical one, the middle place of that kind. Where fewer than 15 places of its kind have the figure, it's set against all BC places with it. A figure only counts when its source speaks for the place: a climate or air station within 15 km and 300 m of its ground, the place's own police service, at least 1,000 people for census figures and 25 homes for internet. A point that stands out has an ochre bar on its left, its section's stamp is filled ochre, and a dot in the bar at the top of the page marks that section; "Typical for its size" is a plain outline and "Nothing on record" a dotted one. In each strip a tick is one place, the tall tick the typical one, the dot this place, and the end that matters on the right. Facts that matter at any size (an evacuation order, emergency care far away, little mobile coverage) are said whatever the size, and mark a section as standing out only when they too are in the top tenth of its kind. A section is marked typical only where a figure in it is set against the typical one and none sits far from it (outside the middle half of its kind, or clearly off the typical one), and "nothing on record" only where it shows nothing.
Hazards
Evacuations: an order to leave, in July 2017 (fire). The Province's record starts in April 2017. One of 4 of BC's 39 towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people with one.
- Burned by wildfire since 1996
- 6.0% typical town that size: 0%
- Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917
- 10, the latest 2024
- Evacuation events since April 2017
- 1 with an order to leave, 1 with alerts only; the latest order July 2017, the latest alert July 2024
- Poor-air days at the nearest air station
- 7 days a year (median), 1.8 km away typical town that size: 3
- Radon: homes tested at or above the guideline in its health region
- 6.4% in Thompson Cariboo Shuswap (BC: 7.9%)
More on hazards
Its land, ranked in BC
| Here | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| In the farmland reserve (ALR) | 9.1% | 136th of 267 |
| Burned by wildfire since 1996 | 6.0% | 70th of 215 |
| Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917 | 10 | most recent 2024 |
| Under mineral, placer or coal titles | 1.1% | 192nd of 219 (tied) |
| Land area | 36 km² |
Shares of the land area, worked out from the Province's 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.
Large fires (1,000 ha or more) since 1990
Since 1990, one wildfire of 1,000 ha or more burned in Williams Lake: the Wildwood wildfire in 2017, 171 ha here, 5% of its land.
- 2017Wildwood wildfire12,723 ha in all · 1% of it here171 ha here
Smaller mapped fires since 2016
Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped one smaller fire (under 1,000 ha) that reached Williams Lake, newest first.
- 2024River Valley wildfire37 ha in all37 ha here
Small fires that were never mapped as a perimeter aren't listed: the BC Wildfire Service maps an outline for only some of the fires it records. Past fire is history, not a forecast. The chance of fire on a lot today depends on what the record doesn't show: the forest and grass around it, the slope, what has been thinned or burned since, and how far it is from a fire hall. Every BC season and large fire since 1990.
Sources: BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Current, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Incident Locations – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Locations – Current, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 10, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Outlines simplified and places measured by PlaceDossier.
How the land burned
On the Province's ecosystem map, all of Williams Lake's land is NDT4: grassland and dry open forest that burned often and lightly, with surface fires every 4 to 50 years in the Ponderosa Pine and Interior Douglas-fir zones and fires that replace the whole stand rare. Its main biogeoclimatic zone is Interior Douglas-fir (100%). In the dry forest and grassland of NDT4, a century of putting fires out has let many stands fill in, building up fuel that can carry a crown fire instead of a light surface fire. This is how the land burned before fires were put out, not its fire risk today. A report names the type over a lot. Every place's natural fire regime.
Source: BEC Map (biogeoclimatic zones and natural disturbance types), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), read 2026-10-12; areas worked out on the census boundaries.
Evacuations since April 2017
Since April 2017, the Province's record holds 2 wildfire events with an evacuation order or alert over Williams Lake, 1 with an order. The latest order: Wildwood Wildfire, July 2017.
- 2024River Valley WildfireJuly 2024 · evacuation alert · City of Williams Lake618 homes
- 2017Wildwood WildfireJuly 2017 · evacuation order · Cariboo Regional District4,012 homes
Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Williams Lake, or lay mostly in Williams Lake and held at least 5% as many homes as the 2021 census counted there. An order means people were told to leave; an alert, to be ready to leave. Homes are the record's own counts, area by area, shown where the areas lie mostly in Williams Lake. The Province's record starts in April 2017: earlier evacuations aren't in it. A lot's report checks every order and alert over the lot itself, and any in effect now.
Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.
Evacuations for floods, landslides and other hazards since April 2017
None of the flood, landslide or other non-fire evacuation orders or alerts in the Province's record since April 2017 covered 5% or more of the land or homes in Williams Lake.
Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.
13 landslides are recorded inside Williams Lake in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0), including 8 earth slides, 3 debris avalanches and 1 earth fall. The latest with a date of its own: a debris avalanche, 2020 (listed under “2020 Frizzi Road”). The database lists slides known to have happened, mapped from inventories, satellite images and lidar. It isn't a hazard map, and some parts of BC are mapped in far more detail than others. Landslides near a given lot.
The Province lists 2 dams in Williams Lake, none classed High or above for the harm a failure would do downstream. One of them is recorded as breached (failed). The class rates what a failure would do, not how likely one is; a report names the dams within 1 km of a lot. Dams in BC, by place.
One Water Survey of Canada gauge in Williams Lake has 5 or more years of yearly peak flows: Williams Lake River at Outlet of Williams Lake peaked highest at 16.7 m³/s in 1976 (23 years on record). A gauge's record is the river where it stands, not a flood line; a report gives the nearest gauge on a river by the lot. River gauges in BC, by place.
Poor-air days: at the Williams Lake Columneetza School air monitoring station, 1.8 km from the town centre, fine particles passed the level of BC's 24-hour objective (25 µg/m³) on a median of 7 days a year over the 11 years with a full record, 2015 to 2025; the most was 48 days in 2017. Most of these days fell from June to September, the wildfire season (our reading: mostly wildfire smoke). How smoky it gets across BC.
Radon
In the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap health region, 7 of the 109 homes tested (6.4%) in Health Canada's 2009–2011 survey were at or above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline; across BC, 143 of 1,817 (7.9%).
The survey tested about a hundred volunteer homes per health region, with one long-term test each. That gives a rough regional picture: it isn't a map, and a region where few or none tested high can still have homes above the guideline. The only way to know is to test the home: radon and buying a home in BC.
Source: Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011), Health Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Health Service Delivery Area Boundaries, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Check one lot: has it burned? · is it on a floodplain map? · is it behind a dike? · is there a dam nearby? · landslides nearby? · contaminated sites nearby? · radon? · how much is too steep?
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); Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database, version 14.0 (May 2026), Brideau et al. (CC BY 4.0); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence); Municipalities – Legally Defined Administrative Areas of BC (names and status), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Cost to own Stands out
Property tax: the 3rd highest rate of BC's 39 towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. $9.37 a year for each $1,000 of assessed value, compared with $5.40 in a typical town that size.
- Homes: the 3rd most affordable of BC's 39 towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. The typical home costs 4.2 years of a typical household's income, compared with 7.8 years in a typical town that size.
- Residential property tax rate, 2026
- $9.37 a year for each $1,000 of assessed value typical town that size: $5.40
- Typical home value against typical household income
- 4.2 years of income typical town that size: 7.8 years
- Median home value (owners' estimate, 2021)
- $320,000
- Median monthly rent (2021)
- $930
- Speculation and vacancy tax
- doesn't apply here
More on cost to own
Property tax
The 2026 residential property tax rate in Williams Lake is $9.37 per $1,000 of assessed value, above the middle of BC's 160 municipalities ($6.24): about $9,375 a year on a $1,000,000 home, before the home owner grant. Rank in BC: 23rd of 160.
- Municipal $5.14
- Regional district $1.22
- Regional hospital district $0.74
- School (set by the Province) $2.06
- Other $0.22
- Middle of BC's municipalities $6.24
On $500,000: about $4,687 a year; on $1,000,000: about $9,375, at 2026 rates, before the home owner grant.
Your bill uses BC Assessment's value for the property, which can differ from its price, and may also include parcel taxes and utility fees (water, sewer, garbage) that aren't rates on value. The home owner grant takes up to $570 off the bill of a home its owner lives in ($770 in the Province's northern and rural area in 2026, and up to $845, or $1,045 there, for seniors, veterans and people with a disability), for homes assessed at $2,075,000 or less in 2026; above that it shrinks by $5 for each $1,000. From 2027 the northern and rural extra ends and the regular grant is $570 everywhere. The owner applies each year, and must pay at least $350 in tax ($100 for the higher grant) after it. Our summary of the Province's page, read 2026-10-04. Confirm with Williams Lake. How property tax works in BC.
Source: City of Williams Lake's 2026 tax rates bylaw, as compiled by the Province (Local Government Statistics Schedule 702, 2026) (the rates only: facts set in public bylaws, not open data); Home owner grant, Province of BC (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-04).
Williams Lake is outside the Province's speculation and vacancy tax area, so the tax doesn't apply to a home here. Our summary of the Province's pages, read 2026-10-04. Where the tax applies, and who pays.
The typical home here is the median value owners gave the 2021 census, and the typical household's income is the median for 2020: a home that costs 4.2 years of income took that many years of a typical household's whole income. "Typical" for places its size is the middle of BC's towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people.
New homes permitted
In 2025, building permits in Williams Lake were issued for at least 7 new homes: at least 3 houses.
- Houses
- Row houses
- Apartments
- Not broken down (months withheld)
| New homes | Houses | Row houses | Apartments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | ≥ 53 | ≥ 2 | withheld | ≥ 5 |
| 2019 | ≥ 11 | withheld | withheld | withheld |
| 2020 | ≥ 16 | ≥ 4 | withheld | withheld |
| 2021 | ≥ 94 | ≥ 3 | withheld | withheld |
| 2022 | ≥ 19 | ≥ 5 | withheld | withheld |
| 2023 | ≥ 9 | ≥ 2 | withheld | withheld |
| 2024 | ≥ 2 | withheld | withheld | withheld |
| 2025 | ≥ 7 | ≥ 3 | withheld | withheld |
| 2026 (January to July) | ≥ 5 | withheld | withheld | withheld |
Homes in new residential building permits, counted when the permit is issued: some are never built, and some building needs no permit. Statistics Canada withholds a month's figure for confidentiality or quality, so a year with withheld months reads "at least" (≥ in the table); 2026 runs to July (*). Not every local government reports. For permits on one street, ask the local government.
Source: Building Permits (BPER), BC Stats, adapted from Statistics Canada's Building Permits survey (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), through July 2026.
Land for sale nearby
The 5 nearest listings on AcreScout within 25 km of Williams Lake's town centre, nearest first.
| Listing | Asking price | Size | Per acre | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 Oliver StreetWilliams Lake, listed 80 days ago | $1,000,000 | 0.39 acres | – | 400 m |
| 611 Barnard StreetWilliams Lake, listed 571 days ago | $138,900 | 0.18 acres | – | 500 m |
| 908 Proctor StreetWilliams Lake, listed 136 days ago | $1,198,000 | 2.36 acres | $507,627 an acre | 1 km |
| Duncan RoadWilliams Lake, listed 59 days ago | $429,000 | 0.28 acres | – | 2 km |
| 550 Dog Creek RoadWilliams Lake, listed 182 days ago | $374,500 | 24.7 acres | $15,162 an acre | 2.1 km |
Distances are straight lines to the listing's pin. Where AcreScout places a listing only roughly, no distance is given, only the place it's near. Per acre is left out under about an acre. Asking prices are what sellers ask, not what land sells for.
Listings: AcreScout, a Buretto site; active listings as of 2026-11-15. Asking prices set by the sellers; not a valuation.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
What you can build Typical for its size
On a lot zoned only for houses, the zoning must allow at least 3 or 4 homes, and 6 near frequent buses (the provincial minimum).
- Homes allowed on a house lot (provincial minimum)
- at least 3 or 4 homes, 6 near frequent buses
- Short-term rentals
- The Province's principal residence requirement applies in Williams Lake (list in force from June 1, 2026): a short-term rental (under 90 days) is limited to the host's own home plus one secondary suite or garden suite on the same property.
- In the farmland reserve (ALR)
- 9.1% typical town that size: 9%
More on what you can build
Williams Lake had 10,947 people in the 2021 census, over 5,000, so on lots zoned only for houses or duplexes its bylaw must allow at least 3 homes (lots of 280 m² or less) or 4 (larger lots), and 6 on lots over 280 m² within 400 m of a bus stop with a bus at least every 15 minutes (7 am to 7 pm on weekdays, 10 am to 6 pm at weekends). Lots over 4,050 m², land in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and land not on the municipality's water or sewer, heritage-protected or certified hazard land are exempt. Where a regional growth strategy or the official community plan draws an urban containment boundary, this holds only inside it. How many homes you can build on a lot.
The Province's principal residence requirement applies in Williams Lake (list in force from June 1, 2026): a short-term rental (under 90 days) is limited to the host's own home plus one secondary suite or garden suite on the same property. Land assessed as a farm (class 9) is exempt. Local bylaws, including the zone's own rules, can be stricter. Hosts anywhere in BC register each unit with the provincial registry. Short-term rental rules in BC.
Reports for lots in Williams Lake can't name the zone: we have no open zoning map for it (see the places covered).
Ask the City of Williams Lake for a lot's zone and what it allows.
The federal boundaries put one reserve, San Jose 6 (Williams Lake First Nation), in or beside Williams Lake. On reserve land the First Nation decides land use, not the local zoning bylaw; a report says when a lot is on reserve land or within 500 m of it. Reserve land in BC, by place.
Check one lot: is it in the ALR? · is the soil good for farming? · is it in a community watershed?
Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Living here Stands out
Crime, weighted for how serious it is: the highest of BC's 38 towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people with police figures for the place alone. An index of 220, compared with 82 in a typical town that size.
- Homes with 50/10 Mbps internet or faster
- 100% typical town that size: 100%
- Homes with LTE mobile coverage
- 100%
- Nearest emergency department open around the clock
- Williams Lake, 1 km in a straight line
- Fire halls
- 1 on the Province's list; the nearest 1.5 km from Williams Lake's town centre
- Buses
- 4 routes, every day but Sunday
- Licensed child care
- 16 (12 group facilities, 4 family homes)
- Crime, weighted for how serious it is
- an index of 220 in 2025 typical town that size: 82
More on living here
Internet
over 99.9% of homes in Williams Lake have 50/10 Mbps or faster recorded, wired or fixed wireless, against 97.6% across BC.
| Share of homes here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| 50/10 Mbps or faster, wired or fixed wireless | over 99.9% | 97.6% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over a wired line | 99.7% | 96.2% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over fixed wireless | 95.6% | 87% |
| Nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster | 0% | 1.4% |
| LTE mobile coverage | 100% | 99.1% |
| Homes counted (2021) | 5,066 | 2,170,255 |
| Rank in BC, homes without 50/10 Mbps | 219th of 248 (tied) | |
This is the service providers report to the federal government (ISED), counted over each area's homes in the 2021 census. It isn't a promise for any address: ask providers whether they serve it and what it costs to connect. Satellite service, which needs only a clear view of the sky, isn't counted. Data released May 2026. What internet can a given lot get?
Source: National Broadband Data (May 2026) and Pseudo-Household Demographic Distribution (2021), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Nearest hospital
The nearest hospital on the Province's list (updated 2026-10-01) is Cariboo Memorial Hospital and Health Centre, Williams Lake, about 1 km in a straight line from Williams Lake's town centre. Its emergency department's hours on HealthLink BC's list: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Roads are longer than these straight lines, and a small town's emergency department can close for a shift when it's short of staff: the health authority posts these as service changes. In an emergency, call 9-1-1. How far is the nearest hospital from a property?
Source: Hospitals in BC, HealthLinkBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Emergency Rooms in BC, HealthLinkBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Fire protection
Fire protection in Williams Lake is the municipality's to provide, through its own fire department or one it contracts: ask it which hall responds. The Province's list (updated 2026-09-11) has one fire hall in Williams Lake: Williams Lake Fire Department. It is about 1.5 km in a straight line from Williams Lake's town centre. Home insurers ask the road distance to the hall that responds, which can be far longer than the straight line. How far is the nearest fire hall, and what insurers ask
Source: First Responders (fire halls and ambulance stations), GeoBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Transit
BC Transit runs 4 routes (1, 2, 3 and 4) in Williams Lake, every day but Sunday, from 74 stops. Read from the published schedules for one week (the week of October 19, 2026); service changes with the seasons. A report on a lot names its nearest stop and how often buses leave it.
Source: BC Transit schedules (GTFS), read 2026-10-12 (BC Transit Open Data Terms of Use); placed by us in the 2021 census boundary 2026-10-12. Bus and train service in every BC place.
Child care
The Province lists 12 licensed group child care facilities and 4 licensed family child care homes in Williams Lake. By the ages their operators list, 3 take children 30 months to 5 years and 3 take school-age children; 6 list no ages. 13 of the 16 take part in the fee reduction (CCFRI). Family child care homes are counted but not named or mapped, since they are private homes. Many operators list no ages, and the list holds the licensed facilities the Province funds, so a licensed one without that funding isn't on it. A report on a lot names its nearest group facility and counts those within 1 and 2 km; ask each facility about spaces and its wait list.
Source: Child Care Map Data, Child Care Programs and Services (listed 2026-10-11) (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); placed by us in the 2021 census boundary 2026-10-11. Licensed child care in every BC place.
Crime
The Williams Lake RCMP (municipal) reported a crime severity index of 220 in 2025, above BC's 92; up 6% since 2015 (BC unchanged).
| Crime severity index, 2025 | 220 (BC 92) |
|---|---|
| Violent / non-violent index | 196 / 232 (BC 98 / 91) |
| Crime severity index, 2015 | 208 (BC 93) |
| Change since 2015 | Up 6% (BC unchanged) |
| Break and enter, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 681 (BC 281) |
| Theft of a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 401 (BC 138) |
| Theft from a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 611 (BC 441) |
| Violent crime, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 3,786 (BC 1,531) |
| All Criminal Code offences (not traffic), per 100,000 people, 2025 | 17,327 (BC 6,943) |
The crime severity index weighs each offence by how serious it is (one assault counts for more than several thefts), with Canada in 2006 set at 100. Rates are per 100,000 people living in the police service's area, so places with many visitors, commuters or seasonal homes read high, and in small places a few incidents swing the figures a lot. These are crimes reported to police, not all crime.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0063-01, Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services in British Columbia (Statistics Canada Open Licence); Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0184-01, Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in British Columbia (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Water
232 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 59 m, and the median tested yield is 23 L/min.
- Water-supply wells on record
- 232; half deeper than 59 m; median tested yield 23 L/min
- Rank in BC for well depth
- 67th of 245 (tied)
More on water
The Province's monitoring records hold groundwater samples from 2 wells in Williams Lake, 2000 to 2025, among them 1 of the Province's observation wells and 1 water system's well. The median passed Health Canada's limit for manganese (1 well). A report names the nearest sampled wells within 10 km of a lot. A neighbouring well isn't your water: test your own. What BC's well water tests for, by place.
Mapped aquifers
3 mapped aquifers lie in Williams Lake, most wells first.
- 1Aquifer 143: Southwest side of Williams Lakeconfined sand and gravel (glacial)69 wells · moderate productivity
- 2Aquifer 142: Southwest side of Williams Lakefractured crystalline bedrock51 wells · low productivity
- 3Aquifer 146: West and northwest side of Williams Lakeconfined sand and gravel (glacial)25 wells · high productivity
An aquifer is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it, so a sliver of one at the edge can be left out. Wells and productivity are for the whole aquifer, which can reach well beyond Williams Lake. The province maps aquifers mostly in settled valleys, so a lot outside every outline can still have groundwater. Every mapped aquifer in BC · sampled lakes.
Sampled lakes
One sampled lake lies partly in Williams Lake.
- 1Williams Lake7 km² · 44% of it hereclarity 1.2 m (2017–2025)
A lake is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it or 100 ha of it. Clarity is the median summer Secchi depth; the nutrient class is our reading of Carlson's index from phosphorus or chlorophyll, not a provincial rating. Either is given only for a lake with at least 10 summer readings from open water, spread over at least 3 different years, since 2012. Most lakes have never been sampled, so a lake missing here may simply have no record. Every sampled lake in BC.
Source: Groundwater wells (GWELLS), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Ground Water Aquifers, Water Protection and Sustainability Branch, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); BC Environmental Monitoring Data System (EnMoDS) results, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Climate and sun Stands out
Winters: the 3rd coldest of BC's 39 towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. −5.9 °C on average in January, compared with 3.0 °C in a typical town that size.
- January mean temperature
- -5.9 °C* typical town that size: 3.0 °C
- July mean temperature
- 17.9 °C*
- Yearly precipitation
- 426 mm*
- Yearly snowfall
- 91 cm* typical town that size: 63 cm
- Days a year over 30 °C
- 16 days* typical town that size: 5
- Frost-free period
- 117 days a year*
Winter sun
About 6 h 10 min of possible direct sun on December 21 at Williams Lake's town centre, against 7 h 30 min on open ground; a lot on a slope or bench can differ by hours: open any lot's report for its own.
On March 21, 11 h 10 min against 12 h; on June 21, 15 h against 16 h 30 min. Our estimate from the terrain around the point, ground at about 608 m, seen from head height: trees, buildings and cloud aren't counted. On BC's least winter sun ranking (December sun as a share of open ground) it is 143rd of 310 (tied). How winter sun is read.
More on climate and sun
| 1981-2010 normals | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| January mean temperature | -5.9 °C* | Not ranked* |
| July mean temperature | 17.9 °C* | Not ranked* |
| Yearly precipitation | 426 mm* | |
| Yearly snowfall | 91 cm* | Not ranked* |
| Frost-free period | 117 days a year* | |
| Average last spring and first fall frost | May 23 and September 18* | |
| Days a year over 30 °C | 16 days; 1.6 days over 35 °C* | Not ranked* |
| Wettest day in the station's record to 2010 | 45 mm of rain and melted snow, August 1, 1989 | |
| Most snow in a day in the station's record to 2010 | 33 cm, December 19, 1989 | |
| Deepest snow on the ground in the station's record to 2010 | 91 cm, January 13, 1993 | |
| Heating degree days, below 18 °C | 4,242 a year* | |
| Growing degree days, above 5 °C | 1,776 a year; 873 above 10 °C* |
Normals for 1981-2010 at the Williams Lake River station, about 1 km from the town centre; ECCC has no fuller 1991-2020 set for it. Its normals don't include days with snow on the ground, so that is left out. * Based on at least 20 or 15 of the 30 years, short of the World Meteorological Organization's standard: treat as a rougher guide. The records are single days measured at the station: the most rain, snow and wind it saw in its record up to 2010 (ECCC's 1981-2010 sets give records over the station's whole history, so some dates are older than 1981). Each is one event, not what to expect in a year, and the lot can get more or less than the station. Elevation matters a lot in BC: a hillside lot can be much colder and snowier than the station.
Plant hardiness zone: most homes here are in zone 5a (55%); 37% are in 4b, on Natural Resources Canada's 2025 map. Higher numbers are milder winters. What the zones mean.
Solar panels: a south-facing panel tilted at the latitude would make about 990 kWh a year for each kW of panels at Williams Lake's town centre, about 36 of it in December (estimated from Natural Resources Canada's 1998-2022 sunshine map). An open sky is assumed: the hills, trees and buildings around a lot cut it, and a report sets the lot's own skyline beside it. What solar panels would make in BC.
By the 2050s (2041-2070) at the town centre, climate models project about 13 more days over 30 °C a year, a longest frost-free run about 40 days longer and about 8 percentage points less of winter's precipitation falling as snow, each against the same models' 1971-2000 (model projections under SSP2-4.5, a middle path for emissions). The models work on a grid of about 9 by 6 km, which averages valley floors with the slopes around them, so their own figures can sit well off a station's normals and aren't comparable with them. Their own figures there: about 19 days over 30 °C a year in 2041-2070 (range 14 to 35 across the models), against about 6 days in 1971-2000; a longest frost-free run of about 155 days (range 140 to 170), against about 115; and about 82% of winter's precipitation falling as snow (range 74% to 86%), against about 90%. The ranges run from the 10th to the 90th percentile of the models' 2041-2070 figures. The 2050s across BC.
Light at night within 1 km of Williams Lake's town centre: like a city's busy streets such as downtown Kelowna or Kamloops (our reading), and brighter than about 84% of BC's homes (2024 satellite record). A lot away from the centre can be much darker. How dark are BC's nights?
Lightning: around Williams Lake's town centre, a cloud-to-ground flash within 10 km on about 10 days a year and 0.23 flashes per km² a year, more than at 3 in 4 BC homes (the Canadian Lightning Detection Network, 1998-2025 average, on a grid of about 11 by 7 km).
Source: Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020 and 1981-2010, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Plant hardiness zones of Canada (2025 map), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM-30), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Solar position: General Solar Position Calculations (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory; Spencer, 1971) (Public domain); Daily average solar irradiance on tilted surfaces for all of Canada (1998-2022), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Photovoltaic Potential and Solar Resource Maps of Canada (performance ratio), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Statistically downscaled climate indices from CMIP6 global climate models (CanDCS-M6), Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, via the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (Open Government Licence – Canada); Air Quality and Climate Monitoring: Verified Hourly Air Quality and Meteorological Data (fine particulate matter, PM2.5), BC Ministry of Environment and Parks (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); VIIRS Nighttime Lights, 2024 annual composite, Earth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines (Elvidge et al. 2021, Remote Sensing 13(5):922), via Hengl, OpenGeoHub, Zenodo doi 10.5281/zenodo.7750174 (CC BY 4.0); Canadian Lightning Detection Network cloud-to-ground flashes (CanCPLDv1), Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).
Land use around
1 major project in assessment or approved in or near Williams Lake on the Environmental Assessment Office's register; 1.1% of its land is under mineral, placer or coal titles.
- Major projects in assessment or approved, in or within 5 km
- 1: North Lakeside Well
- Under mineral, placer or coal titles
- 1.1%
- Who holds them
- No company holds a title here; private individuals hold titles over 100% of it, on the Province's record as of October 29, 2026.
More on land use around
Major projects in Williams Lake
The Environmental Assessment Office's register places 1 major project in assessment or approved in Williams Lake or within 5 km of it: North Lakeside Well (groundwater extraction, certificate issued Oct 24, 2001, operating).
| Project | Decision | Phase | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Lakeside WellGroundwater Extraction | Certificate Issued, Oct 24, 2001 | Post Decision – Operation | In Williams Lake |
Major projects are those large enough to need a provincial environmental assessment: mines, power plants, pipelines, transmission lines, highways, ports and resorts. The register places each at one point; a mine, pipeline or line can reach well past it, so check the project's own page for its maps. A property report lists those within 10 km of a lot; every project in BC by place.
Source: Environmental Assessment Office project points (EPIC), Province of BC, as of 2026-11-02 (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
The BC Energy Regulator maps about 10 km of active oil and gas pipeline in Williams Lake, permitted to FortisBC Energy Inc. About 2.8 km is abandoned or deactivated, often still in the ground. A report lists any pipeline within 200 m of a lot, and flags one within 30 m, where digging needs the permit holder's agreement. Pipelines in BC, by place.
The Province lists 24 active waste discharge authorizations in Williams Lake; the commonest kinds: sawmill or other primary wood processing (4), vehicle dismantling and recycling yard (4) and fuel storage or distribution site (3). Of these, 8 may discharge to air, 3 effluent to water or land and 6 refuse to land. A report lists any within 2 km of a lot, and flags one whose point is on it. Permitted discharges in BC, by place.
On ParcelMap BC, the land in Williams Lake is 44% private, 19% Crown land with a parcel drawn (13% with no title), 15% the local government's; no parcel is mapped over 21%, likely streets and lanes, water and untitled Crown land. A report says who owns the land along a lot's line. Crown land next to a property, and every place's land by owner.
Williams Lake lies in wildlife management unit 5-2: the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis sets seasons and closed areas by unit. Inside the municipality, its own bylaw can also ban firing a gun. Hunting and shooting on your own property.
Check one lot: is there a mineral claim? · power lines nearby? · pipelines nearby? · a gravel pit nearby? · a landfill or plant nearby? · logging planned nearby? · cattle on open range? · is there a trapline? · can I hunt on it? · a park nearby? · Crown land next door?
Source: Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence); Municipalities – Legally Defined Administrative Areas of BC (names and status), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
People
10,947 people in 2021, up 1.8% from 2016; the median age is 40.8.
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2021 | 10,947 | 5,000,879 |
| Change since 2016 | +1.8% | +7.6% |
| Median age | 40.8 | 42.8 |
| Under 15 | 16.8% | 14.3% |
| 65 and over | 20.3% | 20.3% |
| Median household income (2020) | $76,500 | $85,000 |
| Homes owned by the people living in them | 60.0% | 66.8% |
| Single-detached houses | 45.8% | 42.4% |
| Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like) | 10.7% | 2.5% |
| Built before 1961 | 9.2% | 12.5% |
| Needing major repairs | 8.7% | 5.8% |
| Median home value (owners' estimate) | $320,000 | $785,000 |
| Median monthly rent | $930 | $1,370 |
| Worked from home | 7.7% | 22.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.9% | 8.4% |
Bars: the dark bar is this place, the red mark is BC.
Who lives here
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous identity | 24.4% | 5.9% |
| Immigrants | 8.9% | 29.0% |
| Visible minority | 8.9% | 34.4% |
| No religion or a secular outlook | 60.5% | 52.1% |
Census figures, shown for context like the others. We don't rank or score places on these.
More on people
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.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).