British Columbia (BC), Canada
British Columbia (BC), Canada: the places inside it, the companies based here, and where this atlas has research on it.
province · population 5,680,000 (registry) · North America · page prepared 2026-11-07
Visiting rather than moving? The free guidebook for BC →
A
BC at a glance
Rolled up from the 113 regions inside BC on this site, with census figures from Statistics Canada.
Population4,999,235
census
Places inside113
41 with a full /local page
Businesses on file128,241
business register, all places inside
Companies headquartered812
in the company directory
Who represents them84
places with a /politics page
Property & employers38 · 22
/property and /employers records
L
Who leads BC, and how households are doing
Researched 2026-11-08 from official statistics; every figure links to its source.
Leadership
- David Eby — Premier (caretaker after the 2026-10-24 election loss; still listed as Premier on official pages) (BC New Democratic Party) since 2022-11 ↗
- Lorne Doerkson — Premier-designate (BC Conservatives won the 2026-10-24 election; press reports swearing-in of the new cabinet on 2026-11-20) (Conservative Party of British Columbia) ↗
- Wendy Cocchia (Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia), CM OBC — Lieutenant Governor (31st) since 2025-01 ↗
Economy & households
- Population
- 5,710,598 persons (2026-Q3) ↗
- GDP
- 448,072 CAD millions, current prices (expenditure-based, market prices) (2025) ↗
- Unemployment
- 6.3 % (LFS, 15+, seasonally adjusted) (2026-10) ↗
- Inflation
- 3 % CPI all-items, 12-month change (unadjusted) (2026-09) ↗
- Median household income
- 85,700 CAD, median total income, economic families and persons not in an economic family (not households) (2024) ↗
- Average household income
- 115,700 CAD, average total income, economic families and persons not in an economic family (not households) (2024) ↗
- Household debt (total)
- 542,813 CAD millions, total household liabilities (DHEA) (2025-Q4) ↗
- Household debt to disposable income
- 190.7 % debt to disposable income, all households (DHEA) (2025-Q4) ↗
- Average household debt
- 227,846 CAD, total liabilities per household (DHEA value per household) (2025-Q4) ↗
- Average net worth
- 1,340,050 CAD, net worth per household (DHEA value per household) (2025-Q4) ↗
H
Home prices in the biggest cities
As each source measures them (benchmark, median or average sale price); not directly comparable across measures.
| City / metro | Price | Measure | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Vancouver (GVR area) ↗ | 1,068,600 CAD | MLS HPI benchmark (composite, all residential) | 2026-10 |
| Fraser Valley (FVREB area: Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, etc.) ↗ | 860,000 CAD | MLS HPI benchmark (composite) | 2026-10 |
| Victoria Core ↗ | 1,288,600 CAD | MLS HPI benchmark (single-family home) | 2026-10 |
| Nanaimo ↗ | 789,100 CAD | MLS HPI benchmark (single-family home) | 2026-10 |
G
Languages
Official-language and home-language figures as the census reports them.
| Language | Share | Measure | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| English ↗ | 95.3% | first official language spoken (share derived from census counts; total 4,951,655) | 2021 |
| French ↗ | 1.1% | first official language spoken (share derived from census counts) | 2021 |
| English and French ↗ | 0.4% | first official language spoken (share derived from census counts) | 2021 |
| Neither English nor French ↗ | 3.2% | first official language spoken (share derived from census counts) | 2021 |
C
Largest companies in BC
Ranked by the measure shown, from the cited ranking or filing.
| Company | Measure | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheaton Precious Metals ↗ | market cap | 83,370 CAD millions | 2026-03-31 |
| Teck Resources ↗ | market cap | 35,290 CAD millions | 2026-03-31 |
| Lundin Mining ↗ | market cap | 29,640 CAD millions | 2026-03-31 |
| Telus Corp. ↗ | market cap | 27,970 CAD millions | 2026-03-31 |
| First Quantum Minerals ↗ | market cap | 27,760 CAD millions | 2026-03-31 |
| Lundin Gold ↗ | market cap | 25,730 CAD millions | 2026-03-31 |
| RB Global ↗ | market cap | 24,960 CAD millions | 2026-03-31 |
| Lululemon Athletica ↗ | market cap | 24,741 CAD millions (converted from US$ by BCBusiness) | 2026-03-31 |
| Pan American Silver ↗ | market cap | 23,130 CAD millions | 2026-03-31 |
| Ivanhoe Mines ↗ | market cap | 16,990 CAD millions | 2026-03-31 |
S
Largest listed companies headquartered in BC
By market cap (USD billions, 2026-11-10). Market caps from companiesmarketcap.com; listing and head office from search.coshares + search.cos (RegionID walked to the province).
| # | Company | Ticker | Market cap | Rank in Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wheaton Precious Metals | TSX:WPM | $61.68B | 18 |
| 2 | Teck | TSX:TCK.A, TCKRF | $30.62B | 38 |
| 3 | Lundin Gold | TSX:LUG | $16.67B | 52 |
| 4 | TELUS Mobility | TSX:T | $14.06B | 60 |
| 5 | Eldorado Gold | TSX:ELD | $9.2B | 80 |
| 6 | China Gold | TSX:CGG | $8.88B | 81 |
| 7 | SSR Mining | TSX:SSRM | $5.6B | 110 |
| 8 | Xenon Pharmaceuticals | XENE | $3.91B | 137 |
| 9 | Teekay Tankers | TNK | $2.95B | 160 |
| 10 | Premium Brands | TSX:PBH | $2.86B | 164 |
Source: companiesmarketcap.com · listings and head offices from search.coshares + search.cos
F
Worth knowing
- 2026-09On 2026-09-22 Premier David Eby advised the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the legislature, calling a snap election two years before the fixed date. ↗
- 2026-10The BC Conservatives won the 2026-10-24 general election (47.71% of the popular vote); Lorne Doerkson is premier-designate and Eby announced he would resign as NDP leader. BC Gov News says it is not being updated during the post-election period. ↗
- 2026-09BC's CPI rose 3.0% year over year in September 2026, led by energy (+17.5%) and gasoline (+23.1%). ↗
- 2026-10Metro Vancouver's composite MLS HPI benchmark fell 5.2% year over year to $1,068,600 in October 2026; the detached benchmark fell 7% to $1,775,200. ↗
- 2026-10The Fraser Valley composite benchmark fell 6.4% year over year to $860,000 in October 2026, on 1,051 sales. ↗
- 2026-02The February 2026 provincial budget forecast a record deficit of over $13 billion; S&P and Moody's then downgraded BC's credit rating. ↗
D
Census
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.
Median household income$87,842
Median rent$1,357/mo
Immigrants29.3%
Renters32.9%
Aged 65+20.3%
Unemployment8.4%
Low income10.7%
Speak a non-official language at home17.1%
Non-official languages spoken most often at home
- Punjabi (Panjabi)182,555 · 3.7%
- Mandarin160,495 · 3.2%
- Yue (Cantonese)135,255 · 2.7%
- Korean43,740 · 0.9%
- Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)43,425 · 0.9%
- Iranian Persian31,620 · 0.6%
- Spanish28,910 · 0.6%
- Vietnamese19,740 · 0.4%
- Hindi16,705 · 0.3%
- Russian14,715 · 0.3%
- Arabic12,715 · 0.3%
- Portuguese11,170 · 0.2%
E
Largest employers headquartered in BC
Worldwide head offices from the /employers research, ranked by people employed as each company reports it.
- 1.West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. Vancouver, BC · Forest products — lumber, OSB, engineered wood ↗10,000 worldwide, 2026
- 2.Canfor Corporation Vancouver, BC · Forest products — lumber, pulp and paper ↗6,500 worldwide, 2026
- 3.First Majestic Silver Corp. Vancouver, BC · Mining — silver ↗5,100 worldwide, 2026
- 4.Westland Insurance Surrey, BC · Insurance brokerage ↗4,000 worldwide
- 5.Sunrise Farms Surrey, BC · Food manufacturing — poultry processing ↗3,000 worldwide
- 6.Tolko Industries Ltd. Vernon, BC · Manufacturing — lumber, plywood, OSB and engineered wood ↗2,600 worldwide, 2026
- 7.Interfor Corporation Burnaby, BC · Forest products — lumber ↗2,458 at this site, 2025
- 8.STEMCELL Technologies Vancouver, BC · Biotechnology — cell-biology reagents and tools ↗2,400 worldwide, 2023
- 9.University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Abbotsford, BC · Post-secondary education — public university ↗2,110 worldwide, 2025
- 10.Lordco Auto Parts Coquitlam, BC · Retail and distribution — automotive parts ↗2,000 worldwide, 2026
- 11.Methanex Corporation Vancouver, BC · Chemicals — methanol ↗1,700 worldwide, 2026
- 12.Global Relay Communications Inc. Vancouver, BC · Software — compliance archiving ↗1,700 worldwide, 2026
- 13.KF Aerospace Kelowna, BC · Aerospace — aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul ↗1,200 worldwide, 2025
- 14.EV Logistics Langley, BC (City and Township) · Warehousing and logistics — ambient and perishable ↗900 worldwide, 2026
- 15.Ballard Power Systems Burnaby, BC · Clean technology — hydrogen fuel cells ↗800 worldwide, 2023
B
Largest places in BC
By registry population; places with a full /local page are marked.
- 1.Vancouver, BC full921,000
- 2.Surrey, BC full700,000
- 3.Burnaby, BC full300,000
- 4.Coquitlam/PoCo, BC full243,554
- 5.Richmond, BC full242,966
- 6.Langley, BC full197,500
- 7.North Vancouver, BC166,371
- 8.Kelowna, BC full165,400
- 9.Abbotsford, BC full153,524
- 10.Kamloops, BC full109,600
- 11.Delta, BC108,455
- 12.Maple Ridge, BC full106,500
- 13.Chilliwack, BC full102,300
- 14.New Westminster, BC full92,433
- 15.Prince George, BC full84,900
R
Inside BC
104 regions have BC as their parent.
- 100 Mile House, BC
- 70 Mile House, BC
- Abbotsford, BC
- Agassiz, BC
- Armstrong, BC
- Balfour, BC
- Blind Bay (Sorrento), BC town
- Burnaby, BC
- Burton, BC
- Canal Flats, BC
- Castlegar-Brilliant, BC
- Cawston, BC town
- Chase, BC town
- Chilliwack, BC
- Christina Lake, BC town
- Clearwater, BC town
- Coquitlam/PoCo, BC
- Cranbrook, BC
- Creston, BC
- Dawson Creek, BC
- Dease Lake, BC
- Delta, BC
- Elkford, BC
- Enderby, BC
- Fairmont Hot Springs, BC
- Fernie, BC
- Field, BC
- Fort Nelson, BC
- Fort St. John, BC
- Fruitvale, BC
- Gillies Bay, BC
- Golden, BC
- Grand Forks, BC
- Greenwood, BC
- Halfmoon Bay, BC town
- Harrison Hot Springs, BC
- Hope, BC
- Invermere, BC
- Iskut, BC town
- Kaleden, BC
- Kamloops, BC
- Kelowna, BC
- Keremeos, BC
- Kimberley, BC
- Kitimat, BC
- Kitwanga, BC
- Kootenays & Rockies, BC
- Lake Country, BC
- Langley, BC
- Lillooet, BC
- Logan Lake, BC
- Mackenzie, BC
- Maple Ridge, BC town
- Merritt, BC
- Midway, BC town
- Mission, BC
- Naramata, BC
- Needles, BC town
- Nelson, BC
- New Westminster, BC
- North Vancouver, BC
- Okanagan Falls, BC
- Oliver, BC
- Osoyoos, BC
- Oyama, BC town
- Panorama, BC
- Peachland, BC
- Pemberton, BC town
- Penticton, BC
- Port Moody, BC
- Powell River, BC
- Prince George, BC
- Prince Rupert, BC
- Princeton, British Columbia
- Quesnel, BC
- Radium Hot Springs, BC
- Revelstoke, BC town
- Richmond, BC
- Rogers Pass, BC
- Rossland, BC town
- Salmon Arm, BC town
- Scotch Creek, BC town
- Sechelt, BC
- Shuswap, BC
- Sicamous, BC
- Smithers, BC
- Sparwood, BC
- Squamish, BC town
- Summerland, BC
- Sunshine Coast, British Columbia
- Surrey, BC
- Terrace, BC
- Tobiano, BC
- Trail, BC
- Tsawwassen, BC
- Tumbler Ridge, BC town
- Valemount, BC
- Vancouver, BC
- Vernon, BC
- West Vancouver, BC
- Westbank, BC
- Whistler, BC
- White Rock, BC
- Williams Lake, BC
C
Companies based in BC
2 in the Research Upon company directory list their headquarters here, and 812 across BC and the places inside it — search them all below.
| Company | Industry | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| BC Liquor | Retail | |
| Clearly Canadian | Beverage | 1987 |
areaAbout this page: figures for the whole of British Columbia (BC), Canada are rolled up from every region inside it; each place inside has a page of its own, and the companies headquartered here are listed above.