Thousands more are living in the City of Vernon. Statistics Canada release of the 2021 Census details on community population and dwellings shows a significant amount of growth happened in Vernon over the last five years. The North OKanagan city has grown by more than 4,400 new people – an 11% increase since 2016.
“There is a lot of talk about the growth and development across Vernon,” said Mayor Victor Cumming. “With yesterday’s announcement, we now have more data to quantify those observations. It speaks highly for our local economy and shows that Vernon has many things to offer as an exceptional place to live, work, explore and play.”
Statistics Canada reports that the City of Vernon’s population is now 44,519, which includes the largest gross population increase within the North Okanagan census division. To accommodate these new residents, 2,117 new dwellings were added to the 2016 housing inventory of 19,776, matching the population growth rate of 11%.
An average of 430 new residential unit permits were approved through the City’s Building Department in the last five years.
Regionally, the North Okanagan Census Division grew by 9% (7,266 individuals) since 2016, with a total population of 91,610 who live within 42,722 dwellings.