Previous Next 36. Port Alberni

Income growth (30%): 12.7%

Average household income (20%): $67,819

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $58,258

Population growth (10%): - Previous Next Previous Next 35. Powell River

Income growth (30%): 12%

Average household income (20%): $70,838

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $61,042

Population growth (10%): 0.5 Previous Next Previous Next 34. Quesnel

Income growth (30%): 19.1%

Average household income (20%): $86,546

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $73,126

Population growth (10%): -0.2% Previous Next Previous Next 33. Campbell River

Income growth (30%): 15.6%

Average household income (15%): $81,193

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $64,754

Population growth (10%): Previous Next Previous Next 32. Williams Lake

Income growth (30%): 19.5%

Average household income (15%): $84,144

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $67,266

Population growth (10%): - Previous Next Previous Next 31. Duncan

Income growth (30%): 15.2%

Average household income (15%): $78,287

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $59,886

Population growth (10%): 2.0%% Previous Next Previous Next 30. Salmon Arm

Income growth (30%): 16.7%

Average household income (15%): $76,248

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $62,873

Population growth (10%): 1.1% Previous Next Previous Next 29. Penticton

Income growth (30%): 19.2%

Average household income (15%): $75,735

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $65,290

Population growth (10%): -2.1% Previous Next Previous Next 28. Chilliwack

Income growth (30%): 13.6%

Average household income (15%): $77,946

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $66,073

Population growth (10%): 7.8% Previous Next Previous Next 27. Abbotsford-Mission

Income growth (30%): 13.5%

Average household income (15%): $86,121

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $67,169

Population growth (10%): Previous Next Previous Next 26. Nanaimo

Income growth (30%): 15%

Average household income (15%): $77,377

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $56,195

Population growth (10%): 2.8% Previous Next Previous Next 25. Terrace

Income growth (30%): 21.8%

Average household income (15%): $83,113

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $63,741

Population growth (10%): 0.5% Previous Next Previous Next 24. Prince Rupert

Income growth (30%): 22.1%

Average household income (15%): $86,685

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $58,959

Population growth (10%): - Previous Next Previous Next 23. Maple Ridge

Income growth (30%): 11.6%

Average household income (15%): $94,388

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $79,427

Population growth (10%): 7.9 Previous Next Previous Next 22. Vernon

Income growth (30%): 17.6%

Average household income (15%): $82,057

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $63,115

Population growth (10%): 2.3% Previous Next Previous Next 21. Courtenay

Income growth (30%): 16.5%

Average household income (15%): $78,740

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $61,598

Population growth (10%): 4.5% Previous Next Previous Next 20. Victoria

Income growth (30%): 10.9%

Average household income (15%): $88,263

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $62,778

Population growth (10%): 3.7% Previous Next Previous Next 19. Prince George

Income growth (30%): 19.6%

Average household income (15%): $92,967

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $68,631

Population growth (10%): 2 Previous Next Previous Next 18. Parksville

Income growth (30%): 14.2%

Average household income (15%): $74,235

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $71,573

Population growth (10%): 4.4% Previous Next Previous Next 17. Vancouver

Income growth (30%): 11.4%

Average household income (15%): $88,024

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $63,923

Population growth (10%): 3.7% Previous Next Previous Next 16. Cranbrook

Income growth (30%): 22.9%

Average household income (15%): $93,217

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $64,828

Population growth (10%): 2.2% Previous Next Previous Next 15. Pitt Meadows

Income growth (30%): 11.5%

Average household income (15%): $$95,996

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $66$85,688073

Population growth (10%): Previous Next Previous Next 14. Burnaby

Income growth (30%): 11.5%

Average household income (15%): $82,068

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $65,610

Population growth (10%): 6.2% Previous Next Previous Next 13. Kamloops

Income growth (30%): 20.1%

Average household income (15%): $91,094

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $66,215

Population growth (10%): 1.9% Previous Next Previous Next 12. Richmond

Income growth (30%): 11.5%

Average household income (15%): $87,026

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $69,385

Population growth (10%): 6.5% Previous Next Previous Next 11. Kelowna

Income growth (30%): 16.0%

Average household income (15%): $87,555

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $68,245

Population growth (10%): 6.8% Previous Next Previous Next 10. Port Coquitlam

Income growth (30%): 11.6%

Average household income (15%): $100,569

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $79,326

Population growth (10%): Previous Next Previous Next 9. New Westminster

Income growth (30%): 11.6%

Average household income (15%): $78,080

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $61,320

Population growth (10%): Previous Next Previous Next 8. Delta

Income growth (30%): 11.2%

Average household income (15%): $108,061

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $88,946

Population growth (10%): 4.6% Previous Next Previous Next 7. Surrey

Income growth (30%): 11.6%

Average household income (15%): $95,139

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $73,228

Population growth (10%): 10.9% Previous Next Previous Next 6. Langley (township)

Income growth (30%): 11.5%

Average household income (15%): $107,591

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $92,254

Population growth (10%): Previous Next Previous Next 5. Coquitlam

Income growth (30%): 11.5%

Average household income (15%): $94,206

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $72,190

Population growth (10%): 8.3% Previous Next Previous Next 4. Squamish

Income growth (30%): 16.5%

Average household income (15%): $99,174

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $72,716

Population growth (10%): 10.4% Previous Next Previous Next 4. North Vancouver (district)

Income growth (30%): 11.4%

Average household income (15%): $130,035

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $114,078

Population growth (1 Previous Next Previous Next 2. Dawson Creek

Income growth (30%): 28.0%

Average household income (15%): $96,902

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $69,276

Population growth (10%): 9.9 Previous Next Previous Next 1. Fort St. John

Income growth (30%): 27.3%

Average household income (15%): $126,850

Average income, 35 and under (15%): $105,086

Population growth (10%): Previous Next

To evaluate B.C.’s Best Cities For Work, we looked at six economic indicators, each weighted differently, that we believe reflect the health of a city’s job market. Each statistic was divided or multiplied to come up with a score suitable to its weighting.





1. Five-year average household income change. This figure represents data from 2010 to 2015. We present the actual percentage growth, with a floor of 0 and ceiling of 30 to arrive at a score out of 30 (30% of total score)

2. Average household income. This figure represents data from 2015. We took the raw number and divided it by 10,000 to arrive at a score out of 15 (15% of total score)

3. Average household income under 35. This figure represents the average household income for household maintainers, or primary income earners, under the age of 35 in 2015. Again, the score is derived by taking the number and dividing it by 10,000 to get a number out of 15 (15% of total score)

4. Five-year population change. This figure represents data from 2010 to 2015. We present the actual percentage growth, with a floor of 0 and ceiling of 10 to arrive at a score out of 10 (10% of total score)

5. Unemployment rate. This figure uses the unemployment rate from the September 2015 Labour Market Survey. We took the number 10 and subtracted the community’s unemployment rate from it to arrive at a score out of 10, with a floor of 0 and a ceiling of 10 (10% of total score)

6. Percentage of households with university degrees. We took this percentage for the year 2015 and capped the score out of 20 (20% of total score)

A note about exclusions: We only considered cities with more than 10,000 permanent residents. We excluded bedroom communities, such as West Vancouver, Port Moody and White Rock, which have high incomes but relatively small job markets. And we didn’t consider UBC, which technically is its own jurisdiction.

Finally, it should be mentioned that while we believe Environics Analytics' data is the best available, it is not without its limitations. Our income numbers, for example, are produced using Statistics Canada and Canada Revenue Agency data projected forward to 2015. And the unemployment rate uses figures from Statistics Canada’s September 2015 Labour Force Survey, which only calculates a regional number and will not reflect changes that occurred in the latter half of 2015.

BCBusiness Editor-in-Chief sat down with Global Morning News for a closer look at the Best Cities for Work in 2016 list. Watch it here >>