Sun Peaks, Lake Country and Kelowna fastest growing communities in Thompson-Okanagan

While the Central Okanagan was the fastest growing area in the country, Sun Peaks Village easily outpaced it in the speed of growth during the last census period.

Sun Peaks grew 127.9%, reaching a population of 1,404 people for the official May 11, 2021 census date, up from 616 in 2016.

A far distant second was Lake Country with a 22.4% growth rate to 15,817, up from 12,922 in 2016.

The City of Kelowna came third with a growth rate of 13.5%, reaching 144,576 residents. That’s a gain of more than 17,000 people from the 127,390 people living there in 2016.

That’s a slightly lower growth rate than the Kelowna Census Market Area which includes the rest of the Central Okanagan. It grew at 14% to 222,162.

READ MORE: Kelowna, Kamloops among three fastest-growing larger cities in Canada, new census data shows

The City of Kamloops, the region’s second largest city, grew by 8.4% to 97,902.

Vernon stays as the region’s third largest city with an 11% growth rate to 44,519. Penticton is the fourth largest city at 36,885, up 9.3% while West Kelowna is a close fifth with 36,078 residents, a 10.5% increase.

Canada as a whole grew by 5.2% and B.C. by 7.6% to just over five million.

About half the 24 incorporated communities in the region grew at a rate of less than the 7.6% provincial average.

Merritt was the only community to shrink in the region, dropping 1.2% to 7,051 people.

Here are the official 2021 populations of Thompson and Okanagan communities, listed alphabetically. Growth rates for the census period are in brackets.

• Armstrong – 5,323 (4.1)
• Ashcroft – 1,670 (7.2)
• Cache Creek – 969 (0.6)
• Coldstream – 11,171 (4.9)
• Enderby – 3,028 (2.2)
• Chase – 2,399 (4.9)
• Kamloops – 97,902 (8.4)
• Kelowna – 144,576 (13.5)
• Keremeos – 1,608 (7.1)
• Lake Country – 15,817 (22.4)
• Logan Lake – 2,255 (13.1)
• Lumby – 2,063 (12.5)
• Merritt – 7,051 (-1.2)
• Oliver – 5,094 (3.4)
• Osoyoos – 5,556 (10.0)
• Peachland – 5,789 (6.7)
• Penticton – 36,885 (9.3)
• Princeton – 2,894  (2.3)
• Salmon Arm – 19,432 (9.7)
• Spallumcheen – 5,307 (3.9)
• Summerland – 12,042 (3.7
• Sun Peaks – 1,404 (127.9)
• Vernon – 44,519 (11.0)
• West Kelowna – 36,078 (10.5)

To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submitphotos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.