BCBUSINESS.CA DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019 BCBUSINESS 31
UNEMPLOY-
MENT RATE
(10%)
AVERAGE HOUSE-
HOLD SPENDING
ON RECREATION
(10%)
AVERAGE
SHELTER
SPENDING
(10%)
FIVE-YEAR
POPULATION
GROWTH
(10%)
23.1% $5,692 $26,207 $836,807 27.1 13.1% 137.7 4.5%
23.4% $5,875 $27,435 $1,891,866 16.7 17.2% 20.5 4.5%
16.9% $7,446 $31,055 $1,668,988 26.6 4.1% 118.3 4.5%
17.1% $5,945 $26,631 $1,342,970 28.1 11.4% 70.7 4.5%
18.1% $5,111 $22,858 $682,164 18.1 9.1% 109.6 5.7%
20.9% $3,998 $16,859 $303,883 11.4 –2.1% 26.4 4.7%
17.1% $3,901 $20,276 $629,191 28.7 5.0% 194.9 4.5%
17.1% $4,189 $21,513 $1,190,600 26.2 8.9% 142.4 4.5%
14.0% $5,596 $23,791 $372,330 14.7 6.0% 14.1 5.6%
17.1% $5,275 $24,261 $1,036,416 34.3 8.2% 72.5 4.5%
17.1% $5,066 $23,917 $1,180,339 33.8 9.6% 68.7 4.5%
13.6% $3,645 $17,395 $828,592 20.9 7.1% 109.4 4.5%
16.5% $3,612 $16,629 $511,174 17.5 6.1% 36.3 4.6%
17.2% $5,225 $25,305 $1,261,930 32.4 9.8% 48.2 4.5%
17.1% $4,330 $19,916 $611,393 18.9 7.7% 62.3 4.6%
16.8% $6,010 $26,559 $1,146,307 31.5 4.5% 46.2 4.5%
15.0% $4,159 $17,012 $257,965 13.2 –1.0% 47.1 4.7%
AVERAGE
VALUE OF
PRIMARY REAL
ESTATE (5%)
FIVE-YEAR
AVERAGE HOUSE-
HOLD INCOME
GROWTH (15%)
AVERAGE
COMMUTE
TIME IN
MINUTES (10%)
HOUSING STARTS
PER 10,000
RESIDENTS
(10%)
notable drops. Incomes remain strong in the
Northeast, but the unemployment rate—although
still healthy—is outperformed by much of the
province. Population growth and housing starts
have also cooled, perhaps because persistently
low fossil fuel prices are •nally taking their toll.
But the relative decline of these communities may
speak more to the economic uptick elsewhere in
the province than their own shortcomings.
The District of North Vancouver can attri-
bute its top-three showing to having the high-
est household income, correspondingly strong
household spending on recreation, solid housing
starts numbers and—along with the rest of Metro
Vancouver—one of the tightest unemployment
rates in B.C.
This year saw a notable shakeup in the
performance of other Metro Vancouver munici-
palities. Township of Langley, City of Lang-
ley, City of North Vancouver, Maple Ridge,
Coquitlam, Surrey and Richmond all rose, while
Delta, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Burnaby
and New Westminster saw declines. Those that
climbed generally had higher incomes, income
growth, recreational spending and home con-
struction activity in 2018.
Vancouver also plunged this year, from
No. 9 to No. 31. High housing costs, longer com-
mute times and mediocre incomes for people
under age 35 brought down its score.
T H E H O U S I N G FA C T O R
We took residential real estate prices into
account for the •rst time, and many of this year's
top performers scored well despite their pricey
Category weights shown in brackets. Full methodology on page 33
FORT ST. JOHN AND
DAWSON CREEK
EXPERIENCED
NOTABLE DROPS.
INCOMES REMAIN
STRONG IN THE
NORTHEAST, BUT THE
UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE–ALTHOUGH
STILL HEALTHY–IS
OUTPERFORMED
BY MUCH OF THE
PROVINCE
