Surrey, Langley, Squamish see population jumps in new census

Editor’s note: A previous version stated Squamish had the highest spike in population. This story has been corrected for accuracy.

There’s a reason why the building boom continues in places like Surrey and Langley Township. According to Statistics Canada, those communities have seen big boosts in their populations in recent years.

The 2021 Census, released Wednesday, breaks down the numbers across the country and confirms there has been a noticeable shift in where people want to live.

Surrey, which remains the second-largest city in the province, saw an increase of about 10 per cent since 2016 from 518,000 to 568,000 residents.

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In contrast, Vancouver, which is the largest populated city in B.C., grew by only about five per cent. In 2021, 662,000 people called Vancouver home compared to 2016, when that was closer to 630,000.

Construction cranes tower above condos under construction near southeast False Creek in Vancouver, on Sunday February 9, 2020. Metro Vancouver home sales hit 3,047 in August at a benchmark price of $1.0387 million, as the housing market continued its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Among the biggest spikes was in Squamish, where the population has jumped by 22 per cent.

Langford, on Vancouver Island, was among the fasted growing areas in the country, with more than a 30 per cent jump.

Langley, which borders Surrey and Abbotsford, topped 13 per cent growth, further supporting what many prospective homebuyers have faced when trying to compete for a highly sought-after property in the Fraser Valley area.

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The change has been reflecting in the housing market for some time, with many areas seeing a significant price increase compared to previous years.

Some experts suggest this is due to many people no longer needing to live close to work, as the pandemic pushed them to work from home, removing the need for a commute to the urban centre.

The shift was also made obvious in the recent federal election when many candidates changed their messaging and put their focus on the more suburban areas like the Tri-Cities and South Surrey/White Rock.

While the recent census provides information on population numbers, the federal government has not yet released details on gender, age, and other factors. That report is set to be released in April.