Some B.C. cities saw population growth in 2022: U-Haul statistics

British Columbia saw more people leaving than arriving in 2022, with the exception of a handful of cities, according to data from U-Haul.

The moving company has posted its annual migration data for Canada based on one-way truck rentals to different areas of the country.

The data shows five B.C. cities in the top 25 locations that saw a net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks.

Read More: Alberta is top destination for people moving out of B.C., data shows

Kelowna ranked fifth on the list, with Chilliwack (10th), Salmon Arm (19th), Penticton (21st) and North Vancouver (23rd) all making appearances in the top 25. Prince George and Delta were named honourable mentions as cities with more arrivals than departures.

However, those cities appear to be outliers in the grand scheme of things for the province.

As a whole, B.C. ranked ninth out of 10 provinces in terms of the percentage of U-Haul traffic that was arrivals. Under half (49.8 per cent) of U-Hauls recorded in the province were arriving, which is down 18 per cent from 2021 when B.C. was ranked second in Canada. Only Alberta ranked lower in 2022.

B.C. ranked ninth in terms of percentage of U-Haul vehicles that were arriving in the province in 2022. (Photo screenshot via U-Haul)

According to the data, New Brunswick had the highest percentage of arrivals with 51.1 per cent of traffic being newcomers. That’s followed by Quebec (50.2 per cent), Ontario (50.1 per cent), and Prince Edward Island (51.9 per cent).

As for cities, Chatham, Ontario, Trois Rivieres, Quebec, and Sarnia, Ontario make up the top three cities that saw the most growth.

U-Haul compiles migration reports annually for Canada and the United States based on some 23,000 sharing locations on the continent.