Appendix A Community Profile

Community Profile

COMMUNITY PROFILE

RESOURCES

The following data sources were referenced to develop View Royal’s Community Profile:

1. Statistics Canada Statistics Canada Census data was used to develop the tables and information throughout this profile in areas including housing, employment, income, and household and dwelling characteristics. The View Royal information was consulted, along with the information available for the Greater Victoria Census Metropolitan Area, and British Columbia. Where appropriate, comparisons are made between these geographies throughout this section. The following Census years were consulted in this section:

• Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population
• Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population

2. British Columbia Statistics Provincial statistics curated and reported by British Columbia Statistics were also referenced to support with the development of population projections. Note that projections provided by British Columbia Statistics change regularly, and may differ from when the projections were first referenced.

• British Columbia Statistics, Population Estimates & Projections for British Columbia

Note that the projections scenarios were largely derived from Statistics Canada data. The initial 2025 population used for each scenario is taken from the British Columbia Statistics projection for that year.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Population

The 2021 Census reports a total population for View Royal of 11,575 residents, representing a 11.2% increase (1,167 persons) since the 2016 Census. British Columbia Statistics estimates that the total population in 2025 was 12,539 residents, which would be an increase of 8.3% from the 2021 Census.

Table A1. Census Population (Totals) in View Royal, Greater Victoria, and British Columbia

Age

Based on the 2021 Census data, the median age in View Royal is 44.8 years, which remains unchanged between 2016 and 2021. This aligns with the regional median age in Greater Victoria of 44.8 years but represents a slightly older population than British Columbia as a whole, which reported a median age of 42.8 years in 2021.

The population pyramid represented in Figure A1 below shows that 19% of the population is aged 19 and younger, 46% aged 20-54, and 36% aged 55 years and older. Of these broader age groups, the largest cohorts are 35-39 (8% of the total population), 40-44 (8%), and 50-54 (8%) years of age, amounting to 24% of the total population within the middle-aged and/or family years. This distribution is similar for Greater Victoria as a whole.

The majority of the population in the 55+ age cohort is those aged 55-74, representing 28% of View Royal’s population. Those in the 75 years and older cohort represent another 8% of the population. The growth of the 55-74 cohort is evident between Census years (2016 and 2021), given that View Royal’s population aged 65 years and over increased by 3.2% in this time period. By contrast, there was a slight decrease in View Royal’s youth population of those aged 9 and under of 1.9%; however, the 10-14 age cohort saw growth of 6.6%.

As a result, both View Royal and Greater Victoria will likely feel the effects of an ageing population over the next 24 years, or the lifespan of this Official Community Plan.

HOUSEHOLDS

The average household size decreased from 2.4 persons to 2.3 persons between 2016 and 2021, and an increase from 4,150 private households in 2016 to 4,915 private households in 2021 (a 18.4% increase). The number of persons in private households also increased, from 9,910 to 11,260 (a 13.6% increase) within that same period. The decrease in the average household size and the number of persons in private households can likely be attributed to View Royal’s ageing population and an increase in smaller household sizes (e.g., couple-family households without children), which may be influenced by both retirement-aged and working professionals without children choosing to live in the community.

As noted in Table A2 below, View Royal’s average household size aligns closely with that of the region.

Table A2. Household Sizes in View Royal and Greater Victoria (2021)

As indicated in Figure A2 below, the most common household type in View Royal is one-census-family households without additional persons (60%), largely comprising of couple-family households without children. The next largest household type grouping is one-person households (28%).

CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS

Citizenship & Ethnic Groups

As indicated in the 2021 Census, 93% of View Royal residents are Canadian citizens, with 57.7% of the total population identifying as third (or more) generation. This is similar to the regional citizenship rate of 92.8%, with 55.7% of the total population being third generation or more. This is down slightly from the 2016 Census, where approximately 95.7% of View Royal residents were Canadian Citizens, and only 58.7% of residents identified as being third generation.

Table A3. Citizenship in View Royal and Greater Victoria (2021)

In the 2021 Census, View Royal residents reported European, East and South Asian, Indigenous North American, and non-Indigenous North American ethnic or cultural ancestries. The most highly reported ancestries were of European origins, including English (3455 instances), Scottish (2615 instances), and Irish (1915 instances).

Within View Royal, 775 residents (25% sample size of the total population) identify as having Indigenous ancestry, whether solely Indigenous ancestry (160 residents) or having mixed Indigenous and non-Indigenous ancestry (615 residents).

Languages Spoken

The most prominent language spoken in View Royal private households is English at 93.1%. By contrast, 0.5% of households speak French most commonly at home and 6.3% of residents speak non-official languages. The most prominent non-official languages include Punjabi, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Vietnamese.

ECONOMIC PROFILE

Income

Based on 2020 Census income data, the largest household after-tax income groups in View Royal are $100,000–$124,999 and $150,000 and over, with each representing 15% of all households, or 30% combined. The smallest household after-tax income group is $5,000–$9,999, which accounts for 0.4% of View Royal households.

The average gross income of View Royal households in 2020 was $111,400, with an average after-tax household income of $94,800. This average is influenced by the 48.6% of View Royal households earning more than $100,000 a year. Comparatively, the average gross income of households in Greater Victoria in 2020 was slightly lower at $107,000, with an average after-tax household income of $89,600. This was largely driven by 41.2% of households earning over $100,000 a year.

By contrast, the median gross income of View Royal households in 2020 was $98,000, as compared to the median gross income of $85,000 in Greater Victoria households. These statistics highlight the relative prosperity of View Royal households when compared to the region.

Table A4. Average and Median Gross Incomes in View Royal, Greater Victoria, and British Columbia (2021)

Education

Of residents aged 25 to 64 years in View Royal, over two-thirds (72.4%) have obtained a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or degree. As shown in Table A5 below, 67.5% of residents aged 25 to 64 years have completed post-secondary level education. Nearly all (92.3%) of residents aged 25 to 64 in View Royal have achieved a secondary (high) school diploma or equivalency certificate. Of the residents who completed a secondary school diploma, 21.5% of residents aged 25 to 64 years have not attained post-secondary level education.

Table A5. Secondary (High) School Diploma Holders in View Royal (2021)

Employment

Of the total population surveyed by the 2021 Census, nearly two-thirds (61.1%) of the population in the labour force is currently employed, which is higher than the percentage of the regional population in Greater Victoria (59%). View Royal’s unemployment rate also trends lower than Greater Victoria’s (3.6%, compared to 4.4% regionally).

Table A6. Labour Force Status, View Royal Residents (2021)

Place of Work

Over a quarter (26%) of View Royal residents work from home, which is similar to the proportion of the regional population that works remotely (27%). The proportion of View Royal residents working from home, at their usual place of work (i.e., at a specific, fixed address), or with no fixed workplace address aligns very closely with the region.

There was a large shift in the place of work between the 2016 and 2021 Censuses, which is perhaps attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2016, 8% of the population in both View Royal and Greater Victoria worked from home. This number increased by 18% and 19%, respectively, in the Town and the region in 2021. Consequently, the percentage of the local and regional population working at their usual fixed place of work decreased by 19% among View Royal residents and regionally. The proportion of workers employed outside of Canada and with no fixed workplace address largely remained the same across both Census years.

Table A7. Place of Work, View Royal Residents (2021)

*25% Sample Data

Industry

According to the 2021 Census, most View Royal residents work in the following industries as identified through the National Occupational Classification (NOC; 2021):

• Sales and Service Occupations (24.3%);
• Business, Finance, and Administration Occupations (18.8%);
• Occupations in Education, Law and Social, Community, and Government Services (16.6%); and,
• Natural and Applied Sciences and Related Occupations (10.1%).

A detailed breakdown of the population within each occupational industry is provided in Figure A6.

The NOC system was updated after the 2016 Census to employ different classifications; the only substantive change was to the “Legislative and Senior Management Occupations” category, which was previously “Management Occupations.” This change meant that all middle management unit groups were relocated in their broad occupational category, resulting in a substantial decrease in the retitled Legislative and Senior Management Occupations (-11.5%) and slight increases to all other occupations.

Prior to the changes in the NOC system, the largest occupational category in 2016 was Sales and Service Occupations (20.6%); this occupational category was still the largest in 2021, along with the other top occupational categories of 2016:

• Business, Finance, and Administration Occupations (17.9%);
• Occupations in Education, Law and Social, Community and Government Services (13.8%);
• Management Occupations (12.8%); and,
• Trades, Transport and Equipment Operators and Related Occupations (12.1%).

HOUSING PROFILE

Dwelling Typologies

In View Royal, over one-third (36%) of the population resides in a single-detached house. The next most common housing typology is rowhouses, which house one-fifth (20.1%) of the total population. There are more residents occupying low-rise (fewer than five storeys or an apartment/flat in a duplex) apartments (18.3%) than there are residents in high-rise apartments greater than five storeys (3.4%). Compared to the 2016 Census, there has been an increase in the percentage of residents living in row houses (+2.9%), low-rise apartments (fewer than 5 storeys; +3.2%), and high-rise apartments (+1.4%). Conversely, there has been a decrease in residents living in single-detached houses (-3.9%) and apartments or flats in a duplex (-3.3%).

In the near future, the proportion of residents in apartments may shift as more multi-unit residential properties are expected to be completed.

Housing Tenure and Affordability

Approximately two-thirds of View Royal’s households own their home as of 2021 (67.4%; 3,315 households). As per the 2021 Census, the median monthly shelter costs total $1,600, which is similar to the average monthly shelter costs of $1,698. The median value of dwellings was reported as $800,000 and the average value was noted as $848,000.

The remaining one-third of View Royal’s households rent their home as of 2021 (32.6%; 1,600 households). The 2021 Census notes that the median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings are $1,560 and the average monthly shelter costs are $1,578.