Living in Nanaimo
24.4% of renter households spent at least 30% of income on housing in May 2021. Annual NO₂ was 4.7 µg/m³ in 2024. The city covered 91.1 km² in 2021. Population density was 124.3 people per km² in 2021. Foreign-born residents accounted for 19.2% of the population in 2021. Walking accounted for 5.2% of commutes in 2021. The unemployment rate was 8.4% in May 2021.
More recorded crime than 79% of Canadian cities that publish it and cleaner air than 86% of Canadian cities that publish it.
Which Canada-wide rules apply when you move to Nanaimo?
National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.
Housing and cost
No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Nanaimo yet. We do not infer one from another place.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending over 30% of income on rent | 24.4 % | 11 May 2021 | Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population14Official |
| Dwellings | 45,138 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada6Official |
| G05 Main Residential Dwellings | 43,164 dwellings | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada7Official |
| Safety City Property Crime Count | 6,416 violations/year | 31 Dec 2024 | Statistics Canada 35-10-0177-01 (incident-based crime, by CMA)12Official |
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in Nanaimo?
The unemployment rate is 8.4 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population14
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment rate | 55.2 % | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada7Official |
| Median gross salary (regional) | 1,963 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2020 | www150.statcan.gc.ca16Official |
| Unemployment rate | 8.4 %country median 8.3% — about the same | 11 May 2021 | Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population14Official |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Nanaimo. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
Job Bank and public employment services — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Nanaimo. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.
Safety
How safe is Nanaimo?
Police recorded 9,365 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.
- Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 9,365 offences per 100,000 · Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 202417
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 9,365 offences per 100,000country median 7,108 | 31 Dec 2024 | Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 202417Independent |
| Safety City Violent Crime Count | 2,759 violations/year | 31 Dec 2024 | Statistics Canada 35-10-0177-01 (incident-based crime, by CMA)12Official |
Mobility and administration
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| G09 Bicycle Commute Share Pct | 1.4 % | 11 May 2021 | Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population14Official |
| G09 Transit Commute Share Pct | 4 % | 11 May 2021 | Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population14Official |
| G09 Walk Commute Share Pct | 5.2 % | 11 May 2021 | Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population14Official |
| Destinations from nearest airport | 2 count | 13 Jun 2026 | OpenFlights — routes.dat4Official |
| Nearest airport | YCD | 13 Jun 2026 | OurAirports — airports.csv5Official |
| Distance to nearest airport | 13.4 km | 13 Jun 2026 | OurAirports — airports.csv5Official |
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Nanaimo. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.
IRCC newcomer language-learning services finder — State Language Course
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
For newcomers to Canada.
Climate and air quality
Annual PM2.5 was 2.78 µg/m³ in 2024.
Is the air quality good in Nanaimo?
The annual PM2.5 mean is about 2.8 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline.
Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.
- PM2.5 — annual mean: 2.78 µg/m³ · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.2
City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.
Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO₂ — annual mean | 4.7 µg/m³country median 6.9 | 2024 | Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met.3Official |
| PM2.5 — annual mean | 2.78 µg/m³country median 3.7 | 2024 | Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.2Official |
| Climate Monthly Extreme High C | Jan 11.58 · Feb 12.59 · Mar 19.29 · Apr 24.75 · May 29.32 · Jun 31.12 · Jul 34.42 · Aug 35.38 · Sep 29.66 · Oct 22.23 · Nov 18.41 · Dec 13.08 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official |
| Climate Monthly Extreme Low C | Jan -9.96 · Feb -7.64 · Mar -5.27 · Apr 0.42 · May 2.66 · Jun 6.31 · Jul 8.49 · Aug 9.41 · Sep 5.86 · Oct -0.53 · Nov -9.03 · Dec -9.99 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 3.79 · Feb 4.07 · Mar 5.86 · Apr 8.46 · May 12.55 · Jun 15.25 · Jul 18.47 · Aug 18.66 · Sep 15.29 · Oct 10.34 · Nov 6.14 · Dec 3.56 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official |
Cities of a similar size in Canada
Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.
Population and city profile
How many people live in Nanaimo?
The published population was 99,863 people in 2021. Source: Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Nanaimo (Census subdivision 5921007)11
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area | 90.45 km² | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada7Official |
| City area | 91.1 km² | 2021 | Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Nanaimo, CSD 5921010)10Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 16.1 % | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada8Official |
| Foreign residents | 165 people | 11 May 2021 | Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status.13Official |
| Population density | 124.3 people/km² | 11 May 2021 | Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 6: population density per square kilometre at CSD grain. This is the exact CSD value; it is not a CMA or province observation.13Official |
| Population | 99,863 people | 1 Jan 2021 | Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Nanaimo (Census subdivision 5921007)11Official |
| Safety City Crime Covered Population | 127,443 people | 31 Dec 2024 | Statistics Canada 35-10-0177-01 (incident-based crime, by CMA)12Official |
Population rose 36.3% between 2001 and 2022, from 76,359 to 104,064.
International community in Nanaimo
Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.
Country of birth
Total - Place of birth for the immigrant population in private households - 25% sample data · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Total - Place of birth for the immigrant population in private households - 25% sample data | 15,620 | 100.0% |
| Europe | 6,675 | 42.7% |
| Asia | 5,940 | 38.0% |
| United Kingdom | 3,495 | 22.4% |
| Americas | 1,910 | 12.2% |
| China | 1,285 | 8.2% |
| United States of America | 1,155 | 7.4% |
| India | 1,075 | 6.9% |
| Philippines | 1,040 | 6.7% |
| Other places of birth in Europe | 955 | 6.1% |
| Africa | 780 | 5.0% |
Show 44 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Other places of birth in Asia | 680 | 4.4% |
| Germany | 635 | 4.1% |
| Korea, South | 470 | 3.0% |
| Viet Nam | 455 | 2.9% |
| Netherlands | 445 | 2.8% |
| South Africa, Republic of | 310 | 2.0% |
| Oceania and other places of birth | 310 | 2.0% |
| Other places of birth in Americas | 285 | 1.8% |
| Poland | 245 | 1.6% |
| Other places of birth in Africa | 235 | 1.5% |
| Iran | 230 | 1.5% |
| Syria | 230 | 1.5% |
| Hong Kong | 175 | 1.1% |
| Mexico | 165 | 1.1% |
| Nigeria | 155 | 1.0% |
| Hungary | 150 | 1.0% |
| Italy | 145 | 0.9% |
| Taiwan | 130 | 0.8% |
| Croatia | 125 | 0.8% |
| Russian Federation | 115 | 0.7% |
| France | 95 | 0.6% |
| Colombia | 80 | 0.5% |
| Ukraine | 80 | 0.5% |
| Portugal | 65 | 0.4% |
| Brazil | 50 | 0.3% |
| El Salvador | 50 | 0.3% |
| Sri Lanka | 50 | 0.3% |
| Greece | 45 | 0.3% |
| Romania | 45 | 0.3% |
| Peru | 40 | 0.3% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 40 | 0.3% |
| Pakistan | 40 | 0.3% |
| Jamaica | 35 | 0.2% |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 30 | 0.2% |
| Bangladesh | 30 | 0.2% |
| Egypt | 25 | 0.2% |
| Guyana | 20 | 0.1% |
| Serbia | 20 | 0.1% |
| Turkey | 20 | 0.1% |
| Ethiopia | 15 | 0.1% |
| Iraq | 15 | 0.1% |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 10 | 0.1% |
| Morocco | 10 | 0.1% |
| Lebanon | 10 | 0.1% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source15
Citizenship
Total - Citizenship for the population in private households - 25% sample data · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Total - Citizenship for the population in private households - 25% sample data | 97,020 | 100.0% |
| Canadian citizens | 90,990 | 93.8% |
| Canadian citizens aged 18 and over | 74,655 | 76.9% |
| Canadian citizens aged under 18 | 16,340 | 16.8% |
| Not Canadian citizens | 6,030 | 6.2% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source15
Language spoken at home
Total - Language spoken most often at home for the total population excluding institutional residents - 100% data · 2021 Census
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Total - Language spoken most often at home for the total population excluding institutional residents - 100% data | 98,415 | 100.0% |
| Single responses | 96,935 | 98.5% |
| Official languages | 91,850 | 93.3% |
| English | 91,555 | 93.0% |
| Non-official languages | 5,085 | 5.2% |
| Non-Indigenous languages | 5,080 | 5.2% |
| Indo-European languages | 1,880 | 1.9% |
| Multiple responses | 1,480 | 1.5% |
| Sino-Tibetan languages | 1,410 | 1.4% |
| Chinese languages | 1,410 | 1.4% |
| English and non-official language(s) | 1,290 | 1.3% |
Show 96 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mandarin | 1,145 | 1.2% |
| Indo-Iranian languages | 1,075 | 1.1% |
| Indo-Aryan languages | 975 | 1.0% |
| Punjabi (Panjabi) | 735 | 0.7% |
| Korean | 415 | 0.4% |
| Austronesian languages | 410 | 0.4% |
| Austro-Asiatic languages | 370 | 0.4% |
| Vietnamese | 330 | 0.3% |
| Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) | 320 | 0.3% |
| Balto-Slavic languages | 315 | 0.3% |
| Slavic languages | 315 | 0.3% |
| Afro-Asiatic languages | 310 | 0.3% |
| Semitic languages | 300 | 0.3% |
| French | 295 | 0.3% |
| Italic (Romance) languages | 295 | 0.3% |
| Arabic | 285 | 0.3% |
| Yue (Cantonese) | 225 | 0.2% |
| Spanish | 205 | 0.2% |
| Germanic languages | 170 | 0.2% |
| Russian | 140 | 0.1% |
| English and French | 130 | 0.1% |
| Hindi | 120 | 0.1% |
| Iranian languages | 95 | 0.1% |
| Persian languages | 95 | 0.1% |
| Dravidian languages | 90 | 0.1% |
| High German languages | 85 | 0.1% |
| German | 80 | 0.1% |
| Low Saxon-Low Franconian languages | 75 | 0.1% |
| Iranian Persian | 75 | 0.1% |
| Japanese | 75 | 0.1% |
| Malayalam | 60 | 0.1% |
| Uralic languages | 50 | 0.1% |
| Polish | 50 | 0.1% |
| Serbo-Croatian | 50 | 0.1% |
| Portuguese | 50 | 0.1% |
| Gujarati | 45 | 0.0% |
| Khmer (Cambodian) | 40 | 0.0% |
| Afrikaans | 40 | 0.0% |
| Sign languages | 35 | 0.0% |
| Multiple non-official languages | 35 | 0.0% |
| Croatian | 35 | 0.0% |
| Dutch | 35 | 0.0% |
| Hungarian | 30 | 0.0% |
| Czech | 30 | 0.0% |
| Bengali | 30 | 0.0% |
| American Sign Language | 25 | 0.0% |
| Ilocano | 25 | 0.0% |
| Italian | 25 | 0.0% |
| Min Nan (Chaochow, Teochow, Fukien, Taiwanese) | 20 | 0.0% |
| Chinese, n.o.s. | 20 | 0.0% |
| English, French and non-official language(s) | 20 | 0.0% |
| Cebuano | 20 | 0.0% |
| Telugu | 20 | 0.0% |
| Ukrainian | 20 | 0.0% |
| Greek | 20 | 0.0% |
| Niger-Congo languages | 20 | 0.0% |
| Finnish | 15 | 0.0% |
| Cushitic languages | 15 | 0.0% |
| Cushitic languages, n.i.e. | 15 | 0.0% |
| Amharic | 15 | 0.0% |
| Bisaya, n.o.s. | 15 | 0.0% |
| Fijian | 15 | 0.0% |
| Austronesian languages, n.i.e. | 15 | 0.0% |
| Serbian | 15 | 0.0% |
| Scandinavian languages | 15 | 0.0% |
| Urdu | 15 | 0.0% |
| Persian (Farsi), n.o.s. | 15 | 0.0% |
| Tai-Kadai languages | 10 | 0.0% |
| Thai | 10 | 0.0% |
| Tamil | 10 | 0.0% |
| Slovak | 10 | 0.0% |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | 10 | 0.0% |
| Romanian | 10 | 0.0% |
| Sign languages, n.i.e. | 5 | 0.0% |
| Turkic languages | 5 | 0.0% |
| Turkish | 5 | 0.0% |
| French and non-official language(s) | 5 | 0.0% |
| Indigenous languages | 5 | 0.0% |
| Algonquian languages | 5 | 0.0% |
| Cree-Innu languages | 5 | 0.0% |
| Cree languages | 5 | 0.0% |
| Nehinawewin (Swampy Cree) | 5 | 0.0% |
| Salish languages | 5 | 0.0% |
| Halkomelem | 5 | 0.0% |
| Hebrew | 5 | 0.0% |
| Pampangan (Kapampangan, Pampango) | 5 | 0.0% |
| Bulgarian | 5 | 0.0% |
| Bosnian | 5 | 0.0% |
| Swiss German | 5 | 0.0% |
| Danish | 5 | 0.0% |
| Norwegian | 5 | 0.0% |
| Swedish | 5 | 0.0% |
| Nepali | 5 | 0.0% |
| Indo-Aryan languages, n.i.e. | 5 | 0.0% |
| Dari | 5 | 0.0% |
| Fulah (Pular, Pulaar, Fulfulde) | 5 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source15
Is Nanaimo a good place to live?
There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.
Additional context
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residents born abroad | 19.2 % | 11 May 2021 | Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population14Official |
| Households | 43,165 households | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada7Official |
| Labour force participation rate | 60.3 % | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada7Official |
| Median age | 45.2 years | 31 Dec 2021 | Statistics Canada9Official |
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Nanaimo when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.
Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.
Open the official coverage guideCommon questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
How many people live in Nanaimo?
The published population was 99,863 people in 2021. Source: Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Nanaimo (Census subdivision 5921007).
Is the air quality good in Nanaimo?
The annual PM2.5 mean is about 2.8 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate..
How safe is Nanaimo?
Police recorded 9,365 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024.
What is the unemployment rate in Nanaimo?
The unemployment rate is 8.4 % (May 2021). Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population.
What is the typical salary around Nanaimo?
The median gross salary is 1,963 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.
How many foreign residents live in Nanaimo?
165 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status..
Is Nanaimo a good place to live?
Nanaimo may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.
How many people born in Total - Place of birth for the immigrant population in private households - 25% sample data live in Nanaimo?
The official country of birth distribution records 15,620 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.
Cite this page
Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.
APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Nanaimo, Canada: rent, salary, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/nanaimo/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_nanaimo-canada-rent-salary-jobs-safety_6bff1109c0cd,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Nanaimo, Canada: rent, salary, jobs, safety},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-09-12},
version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/nanaimo/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Nanaimo, Canada: rent, salary, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/nanaimo/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.
Sources
- NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
- Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
- Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met. data-donnees.az.ec.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-15
- OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
- OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
- Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
- Statistics Canada api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
- Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
- Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
- Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Nanaimo, CSD 5921010) Statistics Canada · www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-14
Show 7 more sources
- Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Nanaimo (Census subdivision 5921007) Statistics Canada · api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-13
- Statistics Canada 35-10-0177-01 (incident-based crime, by CMA) www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-05
- Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status. api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2021-05-11
- Statistics Canada Census Profile downloads, 2021 Census of Population www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-16
- Statistics Canada language_spoken_at_home www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-29
- www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27
- Statistics Canada — Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2024 Statistics Canada · www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-26
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.