ImmigrationDBVerified immigration data

Yellowknife

For Yellowknife, the unemployment rate was 5.8% in May 2021. The population of Yellowknife, in Canada, was 20,234 in 2021.

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Lower unemployment than 90% of Canadian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 98% of Canadian cities that publish it.

Foreign residents1,515 peoplecity · Verified 2026-07-15Official 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.
Population20,234 peoplecity · Verified 2026-06-12Official source · Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Yellowknife, CSD 6101023)
Unemployment rate5.8 %city · Verified 2026-07-26Official source · Statistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grain
NO₂ — annual mean5.5662 µg/m³city · Verified 2026-07-15Official source · 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.
PM10 — annual mean10 µg/m³city · Verified 2026-07-15Official 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.
PM2.5 — annual mean17.99 µg/m³city · Verified 2026-07-15Official 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.
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-01

Who Yellowknife may suit

Relative profile scores use comparable published values. They are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker49%strong on work, weak on safety · range 35–63% from published values
Skilled employee52%strong on work, weak on safety · range 38–66% from published values
Student45%strong on education, weak on healthcare · range 31–59% from published values
Family58%strong on family, weak on cost · range 44–72% from published values
Retirement51%strong on healthcare, weak on admin · range 37–65% from published values

Population and city profile

The city covered 105.4 km² in 2021. Population density was 196.8 people per km² in 2021.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Yellowknife residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport92.5%Foreign residents 7.5%

Derived from the published population and foreign-resident counts.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
City area105.4 km22026-06-122021Official sourceStatistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Yellowknife, CSD 6101023) Source-backed value
Foreign residents1,515 people2026-07-152021Official sourceStatistics 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. Source-backed value
Population density196.8 people/km²2026-07-152021Official sourceStatistics 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. Source-backed value
Population20,234 people2026-06-122021Official sourceStatistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Yellowknife, CSD 6101023) Source-backed value
Population over time22 published observations, 2001–2022
Population in Yellowknife by year, residents17,46018,98520,51122,03620012003200520072009201120132015201720192021202221,720residents

Population rose 22.2% between 2001 and 2022, from 17,776 to 21,720.

Each point keeps the source and period it was published with.

Cost of living

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Yellowknife recurring monthly costs, € per month€519Private kindergarten€327Utilities, 85 m² flat€93Internet, 60 Mbps€64Fitness club€51Mobile plan, 10 GB€47Transport pass€ / month

Published city cost observations. Some items come from the supplemental estimate lane and are not official statistics.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Fitness club membership, monthly64.08 EUR/month2026-08-01AgingSupplemental estimateNumbeo — Cost of Living in Yellowknife (Wayback capture 20250118151653) Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited93.11 EUR/month2026-08-01AgingSupplemental estimateNumbeo — Cost of Living in Yellowknife (Wayback capture 20250118151653) Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly519.35 EUR/month2026-08-01AgingSupplemental estimateNumbeo — Cost of Living in Yellowknife (Wayback capture 20250118151653) Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB51 EUR/month2026-08-01AgingSupplemental estimateNumbeo — Cost of Living in Yellowknife (Wayback capture 20250118151653) Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass46.51 EUR/month2026-08-01AgingSupplemental estimateNumbeo — Cost of Living in Yellowknife (Wayback capture 20250118151653) Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home327.36 EUR/month2026-08-01AgingSupplemental estimateNumbeo — Cost of Living in Yellowknife (Wayback capture 20250118151653) Supplemental context

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in CanadaWhere Yellowknife lands among 166 measured cities
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Canada per band224–6Yellowknife 5.8%336–8358–103810–122912–14614–16218–20122–24unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Canada per band

Published unemployment rates for cities in the same country.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Unemployment rate5.8 %country median 9.4% — 39% below2026-07-262021Official sourceStatistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grain Source-backed value

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 18 µg/m³ in 2024. Annual NO₂ was 5.57 µg/m³ in 2024. Annual PM10 was 10 µg/m³ in 2024.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Yellowknife annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52518.0PM2.5154010.0PM1010405.6NO₂µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in CanadaWhere Yellowknife lands among 137 measured cities
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Canada per band31–2312–3533–4164–5185–617–818–929–10310–11113–14215–16316–17117–18Yellowknife 18.0120–21140–41annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Canada per band

Published annual means from the same national measurement network.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
NO₂ — annual mean5.5662 µg/m³country median 6.6 — 16% below2026-07-152024Official sourceOfficial 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. Source-backed value
PM10 — annual mean10 µg/m³country median 10.5 — 5% below2026-07-152024Official sourceOfficial 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. Source-backed value
PM2.5 — annual mean17.99 µg/m³country median 3.6 — 406% above2026-07-152024Official sourceOfficial 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. Source-backed value

Mobility and administration

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Destinations from nearest airport18 count2026-06-13FreshOfficial sourceOpenFlights — routes.dat Source-backed value
Nearest airportYZF code2026-06-13FreshOfficial sourceOurAirports — airports.csv Source-backed value
Distance to nearest airport3.6 km2026-06-13FreshOfficial sourceOurAirports — airports.csv Source-backed value

Worked out from these numbers

Arithmetic on the published values above. Each one names what it assumed.

How international is the population?

7.5% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 1,515 people of 20,234 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Yellowknife?

The unemployment rate is 5.8 %. Source: Statistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grain, checked 2026-07-26.

Is the air quality good in Yellowknife?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 17.99 µg/m³. The WHO 2021 guideline is 5 µg/m³ and the EU limit value is 25 µg/m³, so this reading is above the WHO guideline but within the EU limit. 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., checked 2026-07-15.

How many people live in Yellowknife?

The published population is 20,234 people. Source: Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Yellowknife, CSD 6101023), checked 2026-06-12.

How many foreign residents live in Yellowknife?

1,515 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., checked 2026-07-15.

How much is public transport in Yellowknife?

A monthly transport pass is 46.51 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Numbeo — Cost of Living in Yellowknife (Wayback capture 20250118151653), checked 2026-08-01.

Cities of a similar size in Canada

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Canada cities
Riverview20,236 residentsRivière-du-Loup20,275 residentsCranbrook20,179 residentsCobourg20,619 residentsLloydminster19,856 residentsSturgeon County20,661 residents

Sources

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.Official source · Checked 2021-05-11Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Yellowknife, CSD 6101023)Official source · Checked 2026-07-14Statistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grainOfficial source · Checked 2026-07-26Official 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.Official source · Checked 2026-07-15Official 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.Official source · Checked 2026-07-15Official 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.Official source · Checked 2026-07-15

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.