The population of the Sea to Sky Corridor has grown significantly over the past four years, and Whistler is no exception.
Data released earlier this week from the 2021 census shows the municipality’s permanent population grew to 13,982 in 2021. This represents a 19% increase since the last census in 2016, when Whistler’s population s amounted to 11,746.
These numbers are consistent with the estimated annual population equivalent of the Resort Municipality of Whistler, which indicated an estimated permanent population of 13,948 in 2020. Whistler’s estimated total population equivalent, which includes seasonal residents and the average number of visitors to Whistler on any given day in addition to permanent residents, fell to 29,264 in 2020 from 36,426 in 2019.
There were 10,065 private dwellings in Whistler counted in the 2021 census. Of these, 5,597 are occupied by usual residents (i.e. permanent residents).
The Village of Pemberton, on the other hand, has grown at a faster rate than any other municipality in the corridor. Its population has increased by 32.4% since the last census, from 2,574 people in 2016 to 3,407 people in 2021. In Pemberton, there were 1,430 private dwellings enumerated in 2021, of which 1,357 were occupied by usual residents .
This growth also extended to Squamish–Lillooet Regional District Area C, which even had 2,000 residents in 2021. That’s a 20.3% increase since 2016.
A few kilometers to the south, Squamish the population also increased significantly. It reached 23,819 in 2021, compared to 19,497 during the last census carried out in 2016. This represents an increase of more than 22%, which makes Squamish The 17th fastest growing Canadian municipality with at least 5,000 inhabitants.
The provincial average for population growth over the four-year period is 7.6%, while the national population has increased by 5.2% since 2016.