Finding statistics on British Columbia

Statistics on British Columbia are available from a variety of sources: Statistics Canada, BC STATS, federal and provincial ministries and agencies, regional governments and municipalities. This guide will help you locate general and topical statistics on British Columbia.

If you don't find what you need, ask a librarian.

Statistical Agencies

Statistics Canada

Almost all Statistics Canada publications are now freely available online. Search the Statistics Canada Website using British Columbia or using the subject you want and the term "province", e.g., housing and province. Check Statistics Canada's The Daily for latest releases. Print copies of older Statistics Canada publications are arranged in the library by Statistics Canada catalogue number. See the Library guide Statistics - Canada for more information.

BC STATS

The central statistical agency of the Province of British Columbia, BC STATS collects and publishes reports of statistics from Statistics Canada, provincial government ministries and agencies and from administrative files. The website is organized by topic and has information about publications, quick facts about the province and current census information. Also check the Infoline blog for statistical highlights and information about new products and services.

Note that several key BC STATS publications such as Business Indicators and the Tourism Sector Monitor are available online for SFU researchers.

Databases

BC STATS Publications
Contains the latest issues of reports such as Current Statistics, Business Indicators, Consumer Price Index, Exports, Tourism Sector Monitor, Earnings & Employment Trends, Labour Force Statistics, Population Highlights, Small Business Quarterly, Quarterly Regional Statistics.

CANSIM (Canadian Socioeconomic Information Management).
Time series on a wide range of topics. Use this resource to compare time series over several years so you can perform further calculations using a numerical analysis program such as SPSS.

Canadian Research Index
This index covers Canadian federal, provincial and municipal government publications. CRI documents (MICRO JL 044 37) are arranged in cabinets by Microlog number (look for microlog numbers of the format ### - #### when you are searching the index -- this is the number of the microfiche on the Library's 6th floor).  Always check our catalogue and the relevant Canadian government website to see if you can get the same item in a more user-friendly format.

PCensus.
Available on a standalone machine in the Bennett Library only.
The PCensus system allows you to manipulate older census data (1981-2006) from British Columbia in a variety of ways, including comparisons with other provinces & regions or with the country as a whole.

Selected publications by topic

Crime / Police

See the research guide Crime and justice statistics.

Economy

Tourism Industry Performance
Includes customs entries data, provincial and regional room revenue, commercial restaurant receipts, provincial and regional occupancy and average daily room rates, visitor centres, regional airports, ferries, and conference centres.

British Columbia business indicators 
Discontinued in 2014, but still useful if older data is needed.

British Columbia economic accounts
See also the more historical data: British Columbia Economic Accounts 

British Columbia financial and economic review 
Editions from 1997 to the present. 

Consumer price index [print or online]

International Commodity Trade
Also see more historical data such as Exports BC origin via the Library.

Key Indicators

Major projects inventory

Quarterly report on the economy, fiscal situation and outlook

Small business profile

Elections

British Columbia. Chief Electoral Officer. Statement of votes. [print or online]

Canada votes [print]
Also see Official Voting Results [print]
Results from 1996 to the present are online at the Elections Canada site.

Elections Canada. Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada. [print]

Employment / Labour

British Columbia earnings and employment trends 

BC Stats: Wage rate information
Includes monthly tracking of wages by province and industry and the 2009 survey of employers

Labour market statistics 

WorkBC.ca
(was: Work futures : British Columbia occupational outlooks.) [print]

Environment / Climate

Lower Fraser Valley ambient air quality report / Greater Vancouver Regional District [print]
Previous title: Ambient air quality ... annual report. [print]
The newest issues is also online (choose Air Publication as your publication category)

Housing / Real Estate

Canadian housing statistics [print]
Updates available [print]

Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. Real estate profile. [print or online]

Rental market survey report, British Columbia [print]

Royal LePage survey of Canadian house prices [print or online]

Natural Resources / Agriculture

Agricultural land reserve reports.(Province of British Columbia) [print or online]

B.C. Hydro. Annual report. [print or online]

British Columbia commercial catch statistics : by species, gear, month and area. [print]
Similar online data available via the Canadian DFO.

British Columbia forest industry fact book [print]
See also Council of Forest Industries Reports

British Columbia land statistics [print or online]

British Columbia. Milk Marketing Board. [online]

Fisheries production statistics of British Columbia [print or online]

Mineral market update [print]
Similar reports are available online at the BC Government ministry site.

Park data handbook [print or online]

Population / Migration

B.C. regional district population projection [print]
Current data can be found on the BC Stats site for population projections .

British Columbia immigration highlights [print]
See also BC Stats: Mobility.

British Columbia migration highlights. [print]
See also BC Stats: Mobility.

British Columbia population forecast. [print]
More data can be found onthe BC Stats site for population projections.

Regional and Municipal

Greater Vancouver key facts : a statistical profile of Greater Vancouver, Canada. [print]

Metro Vancouver Regional Data and Statistics: Provides access to monthly and annual regional planning data along with housing data and census bulletins.

Municipal statistics, including regional districts. [print]
More statistics available from the Local Government Statistics part of the BC Government site.

Vancouver trends. [print]

Transportation

British Columbia Ferry Corporation. Annual report. [print or online]

British Columbia regional statistics on crashes, auto crime and vehicle and driver populations [print or online]

Miscellaneous

British Columbia. Liquor Distribution Branch. Annual report. [print or online]

BC Vital Statistics

Canada's culture, heritage and identity: a statistical perspective. [print or online]

Health reports. [print or online]

Provincial Health Officer's annual report. [print or online]

Simon Fraser University fact book. [print]
See also SFU Institutional Research and Planning's Fingertip Statistics

 

To find additional resources, do a keyword search in the Library Catalogue for your topic with the addition of the words statistics and British Columbia; e.g., health and statistics and British Columbia.