Housing Reports & Stats
Victoria Housing Stats
- Victoria's population grew from 63,800 in 1981 to 85,700 in 2016
- 61% of Victoria households are rented (compared to 51% in Vancouver and 34% regionally) (CRD Housing Demand Estimates 2018)
- The vacancy rate in Victoria remains very low at just 1% (CMHC Fall Rental Report 2019)
- The 2020 Point in Time count estimates that there are approximately 1,500 people experiencing homelessness in the Greater Victoria Region, including almost 300 living outdoors
Housing Needs Assessment
In 2020, the City participated in the CRD’s Housing Needs Assessment City of Victoria, October 2020 (Housing Needs Assessment [PDF - 5 MB]), in accordance with Section 585.31 (1) of the Local Government Act, which requires that all local governments complete housing needs reports by April 2022 and every five years thereafter.
Key findings from the report include:
- 21% of Victorians are in Core Housing Need, a higher proportion than the CRD (14%), British Columbia (15%), or Canada (13%)
- Renter households reported incomes that were 45% lower than that of owner incomes ($41,152 versus $78,673)
- As of 2020, there were 938 households on BC Housing’s waitlist for Victoria
- Between 2005 and 2019:
- Average home sale price increased between 80% (for a Condo Apartment) and 111% (for a single-family home)
- Median rent increased by 68% for a one-bedroom unit and 81% for a three-or more bedroom unit
For more information access the Housing Needs Assessment [PDF - 5 MB]
Victoria's Housing Future
In 2020, the City commissioned a study based on BC Stats and CRD demographic-based projections of future population makeup and households to estimate the number of housing units that are currently needed (due to demand from our current population), as well as those that will be needed through 2041. The report estimates that 111,299 people will be living in Victoria by 2041, resulting in the formation of a projected 11,300 additional households between 2016 and 2041. As a result of this study, staff created a report about Victoria’s housing future, describing some of the technical analysis, planning fundamentals, statistics, and shared principles that inform the outcomes and actions of recent planning initiatives.
For more information access Victoria's Housing Future Report [PDF - 35 MB].
Annual Housing Reviews
The Annual Housing Reviews for the City of Victoria are a compilation of housing data for the previous year. The data comes from monthly reports of building permit issuance, the Victoria Real Estate Board and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Where possible, the data is broken down by neighbourhood and/or compared to the previous year’s data. Beginning in 2019, Housing Strategy Annual Reviews replaced the Housing Reports historically compiled by the City with a new format, an expanded set of indicators, and to monitor progress made on implementation of the Victoria Housing Strategy Phase Two [PDF - 30 MB].
- Housing Strategy Annual Review 2021 [PDF - 21 MB]
- Housing Strategy Annual Review 2020 [PDF - 28 MB]
- Housing Strategy Annual Review 2019 [PDF - 18 MB]
- Annual Housing Report 2018 [PDF - 796 KB]
- Annual Housing Report 2017 [PDF - 1 MB]
- Annual Housing Report 2016 [PDF - 199 KB]
- Annual Housing Report 2015 [PDF - 1 MB]
- Annual Housing Report 2014 [PDF - 1.5 MB]
- Annual Housing Report 2013 [PDF - 1.4 MB]
- Annual Housing Report 2012 [PDF - 1.9 MB]
- Annual Housing Report 2011 [PDF - 656 KB]
- Annual Housing Report 2010 [PDF - 866 KB]
- Annual Housing Report 2009 [PDF - 4.7 MB]
For more information about recent home sales visit the Victoria Real Estate Board website.
For more analysis and research of local housing markets visit the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation