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HomeBlogWork From Home in Canada: Ottawa Led, Bowen Island Topped BC, and Who's Gone Back to the Office
Fun data by Dan Marusin 31 min read

Work From Home in Canada: Ottawa Led, Bowen Island Topped BC, and Who's Gone Back to the Office

#Work from home #Census #Interactive map #Quiz #BC cities #Metro Vancouver #Canada

In May 2021, 24.3% of Canada's 17.3 million workers did their job from home. In Ottawa–Gatineau it was 39.7%, the most of any metro area in the country. In BC, among municipalities with at least 1,000 workers, the work-from-home capital was Bowen Island, where 42.9% of employed residents worked at home, followed by West Vancouver (40.4%) and Oak Bay (37.6%). In Mackenzie and Chetwynd it was about one in twenty.

That's from the 2021 Census, which asked where everyone worked during the pandemic's third wave. It's still the only source that goes down to every town, so I pulled Statistics Canada's place-of-work tables for every metro area in Canada and every municipality in BC and sorted them: who stayed home, who went to the office, and who works somewhere different every day. Then I checked the newer survey numbers to see how many have gone back since. Short version: a lot, but not everyone. Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey had 17.4% of Canadian workers mostly working from home in May 2025.

Below: a map of 155 of BC's 160 municipalities, a town lookup, Canada's metro areas ranked, which jobs went home, the age group that surprised me, a quiz, and what any of this means if you're shopping for a home with a spare room.

Canada, worked at home (2021)24.3%4.2 million people
BC, worked at home (2021)22.6%Metro Vancouver 26.5%
BC's top municipalityBowen Island, 43%municipalities with 1,000+ workers
Canada, mostly from home (May 2025)17.4%Labour Force Survey

The BC work-from-home map

Every dot is a municipality, placed at the middle of its boundary and sized by how many employed people live there. The colour shows the share who worked at home in May 2021. The census counts where people live, so a Surrey resident who works from a home office in Surrey counts the same as one who used to commute to downtown Vancouver. Switch layers to see who had no fixed workplace, or who went to a usual workplace. The Lower Mainland is a pile of overlapping dots at full-province scale, so use the zoom button.

BC's work-from-home map, 2021 One dot per municipality, sized by the number of workers who live there. Tap or hover over a dot for its numbers; zoom in on the southwest, where most of the dots pile up.

5%43%Share of employed residents who worked at home. Darker = more. Colours run between the lowest and highest of the 108 municipalities with 1,000+ workers.

British ColumbiaAlbertaYukonNorthwest TerritoriesVancouver: 34.3% worked at homeSurrey: 16.7% worked at homeBurnaby: 29.3% worked at homeRichmond: 26.3% worked at homeAbbotsford: 13.8% worked at homeCoquitlam: 27.2% worked at homeKelowna: 20.2% worked at homeLangley Township: 20.7% worked at homeSaanich: 27.1% worked at homeDelta: 19.4% worked at homeVictoria: 30.0% worked at homeKamloops: 13.5% worked at homeMaple Ridge: 18.5% worked at homeNanaimo: 17.7% worked at homeNorth Vancouver District: 34.6% worked at homeChilliwack: 15.0% worked at homeNew Westminster: 26.3% worked at homePrince George: 12.0% worked at homeNorth Vancouver City: 30.6% worked at homePort Coquitlam: 21.0% worked at homeLangford: 22.5% worked at homeMission: 12.9% worked at homeVernon: 13.6% worked at homePort Moody: 33.8% worked at homeWest Vancouver: 40.4% worked at homeWest Kelowna: 18.8% worked at homePenticton: 14.4% worked at homeCampbell River: 11.6% worked at homeLangley City: 15.1% worked at homeNorth Cowichan: 15.7% worked at homeSquamish: 27.4% worked at homeCourtenay: 14.3% worked at homeFort St. John: 9.1% worked at homePitt Meadows: 21.7% worked at homeColwood: 20.4% worked at homeCranbrook: 9.2% worked at homeWhite Rock: 25.6% worked at homeEsquimalt: 21.7% worked at homeCentral Saanich: 26.4% worked at homeSalmon Arm: 14.1% worked at homeLake Country: 21.4% worked at homeWhistler: 22.6% worked at homeOak Bay: 37.6% worked at homeSooke: 21.1% worked at homePort Alberni: 9.2% worked at homePrince Rupert: 8.1% worked at homeDawson Creek: 6.5% worked at homeTerrace: 10.9% worked at homeComox: 15.4% worked at homeView Royal: 25.8% worked at homeNelson: 21.6% worked at homeNorth Saanich: 30.4% worked at homePowell River: 11.9% worked at homeColdstream: 20.1% worked at homeSummerland: 20.7% worked at homeWilliams Lake: 7.7% worked at homeSidney: 19.9% worked at homeParksville: 17.1% worked at homeSechelt: 19.9% worked at homeRevelstoke: 11.9% worked at homeQuesnel: 7.1% worked at homeKitimat: 7.4% worked at homeLadysmith: 14.6% worked at homeKimberley: 16.2% worked at homeCastlegar: 14.6% worked at homeFernie: 15.8% worked at homeTrail: 9.0% worked at homeSmithers: 13.4% worked at homeMerritt: 9.6% worked at homeQualicum Beach: 25.4% worked at homeSpallumcheen: 20.2% worked at homeKent: 17.5% worked at homeHope: 15.6% worked at homeArmstrong: 10.3% worked at homeMetchosin: 27.8% worked at homeCumberland: 17.2% worked at homeBowen Island: 42.9% worked at homePeachland: 18.2% worked at homeSparwood: 7.9% worked at homePemberton: 19.5% worked at homeGolden: 12.6% worked at homeRossland: 24.0% worked at homeGibsons: 25.7% worked at homeVanderhoof: 10.7% worked at homeCreston: 8.9% worked at homeOliver: 8.4% worked at homeNorthern Rockies: 6.5% worked at homeInvermere: 12.8% worked at homeOsoyoos: 11.7% worked at homePort Hardy: 7.1% worked at homeDuncan: 12.5% worked at homeLantzville: 21.9% worked at homeMackenzie: 5.1% worked at homeGrand Forks: 10.2% worked at homeHouston: 6.9% worked at homeTofino: 20.2% worked at homeElkford: 6.7% worked at homeHighlands: 29.2% worked at homeLake Cowichan: 11.4% worked at homeAnmore: 30.9% worked at homeChetwynd: 5.1% worked at homePrinceton: 9.8% worked at homePort McNeill: 8.5% worked at homeTumbler Ridge: 5.3% worked at homeUcluelet: 19.9% worked at homeEnderby: 14.9% worked at homeSicamous: 9.0% worked at homeLillooet: 10.1% worked at homeFruitvale: 7.5% worked at homeClearwater: 8.8% worked at homeLumby: 9.7% worked at homeBurns Lake: 6.1% worked at homeChase: 15.2% worked at homeLogan Lake: 10.1% worked at homeWarfield: 14.1% worked at homeLions Bay: 42.2% worked at homeSun Peaks: 25.2% worked at homeHarrison Hot Springs: 17.5% worked at homeTelkwa: 12.8% worked at homeNakusp: 7.5% worked at homeRadium Hot Springs: 11.5% worked at home100 Mile House: 7.1% worked at homeFort St. James: 9.7% worked at homeTaylor: 6.5% worked at homeBarriere: 12.1% worked at homeAshcroft: 5.3% worked at homeDaajing Giids: 28.4% worked at homeValemount: 6.9% worked at homeGold River: 10.0% worked at homeKeremeos: 9.5% worked at homeMontrose: 8.1% worked at homeKaslo: 8.2% worked at homeSalmo: 7.1% worked at homeFraser Lake: 3.8% worked at homeCanal Flats: 15.8% worked at homeMasset: 12.2% worked at homeHudson's Hope: 12.9% worked at homeCache Creek: 11.9% worked at homePouce Coupe: 6.3% worked at homeBelcarra: 43.8% worked at homeMcBride: 24.1% worked at homeMidway: 15.1% worked at homePort Alice: 9.6% worked at homeNew Hazelton: 8.2% worked at homeStewart: 6.1% worked at homePort Edward: 8.5% worked at homeClinton: 7.1% worked at homeNew Denver: 34.5% worked at homePort Clements: 11.1% worked at homeAlert Bay: 24.0% worked at homeSayward: 21.1% worked at homeTahsis: 22.2% worked at homeSlocan: 23.5% worked at homeGranisle: 18.2% worked at homeZeballos: 50.0% worked at homeVancouverVictoriaKelownaKamloopsPrince GeorgeFort St. JohnPrince RupertNelsonMackenzie
Vancouver · Hybrid Heights
359,280 employed residents in the 2021 Census.
Worked at home 34.3% · No fixed workplace 11.0% · Went to a workplace 54.1%
Rank for working at home: 5 of 108 BC municipalities with 1,000+ workers (BC overall: 22.6%).
4,742 homes for sale in Vancouver on EstateBlock (Nov 3, 2026)

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0456-01 (census subdivisions; employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock. Dots sit at the centre of each municipality's boundary (BC municipal boundaries, BC Data Catalogue, Open Government Licence – British Columbia). Base map: Natural Earth (public domain). Regional district electoral areas and First Nations reserves aren't shown, nor five small municipalities where Statistics Canada suppressed at least one value (Greenwood, Hazelton, Lytton, Silverton, Wells).

The pattern is pretty clear even before you tap anything. The darkest pink sits on the North Shore, Bowen Island and around Victoria (Oak Bay, North Saanich and the City of Victoria). The palest dots run up the Peace and the northern Interior.

Look up your town

Look up your town155 of BC's 160 municipalities (all with published numbers). Type a name or tap one of the shortcuts.
Vancouver · Hybrid Heights
359,280 employed residents in the 2021 Census.
Worked at home 34.3% · No fixed workplace 11.0% · Went to a workplace 54.1%
Rank for working at home: 5 of 108 BC municipalities with 1,000+ workers (BC overall: 22.6%).
4,742 homes for sale in Vancouver on EstateBlock (Nov 3, 2026)

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0456-01 (census subdivisions; employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock. The "type" labels are mine, and a joke: Slippers Central (35%+), Hybrid Heights (25%+), Commuter Country (15%+), Rush Hour Regulars (10%+), On the Job Site (under 10%) at home.

BC's top and bottom towns

Most likely to work at home Top 15 of the 108 BC municipalities with 1,000+ workers
MunicipalityWorkersAt home
Bowen Island2,24042.9%
West Vancouver17,64040.4%
Oak Bay7,59537.6%
North Vancouver District44,49034.6%
Vancouver359,28034.3%
Port Moody17,95033.8%
Anmore1,23030.9%
North Vancouver City32,49030.6%
North Saanich5,61030.4%
Victoria49,06530.0%
Burnaby124,15529.3%
Highlands1,37029.2%
Metchosin2,32027.8%
Squamish13,68527.4%
Coquitlam73,92027.2%

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0456-01 (census subdivisions; employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock

Least likely to work at home Bottom 10 of the same 108, lowest first
MunicipalityWorkersAt home
Mackenzie1,6755.1%
Chetwynd1,1805.1%
Tumbler Ridge1,1305.3%
Northern Rockies2,0006.5%
Dawson Creek6,1256.5%
Elkford1,4106.7%
Houston1,4506.9%
Quesnel3,9707.1%
Port Hardy1,8407.1%
Kitimat3,8657.4%

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0456-01 (census subdivisions; employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock

Among the 108 BC municipalities with at least 1,000 employed residents, Bowen Island tops the list at 42.9%. For an island whose commute involves a ferry to Horseshoe Bay, working from the kitchen table must have looked pretty good. West Vancouver (40.4%), Oak Bay (37.6%) and the District of North Vancouver (34.6%) follow, with Vancouver (34.3%) and Port Moody (33.8%) close behind.

One place beats all of them, but it isn't a municipality: Metro Vancouver's Electoral Area A, which takes in UBC and the University Endowment Lands, had 49.7% of its 7,400 workers at home. In May 2021 a lot of university work was happening on laptops.

The bottom of the list is the northeast. Mackenzie and Chetwynd tie for last at 5.1%, with Tumbler Ridge (5.3%), the Northern Rockies (6.5%) and Dawson Creek (6.5%) just above. Those are resource towns, and as the occupation chart further down shows, trades, transport and manufacturing jobs were the least likely to go home.

Metro Vancouver: the North Shore stayed home, Surrey didn't

Metro Vancouver: who worked at home Share of employed residents who worked at home, May 2021. The 17 member municipalities with 5,000+ workers
West Vancouver40.4%North Vancouver District34.6%Vancouver34.3%Port Moody33.8%North Vancouver City30.6%Burnaby29.3%Coquitlam27.2%New Westminster26.3%Richmond26.3%White Rock25.6%Pitt Meadows21.7%Port Coquitlam21.0%Langley Township20.7%Delta19.4%Maple Ridge18.5%Surrey16.7%Langley City15.1%

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0456-01 (census subdivisions; employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock

Show the numbers
MunicipalityAt home
West Vancouver40.4%
North Vancouver District34.6%
Vancouver34.3%
Port Moody33.8%
North Vancouver City30.6%
Burnaby29.3%
Coquitlam27.2%
New Westminster26.3%
Richmond26.3%
White Rock25.6%
Pitt Meadows21.7%
Port Coquitlam21.0%
Langley Township20.7%
Delta19.4%
Maple Ridge18.5%
Surrey16.7%
Langley City15.1%

Inside Metro Vancouver the spread is wide. A worker living in Vancouver was about 2 times as likely to be at home as one living in Surrey: 34.3% against 16.7%. Surrey is the region's biggest pool of workers after Vancouver, and it leans toward jobs that don't fit on a laptop: 19.6% of its workers had no fixed workplace address, against 11.0% in Vancouver.

Burnaby (29.3%), Coquitlam (27.2%) and Richmond (26.3%) sit in the middle. Surrey and Langley City (15.1%) are at the bottom, with Maple Ridge (18.5%) and Delta (19.4%) just above.

The job-site towns: no fixed workplace

The census has a third answer besides "at home" and "at the office": no fixed workplace address, meaning people who don't report to the same address every day. In BC that was 15.3% of workers in 2021, or 373,470 people. Which jobs are those? The industry numbers answer it:

Which BC jobs have no fixed workplace Share of BC workers in each industry sector with no fixed workplace address, top 8 of 20 sectors
Construction56.9%Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services41.4%Transportation and warehousing34.5%Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction24.8%Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting22.9%Information and cultural industries16.3%Utilities14.7%Other services (except public administration)11.9%

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0455-01 (employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock

Show the numbers
Industry sectorNo fixed workplace
Construction56.9%
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services41.4%
Transportation and warehousing34.5%
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction24.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting22.9%
Information and cultural industries16.3%
Utilities14.7%
Other services (except public administration)11.9%

More than half of BC's construction workers (56.9%) had no fixed workplace, and construction alone made up 33% of everyone in that category. Next come administrative and support services (41.4%) and transportation and warehousing (34.5%). The real estate, rental and leasing sector comes in at 11.6%: agents meet clients at showings, not at one desk.

BC's job-site towns: no fixed workplace Share of employed residents with no fixed workplace address, top 12 of the 108 municipalities with 1,000+ workers
Sicamous22.9%Lantzville21.9%Mission21.6%Lake Cowichan20.9%Dawson Creek20.4%Tumbler Ridge20.4%Pemberton20.2%Fort St. John20.2%Sooke20.1%Whistler20.0%Abbotsford19.8%Highlands19.7%

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0456-01 (census subdivisions; employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock

Show the numbers
MunicipalityNo fixed workplace
Sicamous22.9%
Lantzville21.9%
Mission21.6%
Lake Cowichan20.9%
Dawson Creek20.4%
Tumbler Ridge20.4%
Pemberton20.2%
Fort St. John20.2%
Sooke20.1%
Whistler20.0%
Abbotsford19.8%
Highlands19.7%

By town, Sicamous leads at 22.9%, then Lantzville (21.9%) and Mission (21.6%). Whistler (20.0%), Fort St. John (20.2%) and Sooke (20.1%) are all at about one in five. The lowest share among the 108 is Oak Bay (8.8%), which, along with West Vancouver, is high on the work-from-home list instead.

Canada's work-from-home capitals

Canada's 41 metro areas: share who worked at home May 2021. BC metro areas in bold. Canada overall: 24.3%
Ottawa–Gatineau39.7%Toronto35.4%Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo28.8%Hamilton28.2%Calgary28.1%Oshawa27.2%Halifax27.2%Guelph27.0%Victoria26.6%Vancouver26.5%Montréal25.8%Québec25.3%Kingston24.6%London24.5%Peterborough21.7%Barrie21.6%Moncton20.9%Edmonton20.7%Regina20.7%St. Catharines–Niagara20.0%Kelowna19.6%Fredericton19.4%Greater Sudbury19.1%Winnipeg18.9%St. John's18.6%Brantford18.1%Saint John17.7%Nanaimo17.5%Saskatoon17.2%Sherbrooke17.1%Thunder Bay17.0%Windsor16.4%Belleville–Quinte West15.4%Trois-Rivières15.3%Chilliwack15.2%Lethbridge14.2%Kamloops14.0%Abbotsford–Mission13.6%Saguenay13.4%Red Deer13.0%Drummondville11.9%

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0455-01 (employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock. Ottawa–Gatineau is counted as one metro area

Show the numbers
Metro areaAt home
Ottawa–Gatineau39.7%
Toronto35.4%
Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo28.8%
Hamilton28.2%
Calgary28.1%
Oshawa27.2%
Halifax27.2%
Guelph27.0%
Victoria26.6%
Vancouver26.5%
Montréal25.8%
Québec25.3%
Kingston24.6%
London24.5%
Peterborough21.7%
Barrie21.6%
Moncton20.9%
Edmonton20.7%
Regina20.7%
St. Catharines–Niagara20.0%
Kelowna19.6%
Fredericton19.4%
Greater Sudbury19.1%
Winnipeg18.9%
St. John's18.6%
Brantford18.1%
Saint John17.7%
Nanaimo17.5%
Saskatoon17.2%
Sherbrooke17.1%
Thunder Bay17.0%
Windsor16.4%
Belleville–Quinte West15.4%
Trois-Rivières15.3%
Chilliwack15.2%
Lethbridge14.2%
Kamloops14.0%
Abbotsford–Mission13.6%
Saguenay13.4%
Red Deer13.0%
Drummondville11.9%

Ottawa–Gatineau wins this one easily: 39.7% of its workers were at home in May 2021. Toronto was 2nd (35.4%), then Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (28.8%), Hamilton (28.2%) and Calgary (28.1%). Victoria (26.6%) and Vancouver (26.5%) came 9th and 10th of 41.

The lowest share of any metro area was in Drummondville, Quebec (11.9%), followed by Red Deer (13.0%) and Saguenay (13.4%).

BC's metro areas and agglomerations: share who worked at home May 2021. Census metropolitan areas in bold; the rest are census agglomerations (urban areas of 10,000+). BC overall: 22.6%
Squamish27.2%Victoria26.6%Vancouver26.5%Nelson22.2%Parksville20.0%Kelowna19.6%Nanaimo17.5%Ladysmith17.1%Courtenay17.0%Duncan16.1%Vernon15.5%Chilliwack15.2%Penticton15.0%Salmon Arm14.1%Kamloops14.0%Abbotsford–Mission13.6%Powell River13.2%Prince George12.6%Campbell River11.7%Cranbrook11.3%Dawson Creek10.7%Terrace10.3%Fort St. John10.2%Williams Lake10.1%Port Alberni10.0%Trail9.9%Quesnel8.4%Prince Rupert8.1%

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0455-01 (employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock

Show the numbers
AreaAt home
Squamish27.2%
Victoria26.6%
Vancouver26.5%
Nelson22.2%
Parksville20.0%
Kelowna19.6%
Nanaimo17.5%
Ladysmith17.1%
Courtenay17.0%
Duncan16.1%
Vernon15.5%
Chilliwack15.2%
Penticton15.0%
Salmon Arm14.1%
Kamloops14.0%
Abbotsford–Mission13.6%
Powell River13.2%
Prince George12.6%
Campbell River11.7%
Cranbrook11.3%
Dawson Creek10.7%
Terrace10.3%
Fort St. John10.2%
Williams Lake10.1%
Port Alberni10.0%
Trail9.9%
Quesnel8.4%
Prince Rupert8.1%

Within BC, the surprise leader among urban areas is Squamish at 27.2%, just ahead of Victoria and Metro Vancouver. Nelson (22.2%) is the Interior's top spot, ahead of Kelowna (19.6%). My guess on Squamish: plenty of people who moved there for the mountains kept city-type jobs, and in 2021 they didn't have to drive the Sea-to-Sky to do them. Prince Rupert (8.1%) and Quesnel (8.4%) are at the bottom.

Which jobs went home

Who worked at home in BC, by occupation Share of BC workers in each broad occupation group (NOC 2021) who worked at home, May 2021
Sciences, engineering, tech52.6%Art, culture, recreation, sport47.5%Senior management44.7%Business, finance, admin39.0%Education, law, social, government26.6%Natural resources, agriculture21.4%Sales and service13.4%Health6.8%Manufacturing and utilities5.9%Trades, transport, equipment5.7%

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0455-01 (employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock

Show the numbers
Occupation groupAt home
Sciences, engineering, tech52.6%
Art, culture, recreation, sport47.5%
Senior management44.7%
Business, finance, admin39.0%
Education, law, social, government26.6%
Natural resources, agriculture21.4%
Sales and service13.4%
Health6.8%
Manufacturing and utilities5.9%
Trades, transport, equipment5.7%

Your job decided this far more than your town did. In BC, 52.6% of people in the natural and applied sciences (engineers, programmers, scientists) worked at home, against 6.8% in health jobs and 5.7% in the trades. Art, culture, recreation and sport (47.5%) is high too. My guess: a lot of writers, designers and musicians are self-employed and already worked from home.

BC industries that went home Share working at home, top 10 BC industry subsectors (NAICS 3-digit) with 5,000+ workers
Publishing industries74.3%Performing arts, spectator sports and related industries58.9%Telecommunications58.1%Professional, scientific and technical services56.3%Securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investment and related activities55.6%Management of companies and enterprises52.9%Business-to-business electronic markets, and agents and brokers52.7%Non-store retailers51.5%Insurance carriers and related activities50.6%Provincial and territorial public administration47.4%

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0455-01 (employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock

Show the numbers
Industry subsectorAt home
Publishing industries74.3%
Performing arts, spectator sports and related industries58.9%
Telecommunications58.1%
Professional, scientific and technical services56.3%
Securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investment and related activities55.6%
Management of companies and enterprises52.9%
Business-to-business electronic markets, and agents and brokers52.7%
Non-store retailers51.5%
Insurance carriers and related activities50.6%
Provincial and territorial public administration47.4%
BC industries that couldn't Lowest share working at home, BC industry subsectors with 5,000+ workers, lowest first
Industry subsectorWorkersAt home
General merchandise stores25,2452.2%
Rail transportation5,4153.0%
Gasoline stations6,4503.5%
Postal service9,4453.6%
Food and beverage stores75,5153.6%
Food services and drinking places130,9354.0%
Nursing and residential care facilities48,7854.6%
Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers18,7604.7%

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0455-01 (employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock

By industry, publishing (74.3%) went home almost entirely; in census terms it includes software publishers. At the other end, general merchandise stores (2.2%) and rail (3.0%) barely moved. Nobody stocks shelves or drives a freight train over Zoom.

Age and gender: the 75-plus crowd works from home

Working at home by age, BC Share of BC workers in each age group who worked at home, May 2021

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0455-01 (employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock

Show the numbers
Worked at home
15–195%
20–2412%
25–3424%
35–4427%
45–5424%
55–6421%
65–7426%
75+35%

The age chart has a twist. Teens were least likely to work at home (5.1%), and the share rises to 26.6% among 35-to-44s, then eases off to 20.7% for 55-to-64s. But the top group is workers aged 75 and over: 35.5% worked at home. My guess is that a lot of people still working past 75 are self-employed, consulting or farming, and a farm counts as home. There were 18,410 of them in BC.

Women were more likely to work at home than men, in BC (24.6% vs. 20.8%) and across Canada (26.8% vs. 22.1%).

Who's gone back to the office since?

Then and now: how many work from home 2021 Census (worked at home, May 2021) next to the Labour Force Survey (mostly worked from home, May 2025)
Area2021 CensusMay 2025 (LFS)Change, pts
Canada24.3%17.4%-6.9
Ottawa–Gatineau39.7%24.0%-15.7
Toronto35.4%23.9%-11.5
Vancouver26.5%20.8%-5.7
Victoria26.6%21.7%-4.9
Windsor16.4%12.6%-3.8
Winnipeg18.9%10.5%-8.4

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0455-01 (employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock; Statistics Canada, The Daily, Aug 26, 2025 (May 2025 share who were commuters; the rest mostly worked from home). Different surveys and slightly different questions, so read the change as approximate

The census is a single snapshot, and it was taken at an unusual time. Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey asks a similar question every May, and its latest commuting release (August 2025) shows the share mostly working from home falling for the fourth year in a row, to 17.4% nationally from 18.7% in May 2024. I've turned its "share who are commuters" for the big metro areas into the work-from-home share in the table.

The biggest drop is Ottawa–Gatineau, from 39.7% in the 2021 Census to 24.0% in May 2025; the survey says the commuter share there jumped 9.5 points in a single year. Toronto (23.9%) is now level with Ottawa. Vancouver (20.8%) and Victoria (21.7%) are a little lower. The two surveys use different questions, so read the change column as roughly right, not exact. For scale, the census counted 1.3 million Canadians working at home in May 2016 and 4.2 million in May 2021, more than three times as many.

Quiz: who stayed home?

7 questions, all answered by the numbers in this post. Pick one; the answer shows straight away.

1. Which Canadian metro area had the highest share of people working at home in 2021?

Answer

Ottawa–Gatineau, at 39.7%. Toronto was 2nd (35.4%); Vancouver was 10th (26.5%).

2. Which BC municipality (with 1,000+ workers) had the highest work-from-home share?

Answer

Bowen Island: 42.9%. West Vancouver was 40.4%, Oak Bay 37.6%.

3. A worker living in Vancouver was how much more likely to work at home than one living in Surrey?

Answer

About twice: 34.3% in Vancouver against 16.7% in Surrey.

4. Which BC urban area had the highest work-from-home share?

Answer

Squamish, at 27.2%, a nose ahead of Victoria (26.6%) and Metro Vancouver (26.5%).

5. Which BC occupation group was most likely to work at home?

Answer

Natural and applied sciences (engineers, programmers, scientists): 52.6%. Business, finance and admin was 39.0%.

6. Which age group of BC workers was most likely to work at home?

Answer

75 and over: 35.5%. The 25-to-34s were at 24.0%, the 45-to-54s at 24.0%.

7. By May 2025, roughly what share of Canadian workers mostly worked from home?

Answer

About 1 in 6: 17.4%, down from 18.7% a year earlier, per the Labour Force Survey.

What this means if you're buying

Work-from-home share next to today's asking prices 2021 share working at home and EstateBlock median asking prices of active listings on Nov 3, 2026 (condo and townhouse). Asking prices, not sale prices
WhereAt home, 2021CondoTownhouse
West Vancouver40.4%$1.37M$1.88M
North Vancouver District†34.6%$796K$1.30M
Vancouver34.3%$796K$1.39M
Port Moody33.8%$694K$970K
Burnaby29.3%$688K$981K
Squamish27.4%$622K$1.10M
Coquitlam27.2%$629K$1.09M
Richmond26.3%$687K$1.05M
Langley Township†20.7%$509K$837K
Delta19.4%$550K$893K
Maple Ridge18.5%$449K$747K
Surrey16.7%$499K$785K
Chilliwack15.0%$369K$627K
Abbotsford13.8%$399K$650K

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, table 98-10-0456-01 (census subdivisions; employed people 15+ in private households, 25% sample). Analysis by EstateBlock; EstateBlock.com active listings, snapshot Nov 3, 2026 (asking prices). † The EstateBlock Langley and North Vancouver pages (and prices) each cover both the city and the township or district

For where people actually drive to, see my posts on Canada's average commute times and who commutes into Vancouver. For prices, the Greater Vancouver market update and Squamish real estate have the latest. Browse West Vancouver listings, Surrey townhouses or Vancouver condos, or get an instant evaluation of your current home.

How I did this

The 2021 numbers come from the 2021 Census of Population (released November 30, 2022). I pulled Statistics Canada's table 98-10-0455-01 (Canada, provinces, metro areas and agglomerations, with breakdowns by occupation, age, gender and industry) and table 98-10-0456-01 (census subdivisions, which in BC means municipalities, regional district electoral areas and reserves) through Statistics Canada's Web Data Service on 2026-11-03. The query URLs are saved with the research for this post.

Every share in this post is the number in one place-of-work category divided by all employed people aged 15 and over in private households: worked at home, worked outside Canada, no fixed workplace address, or a usual place of work. The census asked about the job people held in the reference week in May 2021. These are 25% long-form sample estimates and Statistics Canada rounds counts, so small places are less reliable; I ranked only the 108 municipalities with at least 1,000 workers, and the map and lookup flag the rest. Ottawa–Gatineau is one metro area across two provinces; I used the combined figure.

The May 2025 numbers come from Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey release of August 26, 2025. It reports the share of workers who were commuters (worked most of their hours outside the home); I treated the rest as mostly working from home, which is how the release defines it for Canada. It covers only the 15 largest metro areas, and its question differs from the census, so the comparison is approximate.

Map positions are the centre of each municipality's legal boundary from the BC government's administrative areas layer. The town "types" in the lookup are mine and a joke. Asking prices come from EstateBlock's own listing data and are not sale prices. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada and the Open Government Licence – British Columbia.

FAQ

What percentage of Canadians work from home?

In the 2021 Census (May 2021), 24.3% of employed Canadians worked at home, about 4.2 million people. By May 2025, Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey put the share mostly working from home at 17.4%.

Which Canadian city has the most people working from home?

Ottawa–Gatineau: 39.7% in the 2021 Census, followed by Toronto (35.4%). In May 2025 the two were about level, at 24.0% and 23.9% mostly working from home.

How many people work from home in BC?

22.6% of BC's employed people, or 549,850, worked at home in the 2021 Census. Metro Vancouver was at 26.5% and Victoria 26.6%; by May 2025 the Labour Force Survey had 20.8% of Vancouver-area workers mostly at home.

Which BC town has the most people working from home?

Among BC municipalities with 1,000+ workers, Bowen Island (42.9%), then West Vancouver (40.4%) and Oak Bay (37.6%). Mackenzie and Chetwynd had the lowest share (5.1%).

Sources

  1. Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0455-01: Place of work status by industry subsectors, occupation broad category, age and gender: Canada, provinces and territories, CMAs and CAs (2021 Census)
  2. Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0456-01: Place of work status by industry sectors, occupation broad category and gender: census divisions and subdivisions (2021 Census)
  3. Statistics Canada, The Daily (Nov 30, 2022): Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed commuting patterns for good?
  4. Statistics Canada, The Daily (Aug 26, 2025): Commuting to work, May 2025 (Labour Force Survey)
  5. Statistics Canada Web Data Service (getDataFromCubePidCoordAndLatestNPeriods)
  6. BC Data Catalogue: Municipalities – Legally Defined Administrative Areas of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia)
  7. Natural Earth: admin-1 states and provinces (public domain)
  8. EstateBlock.com: listings and asking prices (snapshot Nov 3, 2026)
Dan Marusin

REALTOR® with Renanza Realty Inc., 13+ years in Greater Vancouver real estate. Founder of EstateBlock.com, which maps sold prices, crime, schools, flood risk and transit on every BC listing. Search listings on EstateBlock.com →

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