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Town Pop Band: 1,500-5,000

Lake Cowichan

Cowichan Valley (COW)

Population

3,757

Land Area

816

ha

Annual Operating Budget

$6.5M

expenses

Lake Cowichan Population Trend

Annual population estimates sourced from BC Stats / Alberta Municipal Affairs. Used as the denominator for all per-capita metrics on this page. Learn more ↗

Annual estimates, 2011–2025

3,757+24.2% since 2011

Fiscal Trends (2021–2024)

Total revenue and total operating expenses per resident over 4 fiscal years. Shows whether the municipality's fiscal position has been improving or declining. Learn more ↗

Revenue and expense per person over 4 years

Fiscal Report Card

These metrics reflect reported financial data and do not capture local context such as major infrastructure investments, one-time grants, natural disasters, or policy decisions. Learn more

Fiscal Trajectory

Composite score (0–10) measuring the 4-year trajectory of fiscal health across revenue growth, expense control, debt reduction, and operating surplus. Higher is better. Score is relative to all municipalities in your population band. Learn more ↗
Top of Band

67.4

score
6.2% Band Min
86.8% Band Max
Band Avg: 50.0%
BC Avg: 50.0%

Fiscal trajectory score of 67.4 is above the band average of 50.0, placing this municipality among improving peers.

Rank 22/105 2021–2024 data
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Fiscal Balance

Operating surplus (revenues minus expenses) divided by population. Positive means the municipality took in more than it spent. Higher is better. Learn more ↗
Top of Band

$1,071

/ person
-$5,690 Band Min
$9,691 Band Max
Band Avg: $904
BC Avg: $930

Operating surplus of $1,071/person is 1.2× the band average of $904. Ranks 36th of 106 in the band.

Rank 36/106 2024 data
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Tax Burden

Own-source taxation per resident — property taxes and other local levies set by the municipality. Lower is better (lighter burden on residents). Does not include provincial school taxes. Learn more ↗
Top of Band

$1,016

/ person
$385 Band Min
$18,131 Band Max
Band Avg: $2,643
BC Avg: $2,010

Per-person taxation of $1,016 is 62% below the band average of $2,643, ranking 22nd of 106 in the band.

Rank 22/106 2024 data
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Debt Load

Annual debt payments as a percentage of the provincial statutory borrowing limit. Lower is better — more room for future infrastructure borrowing. 100% = at the legal ceiling. Learn more ↗
Top of Band

0.4%

capacity used
0.0% Band Min
87.4% Band Max
Band Avg: 13.7%
BC Avg: 11.9%

Liability servicing capacity used is 0.4%, leaving significant room for strategic borrowing if needed.

Rank 19/106 2024 data
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Revenue Resilience

Provincial and federal grants and transfers as a share of total revenue. Lower is better — the municipality is more financially self-sufficient. Note: high grant dependency may reflect dedicated capital programs, not fiscal weakness. Learn more ↗
Top of Band

14.8%

grant dependency
1.3% Band Min
65.1% Band Max
Band Avg: 22.1%
BC Avg: 23.6%

Grant dependency of 14.8% is below the band average of 22.1%, indicating stronger revenue self-sufficiency.

Rank 36/106 2024 data
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Service Efficiency

Total operating expenses per resident across all municipal services. Lower is better — delivering services at lower per-person cost. Smaller municipalities often have higher per-capita costs due to fixed overhead. Learn more ↗
Top of Band

$1,738

/ person
$1,435 Band Min
$26,604 Band Max
Band Avg: $4,471
BC Avg: $3,918

Total spending of $1,738/person is $2,733 below the band average, ranking 7th of 106 for service efficiency.

Rank 7/106 2024 data
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What's Driving These Numbers

Tax Revenue by Property Class

Tax levy collected from each property class — how the tax burden is distributed across residential, commercial, industrial, and other property owners. Year coverage varies by data availability.

How the annual municipal tax levy is split across property classes. A higher residential share means homeowners carry more of the tax burden.

Share of total municipal tax levy by property class
Bottom of Band

Annual Homeowner Cost

Estimated taxes on a median-value home

A typical homeowner pays $6,168/year — 129% above the band average of $2,689.

Estimated annual property tax bill on a median-value home (all dwelling types — not single-family only). See methodology.

Learn more ↗

$6,168 / yr

$213 Band Min
$12,750 Band Max
Band Avg: $2,689
BC Avg: $4,403
97th of 105 in band
Bottom of Band

Residential Tax Base

Share of assessed property value from residential

95.5% of the tax base is residential — homeowners carry nearly all of the tax burden. Band average: 68.2%.

Learn more ↗

95.5%

4.7% Band Min
99.8% Band Max
Band Avg: 68.2%
BC Avg: 77.1%
99th of 105 in band
Top of Band

Population Growth

Change over 5 years (2020–2025)

Population grew 7.3% over 5 years, compared to the band average of 5.0%.

Learn more ↗

+7.3%

-13.1% Band Min
24.7% Band Max
Band Avg: 5.0%
BC Avg: 12.6%
32nd of 92 in band

Development Activity

Building permit data not available

Revenue Breakdown / person

Per-capita revenue by source — how much each resident contributes through each funding stream. Own-Source Tax = municipal property taxes. Transfers = federal and provincial grants. Service Sales = utility and fee revenues.

Expense Breakdown / person

Per-capita operating expenses by municipal service category. Municipalities with water, sewer, or transit utilities will show higher totals.

Peer Comparison

Comparing against 42 municipalities in the 1,500-5,000 band.

MunicipalityTypePopulation▼Rev/CapExp/CapSurplus/CapDebt/CapTax BillTax Coll. %Liab. Used %5yr Growth
CumberlandV4,974$3,054$2,068$986$1,911$6,19698.1%26.4%+9.4%
VanderhoofD4,545$3,134$2,622$512$542$4,68697.8%16.1%+0.3%
Bowen IslandD4,501$3,770$2,805$965$2,686$11,15998.1%26.1%+6.4%
SparwoodD4,486$4,236$3,294$942$997$4,07499.0%13.3%+6.1%
GoldenT4,433$3,793$3,266$527$1,084$5,66198.0%87.4%+7.7%
Northern RockiesD4,400$9,736$8,810$927$4,902—87.4%19.3%—
RosslandC4,355$4,062$2,702$1,360$1,639$7,00398.5%22.2%+4.7%
Grand ForksC4,308$5,779$3,616$2,163$605$6,63795.1%6.6%+2.5%
InvermereD4,305$3,520$2,876$644$2,331$5,89698.9%29.0%+9.3%
LantzvilleD4,276$1,726$1,435$292$900$8,29596.9%8.8%+9.9%
Port HardyD4,201$2,873$2,793$80$671$4,27995.3%15.7%+3.3%
Lake CowichanT3,757$2,810$1,738$1,071$0$6,16896.9%0.4%+7.3%
PembertonV3,620$4,161$3,431$731$1,043$4,568102.5%18.4%+7.6%
MackenzieD3,442$5,292$4,053$1,239$0$3,24982.9%0.2%-6.1%
EnderbyC3,292$3,342$1,810$1,532$581$4,46397.6%10.8%+4.1%
HoustonD3,114$4,531$3,362$1,169$297$4,53197.0%4.2%-2.0%
PrincetonT3,050$6,414$3,841$2,572$2,379$3,06094.1%23.4%+1.9%
ElkfordD3,030$4,866$3,384$1,482$3,468$4,45999.1%23.1%+7.2%
SicamousD2,854$6,913$4,347$2,565$2,227$4,69797.3%17.7%+7.4%
TofinoD2,772$12,822$6,299$6,523$6,246$7,96599.7%18.2%+5.8%
HighlandsD2,753$1,611$1,472$140$40$5,83696.6%7.6%+8.9%
Tumbler RidgeD2,663$7,559$6,196$1,363$0$2,85199.4%3.9%+11.2%
ChaseV2,591$2,437$1,945$492$684$4,13897.9%13.9%+5.5%
AnmoreV2,508$3,007$2,059$948$972$12,75097.4%12.6%+2.3%
ClearwaterD2,500$3,394$3,076$318$60$4,18597.9%4.6%+3.1%
ChetwyndD2,484$4,862$3,727$1,135$1,160$4,19098.6%10.5%+0.9%
UclueletD2,452$6,044$3,646$2,398$588$6,16698.8%19.2%+19.0%
Port McNeillT2,402$2,461$2,215$246$445$3,859102.4%15.7%-0.4%
Logan LakeD2,337$4,319$2,752$1,567$102$3,14098.5%16.4%+2.1%
LumbyV2,257$2,840$1,645$1,196$82$4,67793.3%3.9%+7.5%
Harrison Hot SpringsV2,148$4,261$2,957$1,305$129$4,97194.6%2.6%+13.7%
FruitvaleV2,068$2,107$1,673$434$1,014$5,47096.3%16.3%+2.6%
LillooetD2,065$4,012$3,784$229$0$4,79196.4%0.0%-13.1%
100 Mile HouseD2,030$3,912$3,565$348$0$4,00698.2%0.5%+2.2%
Burns LakeV2,007$7,155$3,439$3,716$0$4,34392.7%31.1%+1.7%
KeremeosV1,779$1,631$1,591$40$82$3,80397.8%3.6%+11.0%
AshcroftV1,744$2,950$2,551$399$0$4,17493.5%0.0%+3.4%
NakuspV1,740$4,281$3,376$905$611$4,35096.2%9.8%+5.0%
WarfieldV1,729$1,996$1,883$113$172$5,50297.3%23.0%-2.0%
Sun PeaksV1,546$6,424$6,079$345$8,533$6,64799.1%48.1%+13.3%
TelkwaV1,544$3,531$2,193$1,338$89$5,18195.1%7.4%+1.7%
Fort St. JamesD1,542$7,183$4,492$2,691$134$3,74697.5%2.1%+2.4%