BC Municipal Service Efficiency Rankings

Total operating expenses per person indicates overall spending efficiency for municipal services delivered.

156 municipalities ranked Lower is better

Lowest — Best Performing

1. Langley (150,000+) $397 2. Coldstream (5,000-15,000) $1,247 3. Sooke (15,000-50,000) $1,279 4. Lantzville (1,500-5,000) $1,435 5. Highlands (1,500-5,000) $1,472

Highest — Needs Attention

152. Masset (Under 1,500) $8,862 153. Stewart (Under 1,500) $9,142 154. Port Edward (Under 1,500) $9,366 155. Zeballos (Under 1,500) $11,173 156. Lytton (Under 1,500) $19,024

Distribution

Top of Band

Mid-Band

Bottom of Band

About this Metric

Low value means

The municipality delivers services at a lower per-person cost — reflecting lean operations, economies of scale, or a leaner service menu compared to peers.

High value means

Each resident costs more to serve — this may reflect higher service levels, expensive geography, aging infrastructure, or operational inefficiency relative to peers.

For Councillors

Comparing cost-per-resident to similarly sized municipalities is the most direct test of operational efficiency. A significantly higher figure should prompt questions: Are we delivering more services? Do we have cost drivers peers do not (geography, infrastructure age, union agreements)? Are there consolidation or shared-service opportunities? The goal is not the lowest number at any cost — service quality matters — but unexplained gaps warrant scrutiny.

For Residents

Think of this as the price tag for running your city per person. Comparing it to towns of similar size tells you whether you are getting reasonable value. A much higher figure means you are paying more per person than comparable communities — which may be justified by better services, or may indicate room for greater efficiency.

Full Rankings

Click column headers to sort. Filter by population band.

Swipe table to see all columns

Prov. # ▲	Municipality	Type	Population	Value	Band Rank	vs Band Avg
1	Langley	D	163,885	$397	1 of 10	-82%
2	Coldstream	D	11,380	$1,247	1 of 91	-65%
3	Sooke	D	17,248	$1,279	1 of 48	-56%
4	Lantzville	D	4,276	$1,435	1 of 106	-68%
5	Highlands	D	2,753	$1,472	3 of 106	-67%
6	Metchosin	D	5,207	$1,484	2 of 91	-58%
7	Colwood	C	22,794	$1,501	3 of 48	-48%
8	Montrose	V	1,072	$1,509	4 of 193	-64%
9	Langford	C	59,664	$1,549	1 of 22	-48%
10	Keremeos	V	1,779	$1,591	4 of 106	-64%
11	Armstrong	C	5,643	$1,597	3 of 91	-55%
12	Surrey	C	703,531	$1,615	2 of 10	-28%
13	Lumby	V	2,257	$1,645	5 of 106	-63%
14	North Vancouver	D	97,845	$1,662	2 of 22	-45%
15	Fruitvale	V	2,068	$1,673	6 of 106	-63%
16	View Royal	T	12,795	$1,681	4 of 91	-52%
17	Salmo	V	1,310	$1,708	9 of 193	-60%
18	Lake Cowichan	T	3,757	$1,738	7 of 106	-61%
19	Spallumcheen	D	5,843	$1,759	5 of 91	-50%
20	Enderby	C	3,292	$1,810	9 of 106	-60%
21	Langley	C	35,444	$1,837	4 of 48	-37%
22	Maple Ridge	C	105,925	$1,844	3 of 22	-39%
23	Central Saanich	D	18,184	$1,846	5 of 48	-36%
24	Warfield	V	1,729	$1,883	10 of 106	-58%
25	Chilliwack	C	105,520	$1,886	4 of 22	-37%
26	Comox	T	15,884	$1,909	6 of 48	-34%
27	North Saanich	D	12,986	$1,915	6 of 91	-46%
28	Salmon Arm	C	20,891	$1,937	7 of 48	-33%
29	Chase	V	2,591	$1,945	11 of 106	-56%
30	Port Coquitlam	C	67,724	$1,993	5 of 22	-34%
31	North Cowichan	D	34,525	$2,014	8 of 48	-31%
32	Nanaimo	C	111,845	$2,022	6 of 22	-33%
33	Slocan	V	488	$2,028	12 of 193	-52%
34	Abbotsford	C	175,358	$2,028	3 of 10	-10%
35	Kent	D	7,093	$2,031	7 of 91	-43%
36	Anmore	V	2,508	$2,059	12 of 106	-54%
37	Mission	C	47,280	$2,064	10 of 48	-29%
38	Cumberland	V	4,974	$2,068	13 of 106	-54%
39	Sechelt	D	11,558	$2,071	8 of 91	-41%
40	Coquitlam	C	173,599	$2,072	4 of 10	-8%
41	Sidney	T	13,445	$2,089	9 of 91	-41%
42	Courtenay	C	32,869	$2,115	11 of 48	-27%
43	Qualicum Beach	T	9,640	$2,148	10 of 91	-39%
44	Vernon	C	49,527	$2,161	13 of 48	-25%
45	Ladysmith	T	9,926	$2,193	12 of 91	-38%
46	Telkwa	V	1,544	$2,193	16 of 106	-51%
47	Parksville	C	15,371	$2,204	14 of 48	-24%
48	shíshálh Nation Government District	D	792	$2,208	20 of 193	-48%
49	Saanich	D	126,011	$2,210	7 of 22	-27%
50	Port McNeill	T	2,402	$2,215	17 of 106	-50%
51	Campbell River	C	38,300	$2,219	15 of 48	-23%
52	White Rock	C	25,057	$2,222	16 of 48	-23%
53	Burnaby	C	299,682	$2,223	5 of 10	-1%
54	Lake Country	D	17,637	$2,225	17 of 48	-23%
55	West Kelowna	C	40,274	$2,235	18 of 48	-23%
56	Duncan	C	5,745	$2,361	17 of 91	-33%
57	Esquimalt	D	19,512	$2,379	19 of 48	-18%
58	Pitt Meadows	C	20,892	$2,382	21 of 48	-18%
59	Creston	T	5,976	$2,419	18 of 91	-32%
60	Peachland	D	6,302	$2,420	19 of 91	-32%
61	Prince George	C	85,944	$2,426	9 of 22	-19%
62	Richmond	C	239,584	$2,427	6 of 10	+8%
63	North Vancouver	C	66,624	$2,441	10 of 22	-19%
64	Kelowna	C	167,654	$2,484	7 of 10	+10%
65	Port Moody	C	38,285	$2,509	26 of 48	-13%
66	Delta	C	124,670	$2,515	11 of 22	-16%
67	Kamloops	C	108,793	$2,525	12 of 22	-16%
68	Terrace	C	13,648	$2,527	21 of 91	-28%
69	Kimberley	C	9,037	$2,531	22 of 91	-28%
70	Ashcroft	V	1,744	$2,551	25 of 106	-43%
71	Oliver	T	5,262	$2,600	25 of 91	-26%
72	Vanderhoof	D	4,545	$2,622	27 of 106	-41%
73	Cranbrook	C	22,703	$2,660	28 of 48	-8%
74	Rossland	C	4,355	$2,702	28 of 106	-40%
75	Kaslo	V	1,141	$2,722	42 of 193	-36%
76	Logan Lake	D	2,337	$2,752	31 of 106	-38%
77	Port Alberni	C	19,671	$2,759	31 of 48	-5%
78	Castlegar	C	9,465	$2,759	29 of 91	-22%
79	Squamish	D	28,578	$2,770	32 of 48	-4%
80	Gibsons	T	5,090	$2,776	30 of 91	-21%
81	Port Hardy	D	4,201	$2,793	33 of 106	-38%
82	Bowen Island	D	4,501	$2,805	34 of 106	-37%
83	Hope	D	7,183	$2,831	32 of 91	-20%
84	Daajing Giids	V	999	$2,840	56 of 193	-33%
85	Invermere	D	4,305	$2,876	36 of 106	-36%
86	Osoyoos	T	5,724	$2,883	34 of 91	-18%
87	Clinton	V	707	$2,886	62 of 193	-32%
88	Williams Lake	C	11,462	$2,927	35 of 91	-17%
89	New Westminster	C	92,124	$2,930	13 of 22	-3%
90	Harrison Hot Springs	V	2,148	$2,957	37 of 106	-34%
91	Victoria	C	103,888	$2,977	14 of 22	-1%
92	Trail	C	8,539	$2,998	39 of 91	-15%
93	Oak Bay	D	18,626	$3,021	34 of 48	+4%
94	Powell River	C	14,947	$3,034	41 of 91	-14%
95	Clearwater	D	2,500	$3,076	41 of 106	-31%
96	Fernie	C	7,086	$3,109	44 of 91	-12%
97	Vancouver	C	740,454	$3,111	10 of 10	+38%
98	Cache Creek	V	1,053	$3,142	78 of 193	-26%
99	Merritt	C	7,190	$3,146	46 of 91	-11%
100	Radium Hot Springs	V	1,489	$3,149	79 of 193	-26%
101	Gold River	V	1,339	$3,161	82 of 193	-25%
102	Summerland	D	12,343	$3,236	50 of 91	-8%
103	Golden	T	4,433	$3,266	46 of 106	-27%
104	Quesnel	C	10,253	$3,286	53 of 91	-7%
105	Sparwood	D	4,486	$3,294	48 of 106	-26%
106	New Denver	V	527	$3,296	85 of 193	-22%
107	Fort St. John	C	24,383	$3,302	37 of 48	+14%
108	Houston	D	3,114	$3,362	51 of 106	-25%
109	Nakusp	V	1,740	$3,376	52 of 106	-24%
110	Elkford	D	3,030	$3,384	53 of 106	-24%
111	Revelstoke	C	9,464	$3,385	54 of 91	-4%
112	Pemberton	V	3,620	$3,431	54 of 106	-23%
113	Burns Lake	V	2,007	$3,439	55 of 106	-23%
114	Port Alice	V	789	$3,472	96 of 193	-18%
115	Midway	V	671	$3,480	97 of 193	-18%
116	Lions Bay	V	1,375	$3,552	103 of 193	-16%
117	100 Mile House	D	2,030	$3,565	59 of 106	-20%
118	Belcarra	V	702	$3,614	105 of 193	-15%
119	Grand Forks	C	4,308	$3,616	61 of 106	-19%
120	Smithers	T	5,627	$3,626	65 of 91	+3%
121	Ucluelet	D	2,452	$3,646	62 of 106	-18%
122	Chetwynd	D	2,484	$3,727	64 of 106	-17%
123	Penticton	C	39,068	$3,727	39 of 48	+29%
124	Pouce Coupe	V	813	$3,746	114 of 193	-12%
125	Port Clements	V	352	$3,750	115 of 193	-12%
126	Lillooet	D	2,065	$3,784	68 of 106	-15%
127	Princeton	T	3,050	$3,841	69 of 106	-14%
128	Dawson Creek	C	13,635	$3,876	69 of 91	+10%
129	Mackenzie	D	3,442	$4,053	72 of 106	-9%
130	New Hazelton	D	666	$4,087	129 of 193	-4%
131	Prince Rupert	C	12,903	$4,170	72 of 91	+18%
132	Fraser Lake	V	942	$4,278	140 of 193	+1%
133	Sicamous	D	2,854	$4,347	74 of 106	-3%
134	West Vancouver	D	47,929	$4,458	43 of 48	+54%
135	Nelson	C	12,126	$4,482	78 of 91	+27%
136	Fort St. James	D	1,542	$4,492	77 of 106	+0%
137	McBride	V	646	$4,571	148 of 193	+8%
138	Alert Bay	V	465	$4,575	149 of 193	+8%
139	Valemount	V	1,082	$4,769	154 of 193	+13%
140	Silverton	V	196	$5,655	166 of 193	+33%
141	Canal Flats	V	889	$6,069	170 of 193	+43%
142	Sun Peaks	V	1,546	$6,079	87 of 106	+36%
143	Sayward	V	329	$6,110	171 of 193	+44%
144	Tumbler Ridge	D	2,663	$6,196	89 of 106	+39%
145	Tofino	D	2,772	$6,299	92 of 106	+41%
146	Taylor	D	1,415	$7,229	174 of 193	+71%
147	Hudson's Hope	D	1,019	$7,252	175 of 193	+71%
148	Tahsis	V	418	$8,157	179 of 193	+92%
149	Whistler	D	15,090	$8,531	48 of 48	+194%
150	Granisle	V	357	$8,602	181 of 193	+103%
151	Northern Rockies	D	4,400	$8,810	99 of 106	+97%
152	Masset	V	914	$8,862	183 of 193	+109%
153	Stewart	D	515	$9,142	185 of 193	+116%
154	Port Edward	D	442	$9,366	187 of 193	+121%
155	Zeballos	V	136	$11,173	189 of 193	+164%
156	Lytton	V	228	$19,024	191 of 193	+349%

Municipalities with Incomplete Data

The following 5 municipalities are excluded from this ranking due to missing or insufficient data points.

Municipality	Type	Reason for Exclusion
Barriere	D	Stale or missing fiscal reporting
Greenwood	C	Stale or missing fiscal reporting
Hazelton	V	Stale or missing fiscal reporting
Kitimat	D	Stale or missing fiscal reporting
Wells	D	Stale or missing fiscal reporting