CPABC: Population growth in the Thompson-Okanagan supported by steady intraprovincial migration
KELOWNA, British Columbia, July 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia’s (CPABC) quarterly BC Check-Up economic release, there were 669,958 people living in the Thompson-Okanagan on July 1, 2025, as the region gained 4,033 residents during the previous 12 months.
“Annual population growth slowed to 0.6 per cent, in line with the provincial trend,” said Karen Christiansen, FCPA, FCA. “It’s a combination of factors, including fewer newcomers from other countries, and weaker interprovincial migration.”
For the second year in a row, the Thompson-Okanagan recorded a net inflow of fewer than 500 people from other provinces. Meanwhile, the region gained 1,752 residents through international migration, down 77.2 per cent year-over-year. Conversely, intraprovincial migration held steady, as the region gained 4,327 residents from other parts of B.C. Natural growth, reduced the population by 2,488 people.
The region’s largest census metropolitan area (CMA) of Kelowna gained 2,957 people (+1.2 per cent) between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, while Kamloops’ population fell by 259 people during the year.
Since July 1, 2020, Kelowna’s population increased by 12.6 per cent, or 28,400 people, narrowly surpassing Greater Vancouver (+12.3 per cent) as the B.C.’s fastest growing CMA.
“In-migration from other parts of the province has been a consistent source of growth for the region,” noted Christiansen. “However, we’ve seen interprovincial migration fall quite drastically over the last three years, with higher housing costs relative to other provinces playing a role.”
Despite fewer home sales across the province through the first half of 2026, housing markets in the Thompson-Okanagan have shown resilience. Across the Okanagan and Shuswap/Revelstoke regions, year-to-date home sales totalled 4,220 in June 2026, similar to the number recorded during the first half of 2025. The average price of a home sold was $766,266, also little changed. In the Kamloops and District region, 1,182 housing units changed hands (-1.2 per cent) at an average sale price of $608,380 (-1.7 per cent).
In Kelowna’s rental market, the average monthly rent for an apartment was $1,904 in October 2025, up 10.0 per cent compared with October 2024. At the same time, the vacancy rate rose 2.6 percentage points to 6.4 per cent, the highest rate among Canadian census metropolitan areas (CMAs).
“Kelowna’s rental market is currently out of balance, due to a surge of purpose-built rentals entering the market during the last few years,” concluded Christiansen. “That presents some near-term challenges, while the focus remains finding ways to improve affordability in the region.”
To learn more, visit www.bccpa.ca.
About CPA British Columbia
The Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) is the training, governing, and regulatory body for over 40,000 CPA members and 6,000 CPA candidates and students. CPABC carries out its primary mission to protect the public by enforcing the highest professional and ethical standards and contributing to the advancement of public policy.
For more information, contact the CPABC Communications Team: news@bccpa.ca
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