The statistics below are taken from information published by the City of Victoria and are based on the 2001 census. While they can tell us a lot about our neighbourhood, the information is already out-of-date. Statistics Canada has completed and published the results of the 2006 census. Presumably, City Hall is hard at work on an update to their neighbourhood profiles. But why should we wait? We can see what’s going on around us. Let’s talk about it.

Jamesbay.org wants to share your observations and opinions about the neighbourhood. What changes have you seen in the population, employment trends, housing patterns, and lifestyles in James Bay? Where do you think we’re headed? Are we going the right way?

We’re also looking to put some humanity into these dry as dust numbers. We’d love to hear your stories of how James Bay is changing (or not). We’ll be happy to post your observations, opinions and anecdotes on our site. Just send us an e-mail, or leave a comment below.

Population

There are 11,135 people living in James Bay.

Nearly one third of these people are over 65 years old. Another fifth are between 25 and 39, while 15.2 per cent are between 45 and 54.

Females make up 56.8 per cent of the population in James Bay.

Over 13 per cent of the population speak both English and French, while 20 people reported that they spoke neither English nor French.

Three per cent of the population are of Aboriginal descent.

Eighty per cent of the families in James Bay have only two members. Sixty-three per cent of the neighbourhood’s families are couples without children living at home. The average household size is 1.6 people.

One fifth of families have a single parent, which are predominantly led by women.

Work and Income

About one half of the men and women in James Bay work full time. The total working population is 5,655.

Two thousand seven hundred and fifteen men work full or part time, and earn an average of $30,290. The 2,940 women who work earn $25,690 on average.

Income from employment makes up 56.7 per cent of the income earned in James Bay, while government transfers make up another 18.1 per cent.

One third of income earners in James Bay make less than $15,000 per year. Twenty-eight per cent earn between $15,000 and $29,999. One quarter earn between $30,000 and $49,999, while 13.6 per cent earn over $50,000.

Thirty-seven per cent of the females in James Bay earned under $15,000.

Individual James Bay residents earn $632 per year more than the City of Victoria average, but families in James Bay earn $5,300 less than the city average.

There are 405 low-income families in James Bay, making up 16.4 per cent of the families in the neighbourhood. Thirty-four per cent of singles, or 1,575 single people earn under $15,000.

Between 1991 and 2001 the average income for residents of James Bay increased from $23,182 to $27,767. That is an increase of $4585. Adjusted for inflation the increase is about $385, (Bank of Canada Inflation Calculator, http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/rates/inflation_calc.html, Accessed May 5, 2008).

Eighty-five per cent of the workers in James Bay are paid workers, while 12.4 per cent are self-employed. Twenty-eight per cent work in sales and service, and another 16.4 per cent work in public administration.

One half of the working population is employed within the City of Victoria, one quarter travel to a different municipality, and 12.8 per cent work from home.

Thirty-six per cent of James Bay's workers walk to work.

Forty per cent of the population in James Bay has some University training, while 27.2 per cent have at least a bachelor’s degree. One quarter of James Bay residents have attended college, and 9.6 per cent have a trade certificate or diploma. Twenty-two per cent have some high school as their highest level of education, and 3.4 per cent have less than a grade nine education.

Housing

Seventy-seven per cent of the homes in James Bay are rented apartments. Twenty-eight per cent of them are in buildings over five stories high. Single detached houses make up 8.4 per cent of James Bay’s homes.

Seventy-three per cent of all housing in James Bay is rented.

Forty-two per cent of households spend over 30 per cent of their income on housing, including nearly half of the tenants and 22.1 per cent of homeowners.

The average rent in James Bay is $729 per household per month.

The average price of single-family homes sold in the city of Victoria in April 2008 was $567,750. The average price of condominiums was $304, 256. (Victoria Real Estate Board, http://www.vreb.org/mls_statistics/current_statistics.html, Accessed May 5, 2008).

Sources

Unless otherwise noted all information on this page comes from 2001 James Bay Community Profile, City of Victoria, 2001, which is based on Statistics Canada Census data from 1991, 1996, and 2001. See http://www.victoria.ca/residents/profiles.shtml, and http://www.statcan.ca, for more information.