CPABC: Northeast B.C. adds 532 residents in 2025 as international migration eases

FORT ST. JOHN, British Columbia, July 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia’s (CPABC) quarterly BC Check-Up economic release, there were 72,554 people living in Northeast B.C. on July 1, 2025, up 0.7 per cent from one year earlier.

“Population growth in Northeast B.C. moderated in 2025, as the region added 532 residents,” said Alan Bone, CPA, CA, partner at Eclipse LLP. “International migration to the region declined, and we continued to lose residents to other provinces and regions in B.C.”

Natural growth – births minus deaths – was the greatest contributor to the region’s population gain, resulting in 468 additional residents. Northeast B.C. also added 374 residents through international migration, down 71.5 per cent from the net gain of 1,313 recorded during the previous year. Meanwhile, there was a net outflow of residents to other provinces (-228) and other regions in B.C. (-82).

Northeast B.C. remained the youngest region in British Columbia, with an average age of 37.4 years old, five and a half years younger than the provincial average of 42.9.

“With fewer newcomers arriving in Canada, smaller regions face greater competition for the skilled workers needed to support economic growth,” continued Bone. “That creates a very different reality than in some of B.C.’s larger urban centres, which have experienced much stronger population growth in recent years.”

Across the region, housing market performance has been mixed. In Northeast B.C.’s largest market of Fort St. John, the benchmark price for an average home – which includes all housing types – was $414,200 in June 2026, up 1.2 per cent from one year earlier. During the first half of 2026, detached home sales rose 6.3 per cent year-over-year, and the average sale price increased 4.7 per cent.

Conversely, the year-to-date average sale price of a home in the South Peace River Region, which includes Dawson Creek, was $310,837, down 3.2 per cent year-over-year. As of June 2026, year-to-date home sales were down 17.5 per cent compared with the first six months in 2025.

“Relatively affordable housing remains an advantage in Northeast B.C., but it needs to be paired with strong economic opportunities to attract more people to the region,” concluded Bone. “Realizing that potential will require continued investment and economic development that supports long-term growth.”

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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