Demographics
[edit]
Historical populationYearPop.±% 1921 3,979—     1931 4,640+16.6% 1941 5,777+24.5% 1951 10,548+82.6% 1956 11,894+12.8% 1961 13,859+16.5% 1966 15,330+10.6% 1971 18,146+18.4% 1976 21,344+17.6% 1981 23,181+8.6% 1986 23,588+1.8% 1991 27,258+15.6% 1996 30,987+13.7% 2001 30,985−0.0% 2006 31,909+3.0% 2011 32,877+3.0% 2016 33,761+2.7%202136,885+9.3%Sources: Statistics Canada
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Penticton had a population of 36,885 living in 17,361 of its 18,457 total private dwellings, a change of 9.3 per cent from its 2016 population of 33,761. With a land area of 43.03 km2 (16.61 sq mi), it had a population density of 857.2/km2 (2,220.1/sq mi) in 2021.
In 2016. Penticton has a dwelling occupancy rate of 93.2 per cent. The median value of a private dwelling is $359,167, just under the national median of $374,975. The median age is 52.4, much higher than the national median age of 41.2. 29.0 per cent of residents are 65 years or older, compared to 16.9 per cent nationally. In 2024, the median value of a single family home is priced at $750,000 CAD.
Ethnicity[edit]
As of 2021, 84.3 per cent of residents are white, while 8.9 per cent are visible minorities, and 6.8 per cent are Indigenous. The largest visible minority groups in Penticton are South Asian (3.2 per cent), Filipino (1.4  per cent), Chinese (1.0  per cent), and Black (0.7  per cent), and Japanese (0.5  per cent).
Panethnic groups in the City of Penticton (2001−2021)
Panethnicgroup
2021
2016
2011
2006
2001
Pop.
%
Pop.
%
Pop.
%
Pop.
%
Pop.
%
European
30,110
84.28%
28,000
86.18%
28,050
88.43%
28,510
90.83%
27,990
91.05%
Indigenous
2,420
6.77%
2,220
6.83%
2,005
6.32%
990
3.15%
960
3.12%
South Asian
1,130
3.16%
920
2.83%
710
2.24%
990
3.15%
755
2.46%
East Asian
685
1.92%
490
1.51%
295
0.93%
420
1.34%
485
1.58%
Southeast Asian
670
1.88%
500
1.54%
280
0.88%
280
0.89%
305
0.99%
African
265
0.74%
95
0.29%
120
0.38%
20
0.06%
65
0.21%
Latin American
175
0.49%
105
0.32%
100
0.32%
75
0.24%
175
0.57%
Middle Eastern
120
0.34%
55
0.17%
75
0.24%
25
0.08%
20
0.07%
Other
150
0.42%
100
0.31%
75
0.24%
85
0.27%
0
0%
Total responses
35,725
96.86%
32,490
96.24%
31,720
96.48%
31,390
98.37%
30,740
99.21%
Total population
36,885
100%
33,761
100%
32,877
100%
31,909
100%
30,985
100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses.
Language[edit]
As of 2016, 86.4  per cent of residents spoke English as their first language. Other common mother tongues are German (2.2  per cent), Punjabi (1.8  per cent), French (1.8  per cent), Portuguese (0.7  per cent) and Tagalog (0.6  per cent).
Religion[edit]
According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Penticton included:
Irreligion (19,645 persons or 55.0  per cent)
Christianity (14,575 persons or 40.8  per cent)
Sikhism (750 persons or 2.1 per cent)
Hinduism (170 persons or 0.5 per cent)
Buddhism (155 persons or 0.4 per cent)
Islam (90 persons or 0.3 per cent)
Judaism (60 persons or 0.2 per cent)
Indigenous Spirituality (45 persons or 0.1 per cent)
As of 2011, 52.9 per cent of residents were Christian. The largest denominations were Catholic (15.8 per cent), other Christian (14.5  per cent) United Church (8.6  per cent), Anglican (4.7 per cent), and Baptist (2.0 per cent) The largest minority religions were Sikhism, practised by 1.7 per cent of the population and Buddhism, practised by 0.5 per cent, while 43.5 per cent held no religious affiliation.
