Northwest Territories · Census Agglomeration
Yellowknife by the numbers
Yellowknife is Canada's 109th largest metro area, home to about 24K people, growing slower than the country since 2021 (+8.8% vs +9.3%). A two-bedroom rents for about $2,109, the median age is 35.2 and January averages -26°C.
People
Population of Yellowknife
The Yellowknife census agglomeration had an estimated 23,826 people on July 1, 2025, up +8.8% since 2021 (Canada grew +9.3%). The 2021 Census counted 20,340 people, +3.9% more than in 2016.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0148-01, Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0155-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0003-01
2021 Census
Who lives in Yellowknife
Age
Median age is 35.2 (Canada: 41.6). 7.8% of residents are 65 or older and 20.3% are under 15.
Languages
16.7% can speak both official languages. At home, 86.7% speak mostly English, 2.5% mostly French and 7.5% mostly another language.
Immigration
— of residents are immigrants (Canada: 23.0%), and — arrived between 2016 and 2021.
Education: 37.0% of 25 to 64 year olds hold a bachelor's degree or higher; 18.8% have a college or CEGEP diploma and 7.1% a trades certificate.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0030-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0223-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0227-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0302-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0384-01
Money
Income and jobs in Yellowknife
Half of Yellowknife households made more than $148,000 in 2020 and half made less. Across Canada the median was $84,000.
Gas prices
Regular gas averaged 181.3¢ a litre in September 2026, +24.3% from a year earlier (Canada: 184.3¢). Compare gas prices across Canada →
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0061-01, Statistics Canada, Table 18-10-0001-01
Housing
Housing in Yellowknife
Average rent (October 2025)
A two-bedroom apartment rented for $2,109 a month on average, +4.4% from a year earlier and +19.4% over five years.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0258-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0256-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0253-01, Statistics Canada, Table 34-10-0133-01, Statistics Canada, Table 34-10-0127-01
Commuting
Getting around Yellowknife
Census day 2021 fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, so transit use is lower than in normal years.
Climate
Yellowknife weather and climate
30-year averages (1981–2010) from the Yellowknife A weather station, 3.7 km from the city centre.
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010
Official city data
Yellowknife open data & fun facts
City of Yellowknife Open Data Portal · 6 datasets
- Civic Addresses All official civic addresses for the City of Yellowknife.
- Road Network Road Network for the City of Yellowknife.
- Parks Parks maintained by the City of Yellowknife.
- Trail Network Trail Network for the City of Yellowknife.
Out of all Canadian metro areas with data
How Yellowknife ranks
Compare
Cities near Yellowknife
Interactive timeline
History of Yellowknife
Yellowknife stands on the north shore of Great Slave Lake, in lands used by the Yellowknives Dene, who take their name from their copper knives, and by the Tłı̨chǫ. Fur traders passed through from the 1780s, and the Yellowknives Dene entered Treaty 8 in 1900, but the town only began with a gold rush in 1934. Gold mining built the city and left a legacy of arsenic at Giant Mine; Yellowknife became the territorial capital in 1967, a city in 1970, and the hub of Canada's diamond industry after 1998.
FAQ
Yellowknife questions, answered
What is the population of Yellowknife?
The Yellowknife metro area had an estimated 23,826 people on July 1, 2025 (Statistics Canada).
How much is rent in Yellowknife?
In October 2025 the average rent in Yellowknife was $1,757 for a one-bedroom and $2,109 for a two-bedroom apartment (CMHC Rental Market Survey).
What is the average household income in Yellowknife?
The median household income in Yellowknife was $148,000 before tax in 2020 ($126,000 after tax), according to the 2021 Census. The average was $165,400.
How cold does it get in Yellowknife?
January averages -25.6°C, with average lows of -29.5°C. Yellowknife gets about 158 cm of snow a year, and in July the average daily high is 21.3°C (1981–2010 climate normals).
Is Yellowknife bilingual?
16.7% of people in Yellowknife can speak both English and French; 82.4% speak English only and 0.4% French only (2021 Census).
What is the median age in Yellowknife?
The median age in Yellowknife was 35.2 in the 2021 Census, compared with 41.6 for Canada.
Built October 30, 2026 from the latest published official data.