Downtown Commercial Core

Residential · Centre sector · Calgary, Alberta

Downtown Commercial Core is a residential community in the Centre sector of Calgary. At the 2021 Census of Canada it had a population of 8,225 living in private households. 61.2% of residents identified as members of a racialized (visible minority) group, against 41.4% across Calgary as a whole; the largest single group was South Asian at 21.3%. 35.3% were Caucasian (not a visible minority, excluding Indigenous identity), and 3.5% reported Indigenous identity. Immigrants made up 46.3% of the population, compared with 33.3% citywide. Median household income before tax was $51,200 in 2020, compared with $98,000 for Calgary. 92.2% of households rented rather than owned. The community covers 1.30 km², giving a population density of 6,317 people per square kilometre (Calgary averages about 2,600).

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Population8,2252021, private households

Visible minority61.2%Calgary 41.4%

Caucasian35.3%excl. Indigenous identity

Immigrants46.3%Calgary 33.3%

Median household income$51,200Calgary $98,000

Renter households92.2%Calgary 31.2%

Density6,317 /km²8,225 people over 1.30 km²

Population & age

Population and Dwellings

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households	8,225	100.0%	100.0%
Population in private households (Total)	8,225
Population in private households (Men +)	4,270
Population in private households (Women +)	3,955
0 to 14 years	810	9.8%	18.2%
15 to 64 years	6,690	81.3%	68.8%
65 to 84 years	665	8.1%	11.8%
85 years and over	55	0.7%	1.1%
0-4 (Total)	430
0-4 (Men +)	240
0-4 (Women +)	190
5-9 (Total)	200
5-9 (Men +)	70
5-9 (Women +)	130
10-14 (Total)	180
10-14 (Men +)	85
10-14 (Women +)	100
15-19 (Total)	175
15-19 (Men +)	85
15-19 (Women +)	90
20-24 (Total)	900
20-24 (Men +)	430
20-24 (Women +)	465
25-29 (Total)	1,310
25-29 (Men +)	655
25-29 (Women +)	660
30-34 (Total)	1,585
30-34 (Men +)	800
30-34 (Women +)	785
35-39 (Total)	830
35-39 (Men +)	515
35-39 (Women +)	315
40-44 (Total)	580
40-44 (Men +)	315
40-44 (Women +)	265
45-49 (Total)	350
45-49 (Men +)	170
45-49 (Women +)	175
50-54 (Total)	320
50-54 (Men +)	175
50-54 (Women +)	145
55-59 (Total)	325
55-59 (Men +)	165
55-59 (Women +)	160
60-64 (Total)	320
60-64 (Men +)	215
60-64 (Women +)	105
65-69 (Total)	315
65-69 (Men +)	175
65-69 (Women +)	140
70-74 (Total)	190
70-74 (Men +)	90
70-74 (Women +)	100
75-79 (Total)	100
75-79 (Men +)	40
75-79 (Women +)	55
80-84 (Total)	60
80-84 (Men +)	20
80-84 (Women +)	40
85-89 (Total)	50
85-89 (Men +)	15
85-89 (Women +)	30
90-94 (Total)	10
90-94 (Men +)	0
90-94 (Women +)	10
95-99 (Total)	0
95-99 (Men +)	0
95-99 (Women +)	0
100 years and over (Total)	0
100 years and over (Men +)	0
100 years and over (Women +)	0

Families & households

Private Households by Household Size

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Private households	4,925	100.0%	100.0%
1 person	2,680	54.4%	26.4%
2 persons	1,495	30.4%	31.9%
3 persons	495	10.1%	15.9%
4 persons	205	4.2%	15.8%
5 or more persons	50	1.0%	10.0%

Census Families

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Census families	1,700	100.0%	100.0%
Couple families	1,475	86.8%	85.3%
Married couples	1,065	62.6%	71.9%
With children	40	2.4%	4.2%
Without children	370	21.8%	9.2%
Common-law couples	410	24.1%	13.4%
One-parent families	220	12.9%	14.7%

One-Parent Census Families

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
One-parent families	220	100.0%	100.0%
Women +	190	86.4%	78.3%
Men +	35	15.9%	21.7%

Marital Status

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Marital status for the total population aged 15 years and over	7,415	100.0%	100.0%
Married/common-law	3,170	42.8%	58.9%
Married	2,350	31.7%	49.8%
Common-law	825	11.1%	9.1%
Not living with spouse or common-law partner	4,245	57.2%	41.1%
Never married	3,240	43.7%	29.2%
Separated	210	2.8%	2.2%
Divorced	610	8.2%	6.3%
Widowed	180	2.4%	3.4%

Language

Knowledge of Official Languages

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households	8,220	100.0%	100.0%
English only	7,410	90.2%	90.8%
French only	20	0.2%	0.1%
English and French	480	5.8%	6.6%
Neither English nor French	315	3.8%	2.5%

Languages Spoken Most Often at Home

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households	8,220	100.0%	100.0%
English	5,155	62.7%	75.3%
French	45	0.6%	0.5%
Non-official language	2,375	28.9%	18.8%
Spanish	180	2.2%	1.4%
Multiple languages	645	7.8%	5.5%
Tigrigna	165	2.0%
Mandarin	160	1.9%	1.7%
Korean	215	2.6%
Hindi	175	2.1%

Mother Tongue

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households	8,220	100.0%	100.0%
English	3,650	44.4%	63.9%
French	125	1.5%	1.2%
Non-official language	3,695	45.0%	29.6%
Arabic	275	3.4%
Spanish	270	3.3%	2.3%
Multiple responses	755	9.2%	5.2%
Mandarin	230	2.8%	2.4%
Hindi	220	2.7%

Knowledge of Non-Official Languages

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households	8,220	100.0%	100.0%
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)	350	4.3%	5.2%
Arabic	445	5.4%
Spanish	425	5.2%	4.2%
Hindi	995	12.1%	3.3%
Mandarin	345	4.2%	3.5%

Indigenous

Indigenous Identity

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households	8,225	100.0%	100.0%
Indigenous identity	290	3.5%	3.2%
Non-Indigenous identity	7,930	96.4%	96.8%

Indigenous Groups

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Indigenous identity population in private households	290	100.0%	100.0%
First Nations (North American Indian)	185	63.8%	44.6%
Metis	90	31.0%	50.4%
Inuk (Inuit)	0	0.0%	1.0%
Indigenous responses not included elsewhere	15	5.2%	1.9%
Multiple Indigenous responses	0	0.0%	2.1%

Knowledge of Indigenous Languages

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households with knowledge of an Indigenous language	10	100.0%	100.0%
Blackfoot	10	100.0%	28.5%

Race & diversity

Visible Minority (Racialized Population)

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households	8,225	100.0%	100.0%
Visible minority	5,035	61.2%	41.4%
South Asian	1,755	21.3%	11.0%
Chinese	560	6.8%	7.1%
Black	910	11.1%	5.5%
Filipino	410	5.0%	6.5%
Arab	310	3.8%	2.4%
Latin American	350	4.3%	2.5%
Southeast Asian	140	1.7%	2.0%
West Asian	195	2.4%	1.2%
Korean	265	3.2%	1.0%
Japanese	25	0.3%	0.5%
Visible minority, n.i.e.*	35	0.4%	0.4%
Multiple visible minorities	95	1.2%	1.5%
Not a visible minority	3,190	38.8%	58.6%

Generation Status

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households	8,225	100.0%	100.0%
First generation	4,900	59.6%	36.5%
Second generation	1,250	15.2%	21.8%
Third generation or more	2,070	25.2%	41.7%

Religion

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Total religion for the population in private households	8,225	100.0%	100.0%
Buddhist	125	1.5%	1.6%
Christian	2,915	35.4%	44.5%
Hindu	1,040	12.6%	2.6%
Jewish	15	0.2%	0.5%
Muslim	910	11.1%	7.4%
Sikh	135	1.6%	3.8%
Traditional (North American Indigenous Spirituality)	10	0.1%	0.1%
Other Religions & Spiritual Traditions	120	1.5%	0.8%
No Religion & Secular Perspectives	2,965	36.0%	38.7%

Immigration

Immigrant Status and Year of Immigration

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households	8,225	100.0%	100.0%
Non-immigrants	3,395	41.3%	64.6%
Immigrants	3,805	46.3%	33.3%
Before 1980	225	2.7%	3.8%
1980 to 1990	190	2.3%	3.1%
1991 to 2000	345	4.2%	4.8%
2001 to 2010	745	9.1%	9.1%
2011 to 2015	800	9.7%	6.3%
2016 to 2021	1,500	18.2%	6.3%
Non-permanent residents	1,020	12.4%	2.1%

Citizenship

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households	8,225	100.0%	100.0%
Canadian citizens	5,295	64.4%	87.6%
Not Canadian citizens	2,925	35.6%	12.4%

Continent and Country of Birth of Immigrants

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Immigrant population in private households	3,805	100.0%	100.0%
Americas	315	8.3%	10.2%
Europe	365	9.6%	16.0%
Africa	740	19.4%	12.0%
Asia	2,375	62.4%	61.0%
Oceania and other	15	0.4%	0.8%
Philippines	350	9.2%	15.2%
Other places of birth in Africa	210	5.5%
India	840	22.1%	13.1%
Other places of birth in Asia	225	5.9%
China	290	7.6%	8.4%

Continent and Country of Birth of Recent Immigrants (immigrated to Canada between 2016 and 2021)

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Recent immigrant population in private households	1,500	100.0%	100.0%
Americas	135	9.0%	9.3%
Europe	85	5.7%	8.0%
Africa	255	17.0%	18.5%
Asia	1,025	68.3%	63.4%
Oceania and other	0	0.0%	0.8%
Philippines	60	4.0%	19.0%
Eritrea	80	5.3%
India	640	42.7%	17.3%
Korea, South	60	4.0%
Other places of birth in Asia	65	4.3%

Immigrant Admission Category

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Immigrant population in private households who landed between 1980 and 2021	3,585	100.0%	100.0%
Economic immigrants	2,080	58.0%	56.4%
Immigrants sponsored by family	845	23.6%	28.0%
Refugees	635	17.7%	14.6%
Other immigrants	25	0.7%	1.0%

Education

Highest Certificate, Diploma, or Degree

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population aged 15 years and over in private households	7,415	100.0%	100.0%
No certificate, diploma or degree	740	10.0%	12.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	1,830	24.7%	25.9%
Post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree	4,840	65.3%	61.4%
Apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma	400	5.4%	5.9%
College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma	925	12.5%	16.4%
University certificate or diploma below bachelor level	220	3.0%	3.4%
University certificate, diploma or degree at bachelor level or above	3,295	44.4%	35.7%

Employment

Labour Force Status and Employment Status

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population aged 15 years and over in private households	7,415
In the labour force	5,420
Employed	4,570
Self-Employed	390
Unemployed	850
Not in the labour force	1,995
Labour force participation rate	73
Employment rate	62
Unemployment rate	16

Labour Force Status and Employment Status by Gender

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population aged 15 years and over in private households (Men +)	3,880
Population aged 15 years and over in private households (Women +)	3,535
In the labour force (Men +)	2,990
In the labour force (Women +)	2,425
Employed (Men +)	2,600
Employed (Women +)	1,970
Self-Employed (Men +)	245
Self-Employed (Women +)	150
Unemployed (Men +)	390
Unemployed (Women +)	460
Not in the labour force (Men +)	885
Not in the labour force (Women +)	1,105
Labour force participation rate (Men +)	77
Labour force participation rate (Women +)	69
Employment rate (Men +)	67
Employment rate (Women +)	56
Unemployment rate (Men +)	13
Unemployment rate (Women +)	19

Labour Force by Industry

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
In the labour force	5,420	100.0%	100.0%
Retail trade	715	13.2%	11.0%
Health care and social assistance	500	9.2%	12.4%
Professional, scientific and technical services	815	15.0%	11.5%
Accommodation and food services	625	11.5%
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services	340	6.3%

Labour Force by Occupation

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
In the labour force	5,420	100.0%	100.0%
Sales and service occupations	1,930	35.6%	24.0%
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations	485	8.9%	15.8%
Business, finance and administration occupations	860	15.9%	18.5%
Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services	470	8.7%	10.6%
Natural and applied sciences and related occupations	860	15.9%	11.4%

Income

Median Household and Individual Income Before Tax in 2020

Indicator	Number	Calgary
Median income of population aged 15 years and over	$33,600	$44,400
Men +	$37,600	$50,400
Women +	$31,000	$39,600
Median household income of private households	$51,200	$98,000

Total Household Income Groups in 2020 for Private Households

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Private households	4,925	100.0%	100.0%
Under $20,000	580	11.8%	3.6%
$20,000 to $39,999	1,350	27.4%	10.9%
$40,000 to $59,999	865	17.6%	12.3%
$60,000 to $79,999	750	15.2%	12.6%
$80,000 to $99,999	590	12.0%	11.6%
$100,000 to $124,999	330	6.7%	12.3%
$125,000 to $149,999	160	3.2%	9.4%
$150,000 to $199,999	170	3.5%	12.2%
$200,000 and over	135	2.7%	15.0%

Low Income in 2020 by Age

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population in private households to whom low- income concepts are applicable	8,225
Population in private households to whom low- income concepts are applicable (Number in low income)	2,100
Population in private households to whom low- income concepts are applicable (Per cent in low income)	26	26.0%	9.0%
0 to 17 years	880
0 to 17 years (Number in low income)	205
0 to 17 years (Per cent in low income)	23	23.0%	11.0%
18 to 64 years	6,625
18 to 64 years (Number in low income)	1,545
18 to 64 years (Per cent in low income)	23	23.0%	8.0%
65 years and over	720
65 years and over (Number in low income)	350
65 years and over (Per cent in low income)	49	49.0%	11.0%

Low Income in 2020 by Age — Low-income measure after tax (LIM-AT) threshold for private households, 2020

Indicator	Number	Calgary
1 person (After-tax income)	$26,503	—
2 persons (After-tax income)	$37,480	—
3 persons (After-tax income)	$45,904	—
4 persons (After-tax income)	$53,005	—
5 persons (After-tax income)	$59,261	—
6 persons (After-tax income)	$64,918	—
7 persons (After-tax income)	$70,119	—

Housing

Housing Tenure

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Private households	4,925	100.0%	100.0%
Owner households	380	7.7%	68.8%
Renter households	4,540	92.2%	31.2%

Housing Affordability (shelter-cost-to-income ratio)

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Private households with income	4,850	100.0%	100.0%
Households spending less than 30% of total income on shelter	3,085	63.6%	77.1%
Households spending 30% or more of total income on shelter	1,760	36.3%	22.9%

Housing Affordability for Renter and Owner Households

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Private households with total income greater than zero (Owner)	380
Private households with total income greater than zero (Renter)	4,540
Per cent households with income spending 30% or more total income on shelter (Owner)	38
Per cent households with income spending 30% or more total income on shelter (Renter)	36
Median monthly shelter costs (Owner)	1,550
Median monthly shelter costs (Renter)	1,100
Per cent with mortgage (Owner)	62
Per cent in subsidized housing (Renter)	14

Dwelling Condition

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Occupied private dwellings	4,925	100.0%	100.0%
Regular maintenance or minor repairs needed	4,670	94.8%	95.5%
Major repairs needed	255	5.2%	4.5%

Housing Suitability

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Private households	4,925	100.0%	100.0%
Suitable	4,300	87.3%	94.9%
Not suitable	625	12.7%	5.1%

Dwellings by Structure Type

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Occupied private dwellings	4,920	100.0%	100.0%
Single-detached house	0	0.0%	55.0%
Semi-detached house	0	0.0%	6.4%
Row house	15	0.3%	9.7%
Apartment or flat in a duplex	0	0.0%	4.1%
Apartment in a building that less than 5 storeys	50	1.0%	16.3%
Apartment in a building that has more than 5 storeys	4,860	98.8%	8.1%
Other single-attached house	0	0.0%	0.0%
Movable dwelling	0	0.0%	0.4%

Mobility & commuting

Mobility Status 1 year Ago

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population aged 1 year and over in private households	8,100	100.0%	100.0%
Non-movers	5,660	69.9%	86.2%
Movers	2,435	30.1%	13.8%
Non-migrants	1,550	19.1%	10.4%
Migrants	885	10.9%	3.4%
Internal migrants	535	6.6%	2.3%
External migrants	350	4.3%	1.1%

Mobility Status 5 Years Ago

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Population aged 5 years and over in private households	7,795	100.0%	100.0%
Non-movers	2,040	26.2%	58.1%
Movers	5,755	73.8%	41.9%
Non-migrants	2,700	34.6%	27.4%
Migrants	3,060	39.3%	14.6%
Internal migrants	1,300	16.7%	8.5%
External migrants	1,755	22.5%	6.0%

Mode of Transportation to Work

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Employed labour force aged 15 years and over in private households	3,275	100.0%	100.0%
Driver – car, truck or van	1,055	32.2%	77.2%
Passenger – car, truck or van	80	2.4%	6.0%
Public transit	1,265	38.6%	8.8%
Walked	760	23.2%	4.2%
Bicycle	20	0.6%	0.9%
Other methods	90	2.8%	2.9%

Commuting Duration

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Employed labour force aged 15 years and over in private households	3,275	100.0%	100.0%
Less than 15 minutes	885	27.0%	21.5%
15 to 29 minutes	1,355	41.4%	46.9%
30 to 44 minutes	615	18.8%	21.9%
45 to 59 minutes	195	6.0%	4.6%
60 minutes and over	225	6.9%	5.0%

Time Leaving for Work

Indicator	Number	Share	Calgary
Employed labour force aged 15 years and over in private households	3,275	100.0%	100.0%
Between 5 a.m. and 5:59 a.m.	135	4.1%	6.3%
Between 6 a.m. and 6:59 a.m.	460	14.1%	17.5%
Between 7 a.m. and 7:59 a.m.	645	19.7%	25.7%
Between 8 a.m. and 8:59 a.m.	665	20.3%	18.9%
Between 9 a.m. and 11:59 a.m.	685	20.9%	14.8%
Between 12 p.m. and 4:59 a.m.	690	21.1%	16.7%

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