Posted: December 8, 2011

Winnipeg Housing Statistics

[Ed. note: Many of these statistics have been updated, and can be found here.]

Looking for information about housing in Winnipeg? Look no further – here you’ll find all kinds of facts and statistics about housing in Winnipeg and Manitoba.

References are available at the bottom of the page, in case you are looking for more details.

Core Housing Need

Definition of Core Housing Need

“Acceptable housing is defined as adequate and suitable shelter that can be obtained without spending 30 per cent or more of before-tax household income. Adequate shelter is housing that is not in need of major repair. Suitable shelter is housing that is not crowded, meaning that it has sufficient bedrooms for the size and make-up of the occupying household. The subset of households classified as living in unacceptable housing and unable to access acceptable housing is considered to be in core housing need.”(1)

Core Housing Need

In 2006: (2)

11.3 % of all MB households lived in core housing need (46,900 people)
24.0 % of MB renter households lived in core housing need (28,800 people)
6.2 % of MB owner households lived in core housing need (18,100 people)
22.3 % of those who immigrated to Canada between 2001 and 2006 lived in core housing need in Manitoba (1,600 people)

In 2006: (3)

37.3 % of Winnipeg tenant-occupied households spent over 30% of their income on housing.
11.6 % of Winnipeg owner-occupied households spend over 30% of their income on housing.

Renting in Manitoba

Current Vacancy Rates

In April, 2011, the vacancy rate was (4)

0.7 % in Manitoba, the lowest vacancy rate in the provinces
0.7 % in Winnipeg
0.5 % in Thompson

Winnipeg’s Rental Universe

(This data only applies to apartment buildings with three or more units)

The rental universe in Winnipeg (5)

has declined in 15 of the past 18 years.
Lost 835 rental units, of which at least 450 units were permanently removed from the rental universe, between October 2009 and October 2010 (leaving 52,319 units).

Since 1992, Winnipeg’s rental universe has declined from 57,279 units to 52,319 in 2010, a decline of about 9 percent (6). At the same time, the population of Winnipeg has increased from 677,000 to 753,600, an increase of about 11 percent (7).

The result is a drop in the number of rental units per 100 people from 8.5 units to 6.9.

Rents

In April 2011, the average rent was (8)

$718 in Manitoba (compared with 696 $ in April 2010)
$725 in Winnipeg (compared with 703 $ in April 2010)
$692 in Thompson (compared with 652 $ in April 2010)

In 2011, the Median Market Rent in Manitoba was: (9)

Affordability of Average Rents in Winnipeg (10)

EIA and Rent in Winnipeg (11 and 12)

Social Housing

Manitoba Housing “owns the Province’s housing portfolio and provides subsidies to approximately 34,900 households under various housing programs. Within the portfolio, Manitoba Housing owns 17,600 units of which 13,100 units are directly managed by Manitoba Housing and another 4,500 units are operated by non- profit/cooperative sponsor groups or property management agencies. Manitoba Housing also provides subsidy and support to approximately 17,300 households (including 4,700 personal care home beds) operated by cooperatives, Urban Native and private non-profit groups.” (13)

Demographics

Migration

In 2010, 15,803 international migrants came to Manitoba, and 12,340 immigrants moved to Winnipeg. (14)

The population of Manitoba increased by 15,800 people from 2009-2010 (from 1,219,600 to 1,235,400). (15)

The population of Winnipeg increased by 9,700 people from 2009-2010 (from 674,400 to 684,100). (16)

National Social Housing Construction

In 1993, the federal government withdrew from housing. Until then, about 10 percent of the housing built each year in Canada was affordable to lower income households; since then it has been less than one percent. (17)