Vancouver neighbourhood scores
Living in Dunbar-Southlands, Vancouver
Dunbar-Southlands grades B overall (71/100), #16 of 22 residential areas in and around Vancouver. Its strongest categories are flood risk, crime and shops & food; its weakest are road safety and highway access.
Dunbar-Southlands has about 6,915 home addresses across 9.1 km². Out of 22 residential areas, Dunbar-Southlands ranks #1 for families, #20 for seniors and #18 for commuters. It grades A for crime, schools, kids at home, childcare, shops & food, flood risk.
Explore Dunbar-Southlands on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Crime | A (91) | Police-reported incidents per 1,000 residents per year: violent crime, break-ins, thefts and mischief (collisions are in Road safety) |
| Schools | A (84) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | A (96) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | D (39) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | B (68) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Childcare | A (82) | Homes within 800 m of a licensed group centre or preschool, and 1 km of care for under-3s (home daycares alone don’t count) |
| Quiet streets | C (45) | How close homes are to traffic: right beside a highway counts most, fading out by 300 m; arterial roads fade out by 150 m and collector roads by 100 m (OpenStreetMap road types) |
| Shops & food | A (86) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | B (74) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | B (77) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | B (69) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | D (41) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1 or 99 interchange |
| Flood risk | A (93) | Share of homes outside the City's designated floodplain |
Who lives here
About 21,920 people live in Dunbar-Southlands (2021 Census), with a median age of 44 (city: 41.1). 71.5% of households own their home and 26.5% rent. 43.7% of households are families with children at home, 13.7% of residents are under 15 and 19.1% are 65 or older. 63% of homes are houses and 10% are apartments.
Schools
91.2% of homes are within 1 km of a public elementary school, and 71.7% are within 2 km of a public middle or secondary school. Across Vancouver School Board (School District 39), 93.4% of students graduate within six years of starting Grade 8 (BC: 92.5%, 2024/2025); the Province doesn't publish this for single schools.
| School | Beats % of BC schools | Results |
|---|---|---|
| Kerrisdale Elementary elementary | 90 | FSA reading beats 89% of BC schools; FSA math beats 91% |
| Lord Kitchener Elementary elementary | 90 | FSA reading beats 87% of BC schools; FSA math beats 92% |
| Southlands Elementary elementary | 53 | FSA reading beats 43% of BC schools; FSA math beats 62% |
| St. George's School independent elementary | 98 | FSA reading beats 99% of BC schools; FSA math beats 99%; 99% proficient in graduation literacy (BC 75%); 81% in graduation numeracy (BC 47%) |
| Immaculate Conception School independent elementary | 99 | FSA reading beats 99% of BC schools; FSA math beats 98% |
Provincial test results (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025) compared with every BC school. They don't count toward any grade, because scores follow family income closely. How we work these out.
Parks
8 city parks covering 41.1 hectares. 67.1% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
57 bus stops with 7,449 weekday departures on routes 002, 007, 025, 033, 041, N22, R4, 049. 73.9% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Flood risk
6.6% of homes sit in the City's designated floodplain, according to the City of Vancouver floodplain map.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 1,837 crashes inside Dunbar-Southlands from 2021 to 2025, 467 of them with injuries or deaths.
Crime
The Vancouver Police Department recorded 1,494 incidents in Dunbar-Southlands from 2021–2025, about 13.6 per 1,000 residents a year (1 of them violent). Crime grades A. The VPD cautions people not to rely on its data to judge the safety of a specific location or area.
Common questions about Dunbar-Southlands
Is Dunbar-Southlands a good place to live?
Dunbar-Southlands grades B overall (71/100), #16 of 22 residential areas in and around Vancouver. Its strongest categories are flood risk, crime and shops & food; its weakest are road safety and highway access. For families it ranks #1, for seniors #20 and for commuters #18. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
How much crime is there in Dunbar-Southlands?
The Vancouver Police Department recorded about 13.6 incidents per 1,000 residents a year in Dunbar-Southlands from 2021–2025, 1 of them violent. Crime grades A.
Is Dunbar-Southlands in a flood zone?
6.6% of homes in Dunbar-Southlands sit in the City's designated floodplain (City of Vancouver floodplain map). It grades A for flood risk.
What schools are in Dunbar-Southlands?
Public schools inside the boundary: Kerrisdale Elementary, Lord Kitchener Elementary, Southlands Elementary, St. George's School, Immaculate Conception School. 91.2% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with Vancouver School Board (School District 39).
Are the schools in Dunbar-Southlands good?
On provincial tests, Immaculate Conception School beats 99% of BC schools, St. George's School beats 98% of BC schools, Kerrisdale Elementary beats 90% of BC schools, Lord Kitchener Elementary beats 90% of BC schools and Southlands Elementary beats 53% of BC schools (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025). SD39 graduates 93.4% of students within six years (BC 92.5%). Test scores follow family income closely, so visit and talk to the school too.
How many people live in Dunbar-Southlands?
About 21,920 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 44. 71.5% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Dunbar-Southlands?
73.9% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 57 stops get 7,449 TransLink departures on a weekday. Transit grades B.
Compare Vancouver neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- South Cambie B · 75
- Arbutus Ridge B · 74
- Riley Park B · 74
- Kensington-Cedar Cottage B · 74
- Killarney B · 73
- Hastings-Sunrise B · 73
- Sunset B · 72
- Kerrisdale B · 72
- Victoria-Fraserview B · 72
- Renfrew-Collingwood B · 72
- Kitsilano B · 72
- Marpole B · 72
- Grandview-Woodland B · 71
- West Point Grey B · 71
- Oakridge B · 71
- Shaughnessy B · 70
- Mount Pleasant B · 70
- Fairview B · 67
- Strathcona B · 66
- West End B · 66
- Downtown C · 63
Data last built 2026-11-04. How these grades are calculated