Younger than 99% of Canadian towns: half of Laurel is under 31.2
Where 5.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens across Canada’s towns, Laurel has 35%. The neighbourhood had 15,263 residents in 4,025 households at the 2021 Census. 7.5% of households are one person living alone. Few places have so few residents with no religion: 9.6% here, fewer than in 98% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Laurel
More immigrants than most towns
61% of residents are immigrants, against 25% across Alberta’s towns and 17% across Canada’s towns. Most immigrants were born in Asia (91%) or in Africa (3.8%); 62% of them arrived from 2011 to 2021. Immigrants & newcomers ↓
A mix of backgrounds
Visible minority residents make up 89%, more than in 99% of Canadian towns, and immigrants 61%. Identity & religion ↓
Younger than most towns
Line Laurel’s residents up by age and the one in the middle is 31.2; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 25% are under 15 and 5.8% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A smaller share of residents aged 65 and over than 98% of Canadian towns: 5.8%
Every figure here comes from the 2021 Census unless it carries another date. Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
The figure for children under 15 is 25% in Laurel and 16% across Canada’s towns. Against that, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Laurel, 31.2. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split.
3.8 people per household, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
One-parent families make up 5%, against 8.2% across Canada’s towns.
Fewer common-law partners than 95% of Canadian towns: 3.7%
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
25% of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%. Set beside that, 11% of residents 15 and over live common-law across Canada’s towns.
Below 66% of Canadian towns: 52% of households live in a single-detached house
The kinds of homes people live in, who owns and who rents, and how old the homes are. Prices, rents and shelter costs are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Owners and renters · share of households
When homes were built · share of homes
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. As a yardstick, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. In Laurel, just over a fifth of households rent their home.
A median household income of $110,500 a year
The census asked about income in 2020: a pandemic year, with CERB and other emergency benefits counted in. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Laurel had $110,500 before tax, 28% above the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Alberta’s towns have a median of $92,200. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 44% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
A higher share of immigrants than 99% of Canadian towns, at 61%
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 70%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
62% of immigrants arrived from 2011 to 2021 (typical: 27%), and non-permanent residents make up a further 6.5% of residents. By way of comparison, 17% of residents are immigrants across Canada’s towns. Most immigrants were born in Asia (91%) or in Africa (3.8%). Residents who moved in within the year are more common here than in 87% of Canadian towns.
Visible minority residents make up 89% in Laurel, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
The share of Indigenous residents trails 79% of Canadian towns: 1.1%. Across the comparison, 15% of residents belong to a visible minority across Canada’s towns. Among other religions: Sikh (45%), Hindu (17%) and Muslim (6%).
77% have a mother tongue other than English or French
Who can speak English and French, mother tongue, and the language spoken most at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
On residents whose mother tongue is French, 0.8% here is much the same as across Canada’s towns. Bilingual residents account for 3%.
A higher share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 78% of Canadian towns, at 45%
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
A job for 68% of residents aged 15 and over
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 68%, more residents are in work than the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
In its size band (14,961 to 15,570), the 1st youngest of 41 towns
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
At one end is Laurel (31.2), at the other Parksville (62). Stonebridge (33) and Doon South (33.9): the towns nearest Laurel in median age.
The towns around Laurel are all older
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel | 15,263 | — | 31.2 | 5.8% | 61% |
| Daly Grove | 3,486 | 1.0 km | 37.5 | 13% | 30% |
| Crawford Plains | 3,075 | 1.4 km | 38.4 | 12% | 31% |
| Bisset | 3,049 | 1.6 km | 35.8 | 13% | 37% |
| Silver Berry | 9,439 | 1.7 km | 33.6 | 7.9% | 49% |
| Pollard Meadows | 4,361 | 1.9 km | 35.9 | 13% | 40% |
| Weinlos | 3,243 | 2.5 km | 38.4 | 16% | 39% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered them. “Visible minority” follows the Employment Equity Act, meaning people other than Indigenous peoples who are non-white in colour or race. We compare these figures across towns; none is a label for a town.
- Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns. For each measure we take the median of Alberta’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, then the median of all Canadian towns. Neither counts whole cities or reserves, and every percentile is a Canadian one.
- Neighbourhoods are sums of small areas. There is no census profile for a neighbourhood, so we add up the dissemination areas inside it. Each count is a sum of Statistics Canada’s rounded counts, the median age and income come from the published groups, and with 2016’s areas drawn differently there is no 2016 count.
- What these tables don’t give. Missing from the census as published: unpaid care, cars and internet access, and the shift in each age band since 2016. Ethnic origins past visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
Questions about Laurel’s residents
What religion are people in Laurel?
9.6% said they have no religion and 21% that they are Christian; 69% named another faith.
Is Laurel good for families?
25% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 57% of households and one-parent families 5%. Schools near Laurel are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Laurel?
Half of Laurel’s households had more than $110,500 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
What is the population of Laurel?
15,263, at the 2021 Census: Statistics Canada makes no later estimate for Laurel alone.
What is the average age in Laurel?
The median age is 31.2, younger than 99% of Canadian towns. 25% are under 15 and 5.8% 65 or older.
Is Laurel bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 3% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 89% speak only English and 0.2% only French; 0.8% grew up with French.
How diverse is Laurel?
Immigrants: 61% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 89%. Indigenous identity: 1.1%.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).