Photo: Hero122 · CC BY-SA 3.0Half of Stirling is under 32.4, younger than 97% of Canadian towns
27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns, against 15% in Stirling. Households in single-detached houses: 94% of the total. Fewer visible minority residents than in 92% of Canadian towns: 1.3%. This Alberta town had about 1,350 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 360 households at the 2021 Census.
What stands out about the people of Stirling
Younger than most towns
Half of Stirling’s residents are under 32.4 and half over; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 27% are under 15 and 14% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
Growing faster than most
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Stirling went from 978 to 1,164 residents (+19%), faster growth than in 95% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Stirling grew +19% from 2016 to 2021, ahead of 95% of Canadian towns
Unless a figure says otherwise, it is from the 2021 Census. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 16% higher again. Across Alberta’s towns the median is +1%, and across Canada’s towns +4%.
27% of residents are under 15, a share 99% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
Where just over one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24 across Canada’s towns, Stirling has 16%. 14% of residents are 65 or over.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 107 men for every 100 women.
Larger households than 94% of Canadian towns: 3.2 people on average
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The share of one-parent families is 6.9%, against 8.2% across Canada’s towns.
Only 4.7% of residents 15 and over live common-law in Stirling
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
58% of residents 15 and over are married, against 46% across Canada’s towns. The benchmark for common-law partners across Canada’s towns: 11%.
Below 84% of Canadian towns: 12% of households rent their home
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
Newer homes outnumber old: 43% date from 2001 or later, 18% from before 1961. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. As a reference point, 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns.
Half of households earn more than $85,000 a year
Incomes here are for 2020, the year before the census, CERB and other pandemic benefits included. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Stirling had $85,000 before tax, near the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The median across Alberta’s towns is $92,200. Emergency and recovery benefits reached 23% of those with an income, beside a typical 28%.
Residents who moved in within the year: 12%, a higher share than 61% of Canadian towns
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 30%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
Of the immigrants living here, 39% came between 2011 and 2021; across Canada’s towns the share is 27%. Across Canada’s towns, just over one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier. 7.8% of residents are immigrants.
More Indigenous residents than 68% of Canadian towns: 4.7%
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
A third of residents said they have no religion, against 35% across Canada’s towns. As a yardstick, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
92% have English as their mother tongue; 3.4% also speak 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
Across Canada’s towns, 7.5% of residents speak English and French; in Stirling, 3.4%. In Stirling, 0.4% of residents have French as their mother tongue.
17% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 76% of Canadian towns
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
10% have no certificate, diploma or degree (typical: 9.5%). To put it in context, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 59%
These rates date from May 2021, during the pandemic, and run lower than a normal year’s. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
About as many work here as in the typical town: 59%, against 58% across Canada’s towns.
No nearby town is as young as Stirling
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stirling | 1,350 | — | 32.4 | 14% | 7.8% |
| Raymond | 4,594 | 10.5 km | 35.2 | 19% | 7.2% |
| Warner County No. 5 | 4,533 | 12.5 km | 33.2 | 14% | 8.8% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. The census takes “visible minority” from the Employment Equity Act: anyone other than Indigenous peoples who is non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are what residents reported, compared here with other towns and never used as a label.
- Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns. A figure here is set beside two middles, the median across Alberta’s places of 2,500 people or more and the median across all Canadian towns that size; reserves and entire cities are excluded from both.
- 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 Stirling’s residents
What is the median income in Stirling?
The median household in Stirling took in $85,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Stirling?
Stirling had about 1,350 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 1,164, 19% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Stirling?
A median age of 32.4. Children under 15 make up 27%, and people 65 and over 14%.
Is Stirling bilingual?
English and French: 3.4% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 96%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 0.4%.
How diverse is Stirling?
7.8% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 1.3% belong to a visible minority and 4.7% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Stirling?
67% are Christian and 33% have no religion; 0% follow another religion.
Is Stirling good for families?
Under 15: 27% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 68% of households. One-parent families: 6.9%. Schools near Stirling are on its Schools page.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population · Statistics Canada, population estimates for 1 July 2025 (table 17-10-0155). 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).