Photo: CanadianEman · CC BY-SA 3.0Fort Nelson: 24% of residents have an Indigenous identity, above 98% of Canadian towns
16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns, against 20% in Fort Nelson. With about 4,144 residents in July 2025, Fort Nelson counted 1,690 households at the 2021 Census. On the census count, 13% of residents are 65 or over. Residents who moved in within the year are more common here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Statistics Canada counts Fort Nelson as part of Northern Rockies: the figures on this page are the municipality’s.
What stands out about the people of Fort Nelson
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
An Indigenous identity is reported by 24% of residents, more than in 98% of Canadian towns, and 12% are Registered or Treaty Indians. Identity & religion ↓
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Fort Nelson went from 4,862 to 3,947 residents (−19%), slower growth than in 99% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Fort Nelson changed by −19% from 2016 to 2021, behind 99% of Canadian towns
Every figure here comes from the 2021 Census unless it carries another date. Two census counts, five years apart, and Statistics Canada’s newest estimate.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 5%. Across Canada’s towns, the typical town changed +4%; across British Columbia’s towns, +6%.
Fort Nelson is younger than 66% of Canadian towns: a median age of 39.6
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
The largest age band is 60–64: nearly one in ten residents. Just over one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24 across Canada’s towns, against 10% in Fort Nelson.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Fort Nelson, 39.6. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 108 men for every 100 women.
Fort Nelson: 33% of households are one person living alone, above 72% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Households average 2.3 people, against 2.4 across Canada’s towns. One-person households make up 27% across Canada’s towns. On the census count, 8.9% of households are one-parent families.
Above 77% of Canadian towns: 15% of residents 15 and over live common-law
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns, against 44% in Fort Nelson. The comparison figure for common-law partners is 11% across Canada’s towns.
A larger share of renter households than 61% of Canadian towns: 31%
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
9.7% of homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%. Across Canada’s towns, the share of renter households is 25%. In Fort Nelson, 58% of households live in a single-detached house.
$84,000 a year: the median household income
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
Household incomes sit at the middle in Fort Nelson: half had more than $84,000, near the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Among British Columbia’s towns, the typical figure is $87,000. Emergency and recovery benefits reached 28% of those with an income, beside a typical 28%.
7.6% of residents are immigrants
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 20%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
The largest groups of immigrants were born in Asia (48%) and in Europe (27%). Lower than in 71% of Canadian towns: 7.6% of residents are immigrants. On top of that, 4% of residents are not Canadian citizens, against 5.8% across Canada’s towns.
A larger share of residents with no religion than 96% of Canadian towns: 60%
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Set against 15% across Canada’s towns, 8.2% of residents belong to a visible minority in Fort Nelson. Residents with no religion: 35% across Canada’s towns, for comparison.
English is the mother tongue of 87%, and 2.8% speak French as well
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 Fort Nelson, 2.8%. On the census count, 1.1% of residents have French as their mother tongue.
Fort Nelson ranks below 88% of Canadian towns on degree holders aged 25 to 64: 13%
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
No certificate at all: 18%, against 9.5%. Typically, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 65%
The census counted work in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so read these rates as a pandemic snapshot. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 65% is above the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
41 towns of 4,082 to 4,206 people: this is the 11th youngest
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
The span goes from 31.7 (Banff Trail) up to 58.4 (Lake of Bays). Closest in median age to Fort Nelson are Tuxedo Park (37.7), Northern Lights County (39.2), Napierville (40.4) and Matt Berry (40.4).
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 British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns. Two medians frame each figure: one for British Columbia’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, one for all Canadian towns of that size, with whole cities and First Nations reserves left out. Percentiles rank the town within Canada.
- What these tables don’t give. Not in the Census Profile: unpaid care, cars, internet access, and how each age group has changed since 2016. We also chart no ethnic origins besides visible minority and Indigenous identity.
Questions about Fort Nelson’s residents
How diverse is Fort Nelson?
7.6% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 8.2% belong to a visible minority and 24% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Fort Nelson?
38% are Christian and 60% have no religion; 2.7% follow another religion.
Is Fort Nelson good for families?
Under 15: 20% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 51% of households. One-parent families: 8.9%. Schools near Fort Nelson are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Fort Nelson?
The median household in Fort Nelson took in $84,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Fort Nelson?
Fort Nelson had about 4,144 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 3,947, 19% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Fort Nelson?
A median age of 39.6, younger than 66% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 20%, and people 65 and over 13%.
Is Fort Nelson bilingual?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 7.5% are bilingual; here 2.8% are. Another 0% speak only French and 96% only English, and French is the first language of 1.1%.
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).