Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainHalf of Electoral Area H, Nanaimo is over 60, older than 99% of Canadian towns
With residents with no religion at 63%, Electoral Area H, Nanaimo is ahead of 98% of Canadian towns on that count. Some 4,815 people live locally, by the estimate for July 2025. Census figures put residents aged 15 to 24 at 5.4% locally. Higher than in 81% of Canadian towns: 85% of households live in a single-detached house.
What stands out about the people of Electoral Area H, Nanaimo
Older than most towns
Electoral Area H, Nanaimo’s median age is 60; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 37% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Since 2016, Electoral Area H, Nanaimo has grown +11%, faster than 83% 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 12% higher again. Across Canada’s towns, half of towns changed by more than +4%; across British Columbia’s towns, by more than +6%.
37% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
Children under 15: 9.7% here and 16% across Canada’s towns. On average, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Electoral Area H, Nanaimo, 60. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
2.1 people per household, fewer than in 83% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Across Canada’s towns, 8.2% of households are one-parent families; in Electoral Area H, Nanaimo, 4.5%. In Electoral Area H, Nanaimo, 28% of households are one person living alone.
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
Singles who have never married make up 16% of adults, beside a typical 27%. Typically, 11% of residents 15 and over live common-law across Canada’s towns.
A lower share of renter households than 78% of Canadian towns, at 14%
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
36% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 5.5% built before 1961. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. The usual figure: a quarter of households rent their home across Canada’s towns.
$68,500 a year: where the middle household sits
The census asked about income in 2020: a pandemic year, with CERB and other emergency benefits counted in. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Electoral Area H, Nanaimo had $68,500 before tax, 20% below the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). $87,000 is the median household income across British Columbia’s towns. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 23% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
A higher share of residents who moved in within the year than 66% of Canadian towns, at 13%
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
Recent arrivals are 3.7% of immigrants (2011 to 2021), beside 27% across Canada’s towns. Across Canada’s towns, the share of residents who moved in within the year is 11%. For Electoral Area H, Nanaimo, the census puts residents without Canadian citizenship at 2.7%.
5.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 74% of Canadian towns
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
By its share of visible minority residents (4.4%), Electoral Area H, Nanaimo is below 70% of Canadian towns. Elsewhere, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
91% have English as their mother tongue; 4.4% 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 Electoral Area H, Nanaimo, 4.4%. In Electoral Area H, Nanaimo, 1.2% of residents have French as their mother tongue.
Electoral Area H, Nanaimo sits below 72% of Canadian towns for degree holders aged 25 to 64 (18%)
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
9.8% have no certificate, diploma or degree (typical: 9.5%). By way of comparison, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 39%
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 39% is below the typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 37% of residents are 65 or over.
Oldest by rank: 2nd of 41 towns of 4,705 to 4,923 people
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
At one end is Empire Park (30.9), at the other Sutton (60.4). By median age, Electoral Area H, Nanaimo sits among Rivière-Rouge (58), Guysborough (58.4) and Sutton (60.4).
A younger town than 1 of the 3 around it: Electoral Area H, Nanaimo
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area H, Nanaimo | 4,815 | — | 60 | 37% | 16% |
| Electoral Area F, Alberni-Clayoquot | 2,141 | 18.4 km | 54 | 29% | 7.3% |
| Qualicum Beach | 9,640 | 18.6 km | 67.5 | 56% | 20% |
| Electoral Area E, Alberni-Clayoquot | 3,069 | 19.0 km | 50.4 | 24% | 7.8% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. 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.
- The census’s own words. “Visible minority” is the census’s term from the Employment Equity Act: people, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered. The page compares them with other towns and never labels a town by them.
Questions about Electoral Area H, Nanaimo’s residents
Is Electoral Area H, Nanaimo good for families?
Under 15: 9.7% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 58% of households. One-parent families: 4.5%. Schools near Electoral Area H, Nanaimo are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Electoral Area H, Nanaimo?
The median household in Electoral Area H, Nanaimo took in $68,500 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Electoral Area H, Nanaimo?
Electoral Area H, Nanaimo had about 4,815 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 4,291, 11% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Electoral Area H, Nanaimo?
A median age of 60, older than 99% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 9.7%, and people 65 and over 37%.
Is Electoral Area H, Nanaimo bilingual?
English and French: 4.4% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 95%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 1.2%.
How diverse is Electoral Area H, Nanaimo?
16% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 4.4% belong to a visible minority and 5.8% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Electoral Area H, Nanaimo?
35% are Christian and 63% have no religion; 2.1% follow another religion.
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).