Photo: Quinn Desilets · CC BY-SA 4.0More residents with no religion than 99% of Canadian towns: 69%
Against a figure of 27% across Canada’s towns, the share of one-person households in Nelson comes in at 35%. Residents who moved in within the year: 17% of the total. At 51%, the share of households in single-detached houses is lower than in 67% of Canadian towns. With about 12,126 residents in July 2025, Nelson counted 4,950 households at the 2021 Census.
Nelson’s population changed by +5% since 2016, more than in 57% of Canadian towns
Every figure here comes from the 2021 Census unless it carries another date. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across British Columbia’s towns, +6%. Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 9% higher again.
Nelson ranks below 73% of Canadian towns on children under 15: 14%
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
Residents aged 65 and over make up 21%, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Typically, 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns. With a median age of 42.4, Nelson is older than 52% of Canadian towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Nelson, 42.4. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women.
Households here average 2.2 people, below 74% of Canadian towns
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
One-parent families: 9.5%, above 69% of Canadian towns. Shared houses stand out: 8.1% of households are unrelated adults living together, more than in 92% of Canadian towns.
In Nelson, 15% of residents 15 and over live common-law, more than in 78% of Canadian towns
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: a third of adults, against a typical 27%. As a yardstick, 11% of residents 15 and over live common-law across Canada’s towns.
Above 70% of Canadian towns: 37% of households rent their home
Dwelling types, tenure and age of the housing. 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
Nearly one in ten homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%. Older homes outnumber new: 46% predate 1961, 15% date from 2001 or later. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, renter households come to 25%.
The middle household earns $72,500 a year
Census incomes cover 2020, when emergency benefits like CERB lifted many households’ totals. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
Half of Nelson’s households had a total income below $72,500, 16% under the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). For British Columbia’s towns, the median household income is $87,000. Emergency and recovery benefits reached 31% of those with an income, beside a typical 28%.
In Nelson, 9.1% of residents are not Canadian citizens, more than in 65% of Canadian towns
Where immigrants were born and when they came, and how recently residents moved in.
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
29% of immigrants arrived between 2011 and 2021, against 27% across Canada’s towns. Residents without Canadian citizenship: 5.8% across Canada’s towns, for comparison. Immigrants account for 15%.
A higher share of Indigenous residents than 73% of Canadian towns, at 5.5%
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Nearly one in ten residents belong to a visible minority; across Canada’s towns the figure is 15%. Across Canada’s towns, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity.
Nelson sits above 67% of Canadian towns for bilingual residents (13%)
The official languages residents can speak, and the ones they learned first.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue across Canada’s towns, against 2.8% in Nelson. For comparison, 7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns.
A larger share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 72% of Canadian towns: 40%
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
No certificate, diploma or degree is held by 4%; in the typical town the share is 9.5%. The wider picture: 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
A job for 61% of residents aged 15 and over
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
61% of residents 15 and over have a job; across Canada’s towns the typical share is 58%.
41 towns of 11,870 to 12,393 people: this is the 21st oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
The span goes from 31.8 (Blackfalds) up to 60.4 (Elliot Lake). By median age, Nelson sits among McKenzie Lake (40.8), Humber Summit (41), L'Île-Perrot (44.4) and Moncton (44.8).
No nearby town is as young as Nelson
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson | 12,126 | — | 42.4 | 21% | 15% |
| Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay | 4,309 | 3.2 km | 51.2 | 27% | 11% |
| Electoral Area F, Central Kootenay | 4,209 | 4.8 km | 47.2 | 22% | 13% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. In the census, “visible minority” is the Employment Equity Act’s term for people who are non-white in colour or race and not Indigenous. Like immigrant status, Indigenous identity and religion, which residents reported themselves, it is compared with other towns, never turned into a label.
- Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns. Provincial and national yardsticks: British Columbia’s towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500 residents, and all Canadian towns of that size. No whole city and no First Nations reserve is in either median.
- 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 Nelson’s residents
Is Nelson bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 13% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 87% speak only English and 0% only French; 2.8% grew up with French.
How diverse is Nelson?
15% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 9.4% belong to a visible minority and 5.5% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Nelson?
25% are Christian and 69% have no religion; 6% follow another religion.
Is Nelson good for families?
Under 15: 14% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 41% of households. One-parent families: 9.5%. Schools near Nelson are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Nelson?
The median household in Nelson took in $72,500 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Nelson?
Nelson had about 12,126 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 11,106, 5% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Nelson?
A median age of 42.4, older than 52% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 14%, and people 65 and over 21%.
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).