Photo: Dennis Sylvester Hurd · CC0New Westminster sits above 92% of Canadian towns for households in buildings of five or more storeys (35%)
38% of residents are immigrants; across Canada’s towns the figure is 17%. New Westminster has more one-person households than 82% of Canadian towns, at 37%. Statistics Canada puts the town’s population at 92,124 for July 2025. Residents with no religion account for 47%.
What stands out about the people of New Westminster
A town of high-rises
35% of households live in a building of five or more storeys, more than in 92% of Canadian towns; 46% of homes are condominiums. Homes ↓
Growing faster than most
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, New Westminster went from 70,996 to 78,916 residents (+11%), faster growth than in 85% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
New Westminster’s population changed by +11% since 2016, more than in 85% 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
Across Canada’s towns, the typical town changed +4%; across British Columbia’s towns, +6%. The July 2025 estimate adds another 17%.
13% of residents are under 15, fewer than in 83% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
With a median age of 40.4, New Westminster is younger than 61% of Canadian towns. In New Westminster, 9.4% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Against a figure of 19% across Canada’s towns, the share of residents aged 65 and over in New Westminster comes in at 16%.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ New Westminster, 40.4. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split.
2.2 people per household, fewer than in 74% 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, couple families are 53% of households and one-parent families 8.2%; here, 45% and 6.4%.
Married residents 15 and over: 44%, a lower share than 58% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
31% of adults have never married and don’t live common-law (typical: 27%). On average, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. Common-law partners: just over a tenth of the total.
Households in single-detached houses make up 14% in New Westminster, less than in 92% of Canadian towns
Houses and apartments, owners and renters, older and newer homes. 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
By its share of renter households (45%), New Westminster is above 81% of Canadian towns. As a yardstick, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. Nearly a third of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 19% built before 1961.
The median household brings in $82,000 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
New Westminster’s median household took in $82,000 before tax, about the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across British Columbia’s towns the median is $87,000. Pandemic benefits reached 28% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
16% of residents are not Canadian citizens, more than in 85% of Canadian towns
Immigrants by continent of birth and when they arrived, citizenship, and who moved in recently.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 45%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
Most immigrants were born in Asia (61%) or in Europe (20%). New Westminster has more residents who moved in within the year than 83% of Canadian towns, at 16%. On average, 5.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens across Canada’s towns. Recent arrivals are 29% of immigrants (2011 to 2021), beside 27% across Canada’s towns.
Visible minority residents: 47%, a higher share than 83% of Canadian towns
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Among other religions: Sikh (4.8%), Muslim (3.4%) and Hindu (2.6%). Across Canada’s towns, visible minority residents come to 15%. Nothing unusual on Indigenous residents: 3.1%, close to the figure across Canada’s towns.
57% have English as their mother tongue; 7.1% also speak French
English, French and the other languages people grew up with or speak at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
21% most often speak a language other than English or French at home, and 2.8% speak neither official language. On residents whose mother tongue is French, New Westminster sits lower than 71% of Canadian towns: 1%.
42% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, more than in 75% of Canadian towns
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Holding no credential: 6.2% (typical 9.5%). By way of comparison, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
In work on census day: 64% of adults
Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic: some of these rates are lower than in a usual year. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
Across Canada’s towns the typical rate is 58%, below this 64%.
Ranked by age, 11th youngest of 41 towns this size
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
Grande Prairie is the youngest of them at 34; Lindsay, at 51.6, the oldest. Closest in median age to New Westminster are Fredericton (40), Chilliwack (40.4), Bolton (40.8) and Moncton (40.8).
Median age: 2 of the 6 towns around New Westminster are older
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Westminster | 92,124 | — | 40.4 | 16% | 38% |
| East Burnaby | 17,233 | 2.3 km | 43 | 20% | 50% |
| Edmonds | 34,805 | 2.9 km | 39.9 | 17% | 59% |
| Bridgeview | 3,511 | 3.7 km | 38.8 | 13% | 48% |
| Buckingham Heights | 8,794 | 4.0 km | 41.7 | 18% | 52% |
| Brownsville | 23,515 | 4.6 km | 34.6 | 14% | 47% |
| Royal Oak | 18,364 | 4.7 km | 39.5 | 16% | 57% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. These are self-reported answers: Indigenous identity, immigrant status, religion. The census’s “visible minority” comes from the Employment Equity Act (non-white in colour or race, Indigenous peoples aside), and the page sets each beside other towns without labelling any.
- Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns. For each measure we take the median of British Columbia’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.
- 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 New Westminster’s residents
Is New Westminster bilingual?
English and French: 7.1% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 90%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 1%.
How diverse is New Westminster?
38% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 47% belong to a visible minority and 3.1% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in New Westminster?
39% are Christian and 47% have no religion; 14% follow another religion.
Is New Westminster good for families?
Under 15: 13% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 45% of households. One-parent families: 6.4%. Schools near New Westminster are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in New Westminster?
The median household in New Westminster took in $82,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of New Westminster?
New Westminster had about 92,124 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 78,916, 11% more than 2016.
What is the average age in New Westminster?
A median age of 40.4, younger than 61% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 13%, and people 65 and over 16%.
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).