A higher share of visible minority residents than 98% of Canadian towns, at 83%
29% of residents are not Canadian citizens; across Canada’s towns the figure is 5.8%. The 2021 Census put Brownsville’s population at 23,515, in 6,695 households. On the census count, 19% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Households in single-detached houses are rarer here than in 87% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Brownsville
A mix of backgrounds
83% of residents belong to a visible minority, more than in 98% of Canadian towns; 47% are immigrants. Identity & religion ↓
More immigrants than most towns
47% of residents are immigrants, against 16% across British Columbia’s towns and 17% across Canada’s towns. Immigrants here were most often born in Asia (80%), then in Oceania or elsewhere (9.4%); 30% of them arrived from 2011 to 2021. Immigrants & newcomers ↓
Younger than most towns
Brownsville’s median age is 34.6; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 15% are under 15 and 14% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Half of Brownsville is under 34.6, younger than 92% of Canadian towns
Figures are from the 2021 Census unless dated otherwise. Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
By its share of residents aged 65 and over (14%), Brownsville is below four fifths of Canadian towns. Locally, 15% of residents are under 15.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Brownsville, 34.6. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split.
Larger households than 98% of Canadian towns: 3.5 people on average
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Shared houses stand out: one in ten households are unrelated adults living together, more than in 96% of Canadian towns. For Brownsville, the census puts one-person households at 16%. At 7.7%, the share of one-parent families is in line with the figure across Canada’s towns.
Brownsville sits below 97% of Canadian towns for common-law partners (3%)
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: just over a third of adults, against a typical 27%. Just over half of residents 15 and over are married, a higher share than in 66% of Canadian towns. The comparison figure for common-law partners is 11% across Canada’s towns.
More renter households than 77% of Canadian towns: 42%
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
Newer homes outnumber old: 31% date from 2001 or later, 11% from before 1961. Compared with other places, households in buildings of five or more storeys are common here: 1.2%, more than in 62% of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, a quarter of households rent their home.
Median gross household income: $98,000 a year
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
Household incomes run high in Brownsville: half had more than $98,000, 14% above the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The figure for British Columbia’s towns: $87,000. COVID-19 benefits went to 37% of residents with an income (typical: 28%).
47% of residents are immigrants, more than in 90% 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 55%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
15% of residents lived at another address a year earlier (Canada’s towns: 11%). Across Canada’s towns, immigrants come to 17%. Immigrants here were most often born in Asia (80%), then in Oceania or elsewhere (9.4%).
Fewer residents with no religion than 93% of Canadian towns: 16%
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Across Canada’s towns, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity; in Brownsville, 1.6%. The share of residents with no religion across Canada’s towns is 35%. Other faiths: Sikh (51%), Hindu (11%) and Muslim (6.5%).
Beyond English and French: 72% grew up with another language
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
At home: English 40%, French 0.1%. Bilingual residents are rarer here than in 96% of Canadian towns. By its share of residents whose mother tongue is French (0.3%), Brownsville is below 97% of Canadian towns.
Below 55% of Canadian towns: 24% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the bottom of the ladder, 19% hold no certificate of any kind, against 9.5% in the typical town. The usual figure: 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
In work on census day: 60% of adults
These rates date from May 2021, during the pandemic, and run lower than a normal year’s. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
60% of residents 15 and over have a job; across Canada’s towns the typical share is 58%.
Of 41 towns its size (22,617 to 24,438 people), the 2nd youngest
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
Between Fort St. John (32.4) and Brockville (51.6) lies the rest of the group. Fort St. John (32.4), West London (34.8) and Yellowknife (35.2): the towns nearest Brownsville in median age.
Brownsville is younger than every town around it
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville | 23,515 | — | 34.6 | 14% | 47% |
| Whalley | 52,642 | 2.8 km | 34.9 | 12% | 49% |
| Strawberry Hill | 37,037 | 4.2 km | 35.2 | 14% | 51% |
| Bridgeview | 3,511 | 4.2 km | 38.8 | 13% | 48% |
| Newton | 51,222 | 4.3 km | 36.2 | 15% | 48% |
| New Westminster | 92,124 | 4.6 km | 40.4 | 16% | 38% |
| Port Mann | 5,988 | 5.0 km | 39.6 | 15% | 40% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Neighbourhoods are sums of small areas. There is no census profile for a neighbourhood, so we add up the dissemination areas inside it. Each count is a sum of Statistics Canada’s rounded counts, the median age and income come from the published groups, and with 2016’s areas drawn differently there is no 2016 count.
- 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. 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. Each comparison is its own median: over British Columbia’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, and over all Canadian towns of that size (whole cities and First Nations reserves left out). Percentiles are within Canada only.
Questions about Brownsville’s residents
What is the population of Brownsville?
23,515, at the 2021 Census: Statistics Canada makes no later estimate for Brownsville alone.
What is the average age in Brownsville?
The median age is 34.6, younger than 92% of Canadian towns. 15% are under 15 and 14% 65 or older.
Is Brownsville bilingual?
2.6% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 0% speak French only and 88% English only. French is the mother tongue of 0.3%.
How diverse is Brownsville?
Immigrants: 47% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 83%. Indigenous identity: 1.6%.
What religion are people in Brownsville?
16% said they have no religion and 15% that they are Christian; 70% named another faith.
Is Brownsville good for families?
15% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 40% of households and one-parent families 7.7%. Schools near Brownsville are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Brownsville?
Half of Brownsville’s households had more than $98,000 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population. 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).