Photo: VirdenPioneers · CC BY-SA 4.0A higher share of residents aged 65 and over than 81% of Canadian towns, at 25%
Here 36% of households are one person living alone, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 27%. Virden is home to some 3,322 people (July 2025 estimate), in 1,400 households at the 2021 Census. Households in single-detached houses account for 79%. Few places have so few residents who moved in within the year: 8.5% here, fewer than in 77% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Virden
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Virden went from 3,322 to 3,118 residents (−6%), slower growth than in 97% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Since 2016, Virden has changed by −6%, slower than 97% of Canadian towns
Every figure here comes from the 2021 Census unless it carries another date. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 7%. Medians for comparison: +4% across Canada’s towns; +4% across Manitoba’s towns.
Virden: 19% of residents are under 15, above 77% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
With a median age of 41.6, Virden is younger than 53% of Canadian towns. The largest age band is 30–34: 7.2% of residents. Across the comparison, 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Virden, 41.6. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
Households here average 2.2 people, below 74% of Canadian towns
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against Manitoba’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The figure for one-parent families is 6.4% in Virden and 8.2% across Canada’s towns.
A higher share of married residents 15 and over than 61% of Canadian towns, at 50%
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
21% of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%. Across Canada’s towns, 46% of residents 15 and over are married. Common-law partners: just over a tenth of the total.
Above 56% of Canadian towns: 29% of households rent their home
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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. Typically, a quarter of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Older homes outnumber new: 31% predate 1961, 17% date from 2001 or later.
Median gross household income: $71,000 a year
Census incomes cover 2020, when emergency benefits like CERB lifted many households’ totals. What households took in before tax, at the middle and across income groups.
Households by income · share of households
The median across Canada’s towns is $86,000; Virden’s, at $71,000, is 17% lower. The median across Manitoba’s towns is $83,000. Pandemic benefits reached 21% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
8.6% of residents are immigrants
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 25%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
The largest groups of immigrants were born in Asia (62%) and in Europe (23%). Immigrants are rarer here than in 68% of Canadian towns. Recent arrivals are 58% of immigrants (2011 to 2021), beside 27% across Canada’s towns.
More residents with no religion than 68% of Canadian towns: 41%
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
The share of visible minority residents is 9.9%, against 15% across Canada’s towns. For Virden, the census puts Indigenous residents at 4.6%. The wider picture: just over a third of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns.
91% have English as their mother tongue; 2.1% 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
The share of bilingual residents trails 97% of Canadian towns: 2.1%. On residents whose mother tongue is French, Virden sits lower than 71% of Canadian towns: 1%.
21% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 65% of Canadian towns
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
9.1% have no certificate, diploma or degree (typical: 9.5%). The usual figure: 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
58% of residents 15 and over were in work
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.
The employment rate of 58% is close to the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
Ranked by age, 18th youngest of 41 towns this size
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
Median ages here range from 21.8 in Arviat to 59.2 in North Kawartha. Next to Virden on this scale come Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes (41.6), Saint-Christophe-d'Arthabaska (41.6), Eaux Claires (42.6) and Stoke (43.6).
Nearby, 3 of 5 towns have older populations than Virden
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page. Distances here run 3–44 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Virden.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virden | 3,322 | — | 41.6 | 25% | 8.6% |
| Wallace-Woodworth | 2,983 | 3.1 km | 40.4 | 19% | 7.7% |
| Sifton | 1,267 | 25.2 km | 44.4 | 23% | 2.4% |
| Sioux Valley Dakota Nation | 1,090 | 30.4 km | 27.8 | 6.6% | 0% |
| Pipestone | 1,378 | 34.4 km | 42 | 22% | 5.7% |
| Hamiota | 1,210 | 44.3 km | 48.4 | 30% | 7.8% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against Manitoba’s towns and Canada’s towns. Two medians frame each figure: one for Manitoba’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. The Census Profile has no unpaid care, cars or internet access, and no change by age since 2016; ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- The census’s own words. The census takes “visible minority” from the Employment Equity Act: anyone other than Indigenous peoples who is non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are what residents reported, compared here with other towns and never used as a label.
Questions about Virden’s residents
What is the median income in Virden?
Half of Virden’s households had more than $71,000 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
What is the population of Virden?
About 3,322, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 3,118 people in Virden, 6% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Virden?
The median age is 41.6, younger than 53% of Canadian towns. 19% are under 15 and 25% 65 or older.
Is Virden bilingual?
English and French: 2.1% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 97%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 1%.
How diverse is Virden?
Immigrants: 8.6% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 9.9%. Indigenous identity: 4.6%.
What religion are people in Virden?
41% said they have no religion and 58% that they are Christian; 1.6% named another faith.
Is Virden good for families?
19% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 51% of households and one-parent families 6.4%. Schools near Virden are on its Schools page.
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).