Younger than 96% of Canadian towns: half of Spence is under 33.1
Residents without Canadian citizenship: 23% here and 5.8% across Canada’s towns. At the 2021 Census, 4,378 people lived in Spence, in 1,875 households. The census found that 50% of residents belong to a visible minority here. On one-parent families, Spence sits higher than 99% of Canadian towns: 17%.
What stands out about the people of Spence
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
29% of residents identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, more than in 99% of Canadian towns; 22% are Registered or Treaty Indians. Identity & religion ↓
A neighbourhood of renters
84% of households rent their home, more than in 99% of Canadian towns; 79% live in an apartment. Homes ↓
Younger than most towns
Spence’s median age is 33.1; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 18% are under 15 and 8.6% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
A neighbourhood people move to
A year before the census, 28% of residents lived elsewhere, 2.5 times the typical share; over five years, 60% moved. Immigrants & newcomers ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
8.6% of residents are 65 or over, below 95% of Canadian towns
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
18% of residents are aged 15 to 24; across Canada’s towns the figure is 11%. Typically, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Spence, 33.1. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
46% women, 54% men
About 116 men for every 100 women.
A higher share of one-person households than 93% of Canadian towns, at 44%
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against Manitoba’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Households average 2.2 people, against 2.4 across Canada’s towns. Across the comparison, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns. Shared houses stand out: 13% of households are unrelated adults living together, more than in 99% of Canadian towns.
Fewer married residents 15 and over than 98% of Canadian towns: 22%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
56% of adults have never married and don’t live common-law (typical: 27%). Typically, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. For Spence, the census puts common-law partners at 6.8%.
84% of households rent their home, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
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
54% of homes were built before 1961 and 11% in 2001 or later. At 18%, the share of households in single-detached houses is lower than in 90% of Canadian towns. Renter households: 25% across Canada’s towns, for comparison.
Half above, half below $37,600 a year in household income
Census incomes cover 2020, when emergency benefits like CERB lifted many households’ totals. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
The median across Canada’s towns is $86,000; Spence’s, at $37,600, is 56% lower. $83,000 is the median household income across Manitoba’s towns. The pandemic’s benefits: 42% of income recipients, against 28% in the typical town.
More residents who moved in within the year than 98% of Canadian towns: 28%
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 40%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
44% of immigrants arrived between 2011 and 2021, against 27% across Canada’s towns. Across Canada’s towns, the share of residents who moved in within the year is 11%. The share of immigrants stands at 34%.
In Spence, 29% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Among other religions: Muslim (5.6%) and Buddhist (2.6%). Against that, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns. On residents with no religion, Spence sits higher than 62% of Canadian towns: 39%.
1.7% of residents have French as their mother tongue, more than in 55% of Canadian towns
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
25% most often speak a language other than English or French at home, and 3.1% speak neither official language. As a reference point, 1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue across Canada’s towns. Bilingual residents are rarer here than in just over two thirds of Canadian towns.
Degree holders aged 25 to 64: 20%, a lower share than 68% of Canadian towns
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Across Canada’s towns, 27% of 25- to 64-year-olds hold a degree; in Spence, 20%, and 21% have a college or trades credential (typical: 29%).
A job for 48% of residents aged 15 and over
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
Fewer work here than in the typical town: 48%, against 58% across Canada’s towns. 8.6% of residents are 65 or over.
Of 41 towns its size (4,305 to 4,461 people), the 2nd youngest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
Highlands East is the oldest at 58.8, Glenridding Heights the youngest at 31.9. Closest in median age to Spence are Glenridding Heights (31.9), High Level (34.8) and Pollard Meadows (35.9).
Median age: 5 of the 6 towns around Spence are older
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spence | 4,378 | — | 33.1 | 8.6% | 34% |
| Central Park | 4,328 | 0.4 km | 38.8 | 18% | 38% |
| West Alexander | 5,161 | 0.7 km | 35.8 | 13% | 51% |
| St. Matthews | 5,699 | 0.8 km | 35.4 | 10% | 34% |
| South Portage | 3,037 | 1.0 km | 34 | 7.7% | 32% |
| Daniel McIntyre | 9,584 | 1.0 km | 37.4 | 14% | 47% |
| Centennial | 4,483 | 1.1 km | 32.1 | 11% | 42% |
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 Manitoba’s towns and Canada’s towns. The middle of Manitoba’s towns of 2,500 or more comes first, the middle of all Canadian towns second; cities as a whole and First Nations reserves stay out, and percentiles are within Canada.
- 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. 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 Spence’s residents
What is the average age in Spence?
A median age of 33.1, younger than 96% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 18%, and people 65 and over 8.6%.
Is Spence bilingual?
5.6% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 0.7% speak French only and 91% English only. French is the mother tongue of 1.7%.
How diverse is Spence?
34% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 50% belong to a visible minority and 29% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Spence?
45% are Christian and 39% have no religion; 16% follow another religion.
Is Spence good for families?
Under 15: 18% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 20% of households. One-parent families: 17%. Schools near Spence are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Spence?
The median household in Spence took in $37,600 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Spence?
Spence had 4,378 residents at the 2021 Census.
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).