Photo: Tourisme Nouveau-Brunswick · CC BY 2.0Atholville is older than 91% of Canadian towns: a median age of 52.8
The share of residents aged 15 to 24 trails 90% of Canadian towns: 8.1%. Compared with other places, residents with no religion are scarce here: 12%, fewer than in 96% of Canadian towns. With about 3,346 residents in July 2025, Atholville counted 1,490 households at the 2021 Census. Census figures put residents who moved in within the year at 6.8% locally.
What stands out about the people of Atholville
A bilingual town
Both official languages: 58% of residents speak English and French, more than in 94% of Canadian towns. Another 37% speak only French and 5.9% only English. English & French ↓
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Atholville went from 3,570 to 3,290 residents (−8%), slower growth than in 99% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Older than most towns
Atholville’s median age is 52.8; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 25% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A larger share of bilingual residents than 94% of Canadian towns: 58%
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. Who can speak English and French, mother tongue, and the language spoken most at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
Residents whose mother tongue is French: 86%, above 88% of Canadian towns. Against that, 7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns.
Since 2016, Atholville has changed by −8%, slower than 99% of Canadian towns
The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across New Brunswick’s towns +3%. The July 2025 estimate adds another 2%.
Only 12% of residents are under 15 in Atholville
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
The largest age band is 60–64: 11% of residents, 1.6 times the share across Canada’s towns. For Atholville, the census puts residents aged 65 and over at 25%. On average, 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Atholville, 52.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Households here average 2.2 people, below 74% of Canadian towns
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against New Brunswick’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
In Atholville, 9.7% of households are one-parent families, beside 8.2% across Canada’s towns. 28% of households are one person living alone.
Above 81% of Canadian towns: 17% of residents 15 and over live common-law
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Singles who have never married make up 25% of adults, beside a typical 27%. For comparison, 11% of residents 15 and over live common-law across Canada’s towns.
Atholville ranks above 78% of Canadian towns on households in single-detached houses: 84%
The kinds of homes people live in, who owns and who rents, and how old the homes are. 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 (15%), Atholville is below nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. Set beside that, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. Older homes outnumber new: 24% predate 1961, 10% date from 2001 or later.
$62,800 a year is the median household income here
The census asked about income in 2020: a pandemic year, with CERB and other emergency benefits counted in. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Atholville had $62,800 before tax, 27% below the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across New Brunswick’s towns, half of households had more than $73,300 before tax. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 25% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
0.3% of residents are immigrants, the fewest of New Brunswick’s towns
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
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
Residents without Canadian citizenship are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, 17% of residents are immigrants; in Atholville, 0.3%.
Atholville sits above 81% of Canadian towns for Indigenous residents (7.5%)
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Visible minority residents are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns. Typically, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
Only 10% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in Atholville
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 19% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. As a yardstick, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 50%
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
50% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 25% are 65 or more.
Oldest by rank: 13th of 41 towns of 3,292 to 3,401 people
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
Median ages climb from 21.8 (Arviat) to 59.2 (North Kawartha) across the group. Closest in median age to Atholville are Electoral Area E (West Boundary), Kootenay Boundary (48.8), Saint-André-d'Argenteuil (49.2), Pictou (53.2) and Saint-Jean-Port-Joli (54).
Around Atholville, 1 of 2 towns have a higher median age
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atholville | 3,346 | — | 52.8 | 25% | 0.3% |
| Campbellton | 7,485 | 8.7 km | 53.6 | 30% | 3.7% |
| Pointe-à-la-Croix | 1,294 | 11.6 km | 51.2 | 26% | 0.8% |
| Listuguj | 1,646 | 14.5 km | — | — | — |
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 New Brunswick’s towns and Canada’s towns. A figure here is set beside two middles, the median across New Brunswick’s places of 2,500 people or more and the median across all Canadian towns that size; reserves and entire cities are excluded from both.
- 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 Atholville’s residents
Is Atholville bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 58% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 5.9% speak only English and 37% only French; 86% grew up with French.
How diverse is Atholville?
0.3% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 0% belong to a visible minority and 7.5% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Atholville?
88% are Christian and 12% have no religion; 0% follow another religion.
Is Atholville good for families?
Under 15: 12% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 54% of households. One-parent families: 9.7%. Schools near Atholville are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Atholville?
The median household in Atholville took in $62,800 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Atholville?
Atholville had about 3,346 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 3,290, 8% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Atholville?
A median age of 52.8, older than 91% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 12%, and people 65 and over 25%.
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).