Photo: Vic Brincat from Keswick, Ontario, Canada · CC BY 2.0In Brighton, 95% of households live in a single-detached house, more than in 96% of Canadian towns
Here 7.9% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 11%. Across Brighton, 3.5% of residents are immigrants. Half of the town’s residents are over 48, older than in four fifths of Canadian towns. The 2021 Census found 675 households locally; by July 2025 the population was about 1,635.
What stands out about the people of Brighton
Fewer people than before
Brighton went from 1,735 people in 2016 to 1,596 in 2021, −8%: slower growth than in 99% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A −8% change since 2016: slower than 99% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Across Canada’s towns, half of towns changed by more than +4%; across New Brunswick’s towns, by more than +3%. By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 2%.
Residents aged 15 to 24 make up 10% in Brighton, less than in 65% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
Nearly a fifth of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns, against 20% in Brighton. As a yardstick, 11% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 107 men for every 100 women.
Brighton ranks below 56% of Canadian towns on one-person households: 25%
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against New Brunswick’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
A household here has 2.4 people on average; across Canada’s towns, 2.4. Against that, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns. One-parent families account for 8.1%.
A larger share of common-law partners than 69% of Canadian towns: 13%
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Compared with 46% across Canada’s towns, half of residents 15 and over are married here. Common-law partners make up 11% across Canada’s towns.
In Brighton, 12% of households rent their home, fewer than in 84% 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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Measured more widely, 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Older homes outnumber new: 22% predate 1961, 19% date from 2001 or later. Just over one in ten homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%.
Half of households earn more than $61,200 a year
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
Household incomes run lower in Brighton: half had less than $61,200, 29% under the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The figure for New Brunswick’s towns: $73,300. 24% of income recipients received COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefits (typical: 28%).
3.5% 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 20%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
Most immigrants were born in Europe (58%) or in the Americas (33%). Fewer residents without Canadian citizenship than in 70% of Canadian towns: 2.5%. 27% of immigrants arrived between 2011 and 2021, against 27% across Canada’s towns.
In Brighton, 4.1% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 63% of Canadian towns
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Across Canada’s towns, 15% of residents belong to a visible minority; in Brighton, 2.8%. For Brighton, the census puts residents with no religion at 33%.
1.6% of residents have French as their mother tongue, more than in 52% of Canadian towns
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
Bilingual residents: 5% here, 27% across New Brunswick’s towns and 7.5% across Canada’s towns. Residents whose mother tongue is French: 1.5% across Canada’s towns, for comparison. At home: English 98%, French 0.6%.
A lower share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 93% of Canadian towns, at 11%
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Across Canada’s towns, 27% of 25- to 64-year-olds hold a degree; in Brighton, 11%, and 36% have a college or trades credential (typical: 29%). Those with no credential make up 17%, next to 9.5% in the typical town.
A job for 56% of residents aged 15 and over
The census counted work in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so read these rates as a pandemic snapshot. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
56% of residents 15 and over have a job, in line with the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
Brighton and its 5 nearest towns: 2 of them are older
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton | 1,635 | — | 48 | 20% | 3.5% |
| Hartland | 1,025 | 7.0 km | 48.4 | 26% | 4.7% |
| Peel | 1,176 | 11.0 km | 45.2 | 19% | 3.5% |
| Wakefield | 2,749 | 14.8 km | 46 | 22% | 4.1% |
| Wilmot | 1,057 | 18.7 km | 50 | 22% | 8.4% |
| Florenceville-Bristol | 1,583 | 19.1 km | 46.8 | 22% | 7% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against New Brunswick’s towns and Canada’s towns. Provincial and national yardsticks: New Brunswick’s towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500 residents, and all Canadian towns of that size. No whole city and no First Nations reserve is in either median.
- 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. “Visible minority” is the census’s term from the Employment Equity Act: people, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered. The page compares them with other towns and never labels a town by them.
Questions about Brighton’s residents
How diverse is Brighton?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 3.5%. A visible minority makes up 2.8% and Indigenous residents 4.1%.
What religion are people in Brighton?
Most often Christian (65%) or no religion (33%); other religions make up 2.2%.
Is Brighton good for families?
Children under 15 are 17% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 57% of households and one-parent families 8.1%. Schools near Brighton are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Brighton?
Median total household income in Brighton was $61,200 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Brighton?
The latest figure is an estimate: 1,635 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Brighton counted 1,596, 8% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Brighton?
Half the residents are older than 48 and half younger; 17% are children under 15 and 20% are 65 or over.
Is Brighton bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 5% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 95% speak only English and 0% only French; 1.6% grew up with French.
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).