Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainBelow 99% of Canadian towns: 4.1% of households rent their home
In Elgin, 46% of residents said they have no religion, beside 35% across Canada’s towns. Some 1,255 people live here, by the estimate for July 2025. On the census count, 8.5% of residents are aged 15 to 24. This New Brunswick town has fewer residents who moved in within the year than 92% of Canadian towns, at 6.6%.
What stands out about the people of Elgin
Growing faster than most
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Elgin went from 892 to 1,064 residents (+19%), faster growth than in 96% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Older than most towns
Elgin’s median age is 52; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 28% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A +19% change since 2016: Elgin grew faster than 96% of Canadian towns
Unless a figure says otherwise, it is from the 2021 Census. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Across New Brunswick’s towns the median is +3%, and across Canada’s towns +4%. Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 18% higher again.
Elgin is older than 90% of Canadian towns: a median age of 52
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
The largest age band is 65–69: 10% of residents, 1.7 times the share across Canada’s towns. The census found that 14% of residents are under 15 in Elgin.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
46% women, 54% men
About 117 men for every 100 women.
Elgin households average 2.2 people, smaller than in 74% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against New Brunswick’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
31% of households are one person living alone (Canada’s towns: 27%). One-parent families: 4.1% of the total.
A larger share of married residents 15 and over than 60% of Canadian towns: 50%
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Never married and not common-law: 22% of adults (typical: 27%). Common-law partners are more common here than in 61% of Canadian towns. Elsewhere, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns.
A higher share of households in single-detached houses than 98% of Canadian towns, at 97%
Occupied homes by type, by owners and renters, and by when they were built. 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
29% of homes were built before 1961 and 18% in 2001 or later. To put it in context, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns.
Median gross household income: $57,200 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 middle household in Elgin had $57,200 before tax, 33% below the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Among New Brunswick’s towns, the typical figure is $73,300. In 2020, 22% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
3.8% of residents are immigrants
Immigrants, newcomers and movers.
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
Against a figure of 17% across Canada’s towns, the share of immigrants in Elgin comes in at 3.8%. What’s more, residents without Canadian citizenship are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns. The largest groups of immigrants were born in Europe (50%) and in the Americas (25%).
54% said they are Christian and 46% that they have no religion
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
5.2% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% across Canada’s towns. Across Elgin, 2.3% of residents have an Indigenous identity.
A larger share of residents whose mother tongue is French than 69% of Canadian towns: 3.3%
Knowledge of the two official languages, first languages, and the language of home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
The share of bilingual residents is 9.4%, against 7.5% across Canada’s towns. Against that, 1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue across Canada’s towns.
A lower share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 96% of Canadian towns, at 10%
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Across Canada’s towns, 27% of 25- to 64-year-olds hold a degree; in Elgin, 10%, and 40% have a college or trades credential (typical: 29%). Those with no credential make up 13%, next to 9.5% in the typical town.
42% of adults were employed in May 2021
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
42% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 28% are 65 or more.
The towns around Elgin are all younger
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page. Distances here run 14–29 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Elgin.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin | 1,255 | — | 52 | 28% | 3.8% |
| Petitcodiac | 1,610 | 13.7 km | 45.6 | 26% | 1.4% |
| Cardwell | 1,538 | 20.6 km | 51.2 | 22% | 2.5% |
| Salisbury | 3,806 | 20.6 km | 46.8 | 21% | 2.7% |
| Salisbury | 2,585 | 22.6 km | 45.2 | 25% | 3.2% |
| Coverdale | 5,167 | 28.8 km | 44.8 | 18% | 2.6% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- 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. Some things the page can’t show: the Census Profile asks nothing about unpaid care, cars or internet access, and gives no change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted.
Questions about Elgin’s residents
What is the average age in Elgin?
Half the residents are older than 52 and half younger; 14% are children under 15 and 28% are 65 or over.
Is Elgin bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 9.4% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 90% speak only English and 0% only French; 3.3% grew up with French.
How diverse is Elgin?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 3.8%. A visible minority makes up 5.2% and Indigenous residents 2.3%.
What religion are people in Elgin?
Most often Christian (54%) or no religion (46%); other religions make up 0.5%.
Is Elgin good for families?
Children under 15 are 14% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 55% of households and one-parent families 4.1%. Schools near Elgin are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Elgin?
Median total household income in Elgin was $57,200 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Elgin?
The latest figure is an estimate: 1,255 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Elgin counted 1,064, 19% more than 2016.
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).