Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainNelson ranks below 99% of Canadian towns on residents who moved in within the year: 4.2%
Renter households: 9.9%, below 90% of Canadian towns. Its population is down 2% on 2016. Here, 18% of residents said they have no religion. With a median age of 49.6, Nelson is older than 84% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Nelson
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Nelson went from 952 to 929 residents (−2%), slower growth than in 90% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Slower than most: −2% since 2016, behind 90% of Canadian towns
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. Two census counts, five years apart, and Statistics Canada’s newest estimate.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 9% higher again. Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across New Brunswick’s towns, +3%.
A lower share of children under 15 than 85% of Canadian towns, at 12%
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
No age band is larger than 55–59: one in ten residents, 1.3 times the share across Canada’s towns. Among New Brunswick’s towns, Dalhousie has the highest share aged 65 or over, at 37%. The wider picture: 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 110 men for every 100 women.
Below 56% of Canadian towns: 25% of households are one person living alone
Private households by type and size.
Against New Brunswick’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
In Nelson the average household is 2.4 people, beside 2.4 across Canada’s towns. One-person households make up 27% across Canada’s towns. Locally, 7.6% of households are one-parent families.
Married residents 15 and over make up 53% in Nelson, more than in 70% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Singles who have never married make up a quarter of adults, beside a typical 27%. On the census count, 8.6% of residents 15 and over live common-law.
Nelson: 94% of households live in a single-detached house, above 95% 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
Newer homes outnumber old: 28% date from 2001 or later, 17% from before 1961. Across the comparison, 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 nearly three quarters of Canadian towns.
Half of households earn more than $70,500 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
Nelson’s median household took in $70,500 before tax, 18% less than 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%).
1% 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
Compared with 17% across Canada’s towns, 1% of residents are immigrants here. Residents without Canadian citizenship are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns.
82% said they are Christian and 18% 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
Visible minority residents are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns. Indigenous residents account for 3.1%.
Residents whose mother tongue is French make up 5.4% in Nelson, more than in 72% 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
7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns, against 12% in Nelson. The benchmark for residents whose mother tongue is French across Canada’s towns: 1.5%.
Nelson ranks below 80% of Canadian towns on degree holders aged 25 to 64: 16%
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
With no certificate, diploma or degree: 8.3%, beside a typical 9.5%. Against that, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
56% of adults were employed in May 2021
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.
Across Canada’s towns the typical rate is 58%, above this 56%; 23% of residents are 65 or over.
Every nearby town is older than Nelson
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson | 1,014 | — | 49.6 | 23% | 1% |
| Southesk | 1,748 | 10.9 km | 52.4 | 26% | 1.5% |
| Northesk | 2,301 | 14.8 km | 52 | 25% | 1.8% |
| Blackville | 2,104 | 15.4 km | 51.6 | 27% | 2.4% |
| Rogersville | 1,131 | 18.3 km | 55.6 | 29% | 1.9% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered them. “Visible minority” follows the Employment Equity Act, meaning people other than Indigenous peoples who are non-white in colour or race. We compare these figures across towns; none is a label for a town.
- 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. For origins the charts stop at visible minority and Indigenous identity, and the Census Profile has nothing on unpaid care, cars or the internet, or on change by age since 2016.
Questions about Nelson’s residents
What religion are people in Nelson?
82% are Christian and 18% have no religion; 0% follow another religion.
Is Nelson good for families?
Under 15: 12% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 57% of households. One-parent families: 7.6%. Schools near Nelson are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Nelson?
The median household in Nelson took in $70,500 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Nelson?
Nelson had about 1,014 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 929, 2% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Nelson?
A median age of 49.6. Children under 15 make up 12%, and people 65 and over 23%.
Is Nelson bilingual?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 7.5% are bilingual; here 12% are. Another 0% speak only French and 87% only English, and French is the first language of 5.4%.
How diverse is Nelson?
1% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 0% belong to a visible minority and 3.1% have an Indigenous identity.
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).