Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainSaint Mary is older than 91% of Canadian towns: a median age of 52.8
Across Canada’s towns, the share of residents aged 15 to 24 is 11%; Saint Mary has 6.8%. Here, 7.1% of residents lived at another address a year earlier. One in ten households rent their home, a lower share than in 89% of Canadian towns. With about 2,083 residents in July 2025, Saint Mary counted 870 households at the 2021 Census.
What stands out about the people of Saint Mary
A bilingual town
79% of residents can hold a conversation in both English and French, more than in 99% of Canadian towns; 7.8% speak French only and 13% English only. English & French ↓
Older than most towns
Line Saint Mary’s residents up by age and the one in the middle is 52.8; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 26% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
79% of residents speak English and French, a share 99% of Canadian towns don’t reach
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. 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
78% of residents have French as their mother tongue; across Canada’s towns the figure is 1.5%. Across Canada’s towns, the share of bilingual residents is 7.5%.
A change of +1% since 2016 leaves Saint Mary behind 71% 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
Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across New Brunswick’s towns, +3%. By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 5%.
Above 84% of Canadian towns: 26% of residents are 65 or over
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
The biggest five-year age group is 55–59, with 11% of residents, 1.5 times the share across Canada’s towns. Census figures put children under 15 at 13% in Saint Mary. Set beside that, 19% of residents are 65 or over 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.
One-person households: 24%, a lower share than 63% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against New Brunswick’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
By its share of one-parent families (6.9%), Saint Mary is below 71% of Canadian towns. Measured more widely, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns. Households here average 2.3 people each.
Saint Mary ranks above 79% of Canadian towns on common-law partners: 16%
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Set against 46% across Canada’s towns, 48% of residents 15 and over are married in Saint Mary. The benchmark for common-law partners across Canada’s towns: 11%.
Households in single-detached houses make up 87% in Saint Mary, more than in 84% of Canadian towns
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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Set beside that, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. Older homes outnumber new: 23% predate 1961, 17% date from 2001 or later.
The median household brings in $69,500 a year
Incomes here are for 2020, the year before the census, CERB and other pandemic benefits included. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
Household incomes run lower in Saint Mary: half had less than $69,500, 19% under the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The middle household across New Brunswick’s towns has $73,300 before tax. COVID-19 benefits were paid to 23% of residents with an income, where the typical town had 28%.
5.8% 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
The share of immigrants trails 79% of Canadian towns: 5.8%. Lower than in 75% of Canadian towns: 2% of residents are not Canadian citizens. Most immigrants were born in the Americas (61%) or in Europe (44%).
Saint Mary sits below 91% of Canadian towns for residents with no religion (18%)
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
0.5% of residents belong to a visible minority; across Canada’s towns the figure is 15%. The benchmark for residents with no religion across Canada’s towns: 35%. Census figures put Indigenous residents at 2.3% in Saint Mary.
Only 12% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in Saint Mary
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
48% of residents 15 and over were in work
The census was taken in May 2021, during the pandemic, so these rates show a labour market still recovering. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
With 26% of residents 65 or over, the employment rate of 48% sits under the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
Older than Saint Mary: 2 of the 4 towns nearby
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary | 2,083 | — | 52.8 | 26% | 5.8% |
| Saint-Antoine | 1,880 | 9.1 km | 48.8 | 26% | 2.3% |
| Bouctouche | 2,678 | 11.1 km | 54.4 | 31% | 5.2% |
| Wellington | 3,458 | 13.9 km | 54.4 | 30% | 5.1% |
| Cocagne | 2,982 | 17.4 km | 51.6 | 26% | 4.2% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. The census takes “visible minority” from the Employment Equity Act: anyone other than Indigenous peoples who is non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are what residents reported, compared here with other towns and never used as a label.
- Against New Brunswick’s towns and Canada’s towns. Two medians frame each figure: one for New Brunswick’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, one for all Canadian towns of that size, with whole cities and First Nations reserves left out. Percentiles rank the town within Canada.
- 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 Saint Mary’s residents
Is Saint Mary good for families?
Children under 15 are 13% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 59% of households and one-parent families 6.9%. Schools near Saint Mary are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Saint Mary?
Median total household income in Saint Mary was $69,500 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Saint Mary?
The latest figure is an estimate: 2,083 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Saint Mary counted 1,991, 1% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Saint Mary?
Half the residents are older than 52.8 and half younger; 13% are children under 15 and 26% are 65 or over.
Is Saint Mary bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 79% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 13% speak only English and 7.8% only French; 78% grew up with French.
How diverse is Saint Mary?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 5.8%. A visible minority makes up 0.5% and Indigenous residents 2.3%.
What religion are people in Saint Mary?
Most often Christian (82%) or no religion (18%); other religions make up 0.7%.
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).