Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A median age of 48: St. Stephen is older than 80% of Canadian towns
38% of households are one person living alone (Canada’s towns: 27%). With about 4,876 residents in July 2025, St. Stephen counted 2,070 households at the 2021 Census. In St. Stephen, 44% of residents said they have no religion. Few places have as many residents aged 65 and over: 26% here, more than in 82% of Canadian towns.
St. Stephen changed by +2% from 2016 to 2021, slower than 63% of Canadian towns
Unless a figure says otherwise, it is from the 2021 Census. How the population moved between the last two censuses, and since.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 8% higher again. Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across New Brunswick’s towns, +3%.
In St. Stephen, 10% of residents are aged 15 to 24, fewer than in 61% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
Set against 16% across Canada’s towns, 15% of residents are under 15 in St. Stephen. The biggest five-year age group is 55–59, with 7.9% of residents.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ St. Stephen, 48. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
2.1 people per household, fewer than in 83% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against New Brunswick’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Set against 8.2% across Canada’s towns, 9.6% of households are one-parent families in St. Stephen.
Married residents 15 and over: 42%, a lower share than 64% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
26% of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%. Common-law partners account for 10%. Against that, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns.
A larger share of renter households than 74% of Canadian towns: 40%
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
56% of homes were built before 1961 and 12% in 2001 or later. As a reference point, 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Compared with 64% across Canada’s towns, 62% of households live in a single-detached house here.
$56,800 a year: where the middle household sits
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
At $56,800, the middle household in St. Stephen earned 34% less than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). $73,300 is the median household income across New Brunswick’s towns. The pandemic’s benefits: 24% of income recipients, against 28% in the typical town.
In St. Stephen, 15% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, more than in 81% of Canadian towns
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
17% of residents are immigrants across Canada’s towns, against 8.2% in St. Stephen. Immigrants here were most often born in the Americas (40%), then in Europe (38%). For residents who moved in within the year, the comparison across Canada’s towns is 11%.
54% said they are Christian and 44% that they have no religion
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Visible minority residents: 4.8% here and 15% across Canada’s towns. Indigenous residents account for 2.3%.
A larger share of bilingual residents than 63% of Canadian towns: 11%
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
On the census count, 1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue. Typically, 7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns.
Degree holders aged 25 to 64 make up 23% in St. Stephen, less than in 59% of Canadian towns
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Without any certificate: 10% of 25- to 64-year-olds (typical: 9.5%).
Employment: 51% of residents 15 and over had a job
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
With 26% of residents 65 or over, the employment rate of 51% sits under the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
The 10th oldest of 41 towns of 4,768 to 4,987 people
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
The youngest is Empire Park (30.9) and the oldest Sutton (60.4). Closest in median age to St. Stephen are Barrhead (47.6), Electoral Area D, Columbia-Shuswap (48), Electoral Area F, North Okanagan (49.2) and Central Okanagan (51.6).
St. Stephen is younger than every town around it
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Stephen | 4,876 | — | 48 | 26% | 8.2% |
| Saint Stephen | 1,772 | 4.8 km | 49.6 | 22% | 4.6% |
| Saint David | 1,559 | 7.3 km | 51.6 | 26% | 7.2% |
| Saint James | 1,085 | 14.7 km | 52 | 26% | 6.3% |
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. Each comparison is its own median: over New Brunswick’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, and over all Canadian towns of that size (whole cities and First Nations reserves left out). Percentiles are within Canada only.
- 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 St. Stephen’s residents
What is the average age in St. Stephen?
A median age of 48, older than 80% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 15%, and people 65 and over 26%.
Is St. Stephen bilingual?
11% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 0.1% speak French only and 89% English only. French is the mother tongue of 1.5%.
How diverse is St. Stephen?
8.2% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 4.8% belong to a visible minority and 2.3% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in St. Stephen?
54% are Christian and 44% have no religion; 2.2% follow another religion.
Is St. Stephen good for families?
Under 15: 15% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 44% of households. One-parent families: 9.6%. Schools near St. Stephen are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in St. Stephen?
The median household in St. Stephen took in $56,800 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of St. Stephen?
St. Stephen had about 4,876 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 4,510, 2% 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).