Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0A median age of 54.4: Wellington is older than 94% of Canadian towns
One in ten residents are under 15, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Few places have so few renter households: 6.5% here, fewer than in 97% of Canadian towns. The latest estimate, for July 2025, is 3,458 residents; the 2021 Census found 1,455 households. Across Wellington, 14% of residents said they have no religion.
What stands out about the people of Wellington
A bilingual town
80% of residents can hold a conversation in both English and French, more than in 99% of Canadian towns; 8.1% speak French only and 12% English only. English & French ↓
Older than most towns
The middle resident of Wellington is 54.4; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 30% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
80% of residents speak English and French, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
Unless a figure says otherwise, it is from the 2021 Census. The official languages residents can speak, and the ones they learned first.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
Residents whose mother tongue is French make up 78%, against 1.5% across Canada’s towns. The usual figure: 7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns.
Growth of +7% since 2016 puts Wellington ahead of 67% 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
By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 5%. Across Canada’s towns, half of towns changed by more than +4%; across New Brunswick’s towns, by more than +3%.
Wellington ranks above 92% of Canadian towns on residents aged 65 and over: 30%
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
Nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24 (Canada’s towns: 11%). On average, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Wellington, 54.4. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Smaller households than 74% of Canadian towns: 2.2 people on average
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against New Brunswick’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Nearly a quarter of households are one person living alone, against 27% across Canada’s towns. Here, 7.6% of households are one-parent families.
Wellington ranks above 68% of Canadian towns on common-law partners: 13%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Married residents 15 and over: 51% here and 46% across Canada’s towns. Common-law partners: 11% across Canada’s towns, for comparison.
A higher share of households in single-detached houses than 92% of Canadian towns, at 92%
Dwelling types, tenure and age of the housing. 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. Across the comparison, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. Newer homes outnumber old: 22% date from 2001 or later, 18% from before 1961.
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. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Wellington had $69,500 before tax, 19% below the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The median across New Brunswick’s towns is $73,300. In 2020, 22% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
In Wellington, 7.4% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, fewer than in 87% of Canadian towns
Where immigrants were born and when they came, and how recently residents moved in.
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
Immigrants here were most often born in the Americas (70%), then in Europe (30%). Lower than in 96% of Canadian towns: 0.5% of residents are not Canadian citizens. For comparison, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across Canada’s towns. Of the immigrants living here, 12% came between 2011 and 2021; across Canada’s towns the share is 27%.
86% said they are Christian and 14% that they have no religion
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Across Canada’s towns, the share of visible minority residents is 15%; Wellington has 1.1%. For Wellington, the census puts Indigenous residents at 2.8%.
A smaller share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 94% of Canadian towns: 11%
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Across Canada’s towns, 27% of 25- to 64-year-olds hold a degree; in Wellington, 11%, and 43% have a college or trades credential (typical: 29%). Those with no credential make up 22%, next to 9.5% in the typical town.
An employment rate of 51%
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
With 30% of residents 65 or over, the employment rate of 51% sits under the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
41 towns of 3,400 to 3,518 people: this is the 6th oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
Between Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier (32.8) and Electoral Area F, Columbia-Shuswap (61.2) lies the rest of the group. Nearest to Wellington in age: Meaghers Grant (54.4), Merrickville (54.4), Richmond County, Subdivision C (54.8) and Shuniah (55.2).
Every nearby town is younger than Wellington
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington | 3,458 | — | 54.4 | 30% | 5.1% |
| Bouctouche | 2,678 | 3.6 km | 54.4 | 31% | 5.2% |
| Saint Mary | 2,083 | 13.9 km | 52.8 | 26% | 5.8% |
| Richibucto | 2,457 | 14.7 km | 53.6 | 26% | 5.5% |
| Saint-Antoine | 1,880 | 15.2 km | 48.8 | 26% | 2.3% |
| Cocagne | 2,982 | 16.6 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. 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. Unpaid care, car ownership and internet access aren’t in the Census Profile, nor is the change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins other than visible minority and Indigenous identity are left out of the charts.
Questions about Wellington’s residents
How diverse is Wellington?
Immigrants make up 5.1% of residents, against 17% across Canada’s towns. 1.1% are members of a visible minority, and 2.8% are First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What religion are people in Wellington?
Christian: 86%. No religion: 14%. Another religion: 0%.
Is Wellington good for families?
Across Canada’s towns, a typical 16% of residents are under 15; here, 10%. 60% of households are couple families and 7.6% one-parent families. Schools near Wellington are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Wellington?
$69,500 before tax, in 2020: the middle household’s income in Wellington (Canada’s towns: $86,000).
What is the population of Wellington?
Statistics Canada estimates 3,458 residents for July 2025; the 2021 Census counted 3,292 in Wellington, 7% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Wellington?
54.4 is the median age, older than 94% of Canadian towns. Under 15: 10%. 65 and over: 30%.
Is Wellington bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 80% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 12% speak only English and 8.1% only French; 78% 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).