Photo: United Kingdom Hydrographic Office · Public domainA median age of 56.4: Placentia is older than 96% of Canadian towns
Against a figure of 16% across Canada’s towns, the share of children under 15 in Placentia comes in at 11%. The 2021 Census found 1,540 households in the town; by July 2025 the population was about 3,374. Nine in ten households live in a single-detached house. Fewer residents with no religion than in 99% of Canadian towns: 3.9%.
What stands out about the people of Placentia
Older than most towns
Placentia’s median age is 56.4; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 33% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Placentia went from 3,496 to 3,289 residents (−6%), slower growth than in 97% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
−6% since 2016: slower than 97% of Canadian towns
Unless a figure says otherwise, it is from the 2021 Census. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 3%. Across Canada’s towns, half of towns changed by more than +4%; across Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns, by more than −2%.
Placentia sits above 96% of Canadian towns for residents aged 65 and over (33%)
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
The share of residents aged 15 to 24 trails 93% of Canadian towns: 7.6%. By way of comparison, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Placentia, 56.4. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Placentia households average 2.1 people, smaller than in 83% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
One-person households: 35%, above 77% of Canadian towns. For Placentia, the census puts one-parent families at 8.1%.
A lower share of common-law partners than 74% of Canadian towns, at 7.8%
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Nearly half of residents 15 and over are married (Canada’s towns: 46%). The comparison figure for common-law partners is 11% across Canada’s towns.
Renter households: 19%, a lower share than 65% of Canadian towns
The kinds of homes people live in, who owns and who rents, and how old the homes are. 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
A quarter of homes were built before 1961 and 13% in 2001 or later. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns.
The midpoint household income is $59,600 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
Half of Placentia’s households had a total income below $59,600, 31% under the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Among Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns, the typical figure is $63,600. Emergency and recovery benefits reached 23% of those with an income, beside a typical 28%.
6% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, fewer than in 96% of Canadian towns
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
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
2% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%). Locally, 1.1% of residents are not Canadian citizens. For residents who moved in within the year, the comparison across Canada’s towns is 11%.
95% said they are Christian and 3.9% 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: 0.9%, below 96% of Canadian towns. Across Placentia, 2.2% of residents have an Indigenous identity.
99% have English as their mother tongue; 1.3% also speak French
Who can speak English and French, mother tongue, and the language spoken most at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
By its share of residents whose mother tongue is French (0.2%), Placentia is below 99% of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, 7.5% of residents speak English and French; in the town, 1.3%.
15% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 82% of Canadian towns
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
11% of those aged 25 to 64 have no formal credential, where the typical town has 9.5%.
In work on census day: 41% of adults
These rates date from May 2021, during the pandemic, and run lower than a normal year’s. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
41% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 33% are 65 or more.
Of 41 towns its size (3,318 to 3,431 people), the 4th oldest
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
North Kawartha is the oldest at 59.2, Arviat the youngest at 21.8. Closest in median age to Placentia are Lewisporte (55.6), Grande-Rivière (55.6), Cumberland County, Subdivision A (57.2) and Sheet Harbour (57.3).
No nearby town is as old as Placentia
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page. No closer places have figures: these lie 38–57 km from Placentia.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placentia | 3,374 | — | 56.4 | 33% | 2% |
| Whitbourne | 1,126 | 38.3 km | 51.6 | 25% | 2.6% |
| Division No. 1, Subdivision Y | 1,374 | 40.3 km | 53.6 | 29% | 0% |
| Division No. 1, Subdivision E | 2,978 | 51.7 km | 52.8 | 29% | 1.2% |
| Division No. 1, Subdivision M | 1,270 | 52.4 km | 52.8 | 24% | 0% |
| Arnold's Cove | 1,016 | 56.8 km | 52.4 | 29% | 0% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns and Canada’s towns. For each measure we take the median of Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, then the median of all Canadian towns. Neither counts whole cities or reserves, and every percentile is a Canadian one.
- What these tables don’t give. Missing from the census as published: unpaid care, cars and internet access, and the shift in each age band since 2016. Ethnic origins past visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- The census’s own words. In the census, “visible minority” is the Employment Equity Act’s term for people who are non-white in colour or race and not Indigenous. Like immigrant status, Indigenous identity and religion, which residents reported themselves, it is compared with other towns, never turned into a label.
Questions about Placentia’s residents
What religion are people in Placentia?
95% are Christian and 3.9% have no religion; 0.7% follow another religion.
Is Placentia good for families?
Under 15: 11% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 51% of households. One-parent families: 8.1%. Schools near Placentia are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Placentia?
The median household in Placentia took in $59,600 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Placentia?
Placentia had about 3,374 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 3,289, 6% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Placentia?
A median age of 56.4, older than 96% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 11%, and people 65 and over 33%.
Is Placentia bilingual?
English and French: 1.3% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 99%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 0.2%.
How diverse is Placentia?
2% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 0.9% belong to a visible minority and 2.2% 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).