Photo: Ayadm · CC BY-SA 3.0A median age of 53.2: Upper Island Cove is older than 92% of Canadian towns
In Upper Island Cove, 12% of residents are under 15, beside 16% across Canada’s towns. About 1,553 people lived locally in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates. On the census count, nearly one in ten households rent their home. Fewer immigrants than in 97% of Canadian towns: 1.1%.
What stands out about the people of Upper Island Cove
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Upper Island Cove went from 1,561 to 1,401 residents (−10%), slower growth than in 99% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Older than most towns
Half of Upper Island Cove’s residents are under 53.2 and half over; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 29% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Upper Island Cove changed by −10% from 2016 to 2021, behind 99% of Canadian towns
Unless a figure says otherwise, it is from the 2021 Census. Two census counts, five years apart, and Statistics Canada’s newest estimate.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns, −2%. By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 11%.
Residents aged 65 and over make up 29% in Upper Island Cove, more than in 90% of Canadian towns
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
Residents aged 15 to 24 make up 10%, against 11% across Canada’s towns. On average, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
One-person households: 22%, a lower share than 71% of Canadian towns
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The typical household size is 2.4 people, against 2.4 across Canada’s towns. As a yardstick, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns. 7.8% of households are one-parent families.
Upper Island Cove ranks above 95% of Canadian towns on married residents 15 and over: 60%
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Here 5.7% of residents 15 and over live common-law, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 11%. 21% of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%.
Households in single-detached houses: 95%, a higher share than 96% 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
Nearly a quarter of homes were built before 1961 and 15% in 2001 or later. Measured more widely, 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 74% of Canadian towns.
Median household income here: $64,500 a year
Census incomes cover 2020, when emergency benefits like CERB lifted many households’ totals. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
The median across Canada’s towns is $86,000; Upper Island Cove’s, at $64,500, is 25% lower. $63,600 is the median household income across Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 24% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
Below 99% of Canadian towns: 1.8% of residents lived at another address a year earlier
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
8.2% of residents said they have no religion, fewer than in 99% of Canadian towns
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
The share of visible minority residents is 1.1%, against 15% across Canada’s towns. By way of comparison, 35% of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns. Indigenous residents account for 0.7%.
English is the mother tongue of 100%, and 0.7% speak French as well
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
Residents whose mother tongue is French are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, 7.5% of residents speak English and French; in Upper Island Cove, 0.7%.
In Upper Island Cove, 13% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 89% of Canadian towns
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
36% of adults were employed in May 2021
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
Fewer work here than in the typical town: 36%, against 58% across Canada’s towns. 29% of residents are 65 or over.
Nearby, 1 of 6 towns have older populations than Upper Island Cove
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Island Cove | 1,553 | — | 53.2 | 29% | 1.1% |
| Harbour Grace | 2,872 | 4.1 km | 54 | 30% | 0.7% |
| Spaniard's Bay | 2,664 | 6.3 km | 48 | 23% | 1.1% |
| Bay Roberts | 6,407 | 8.0 km | 47.2 | 23% | 0.3% |
| Carbonear | 5,041 | 9.6 km | 51.6 | 29% | 2.6% |
| Victoria | 1,837 | 13.1 km | 51.2 | 25% | 0.9% |
| Clarke's Beach | 1,555 | 16.2 km | 52 | 30% | 1.5% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. The Census Profile has no unpaid care, cars or internet access, and no change by age since 2016; ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- 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 Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns and Canada’s towns. The middle of Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns of 2,500 or more comes first, the middle of all Canadian towns second; cities as a whole and First Nations reserves stay out, and percentiles are within Canada.
Questions about Upper Island Cove’s residents
Is Upper Island Cove bilingual?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 7.5% are bilingual; here 0.7% are. Another 0% speak only French and 99% only English, and French is the first language of 0%.
How diverse is Upper Island Cove?
Immigrants: 1.1% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 1.1%. Indigenous identity: 0.7%.
What religion are people in Upper Island Cove?
8.2% said they have no religion and 91% that they are Christian; 0.4% named another faith.
Is Upper Island Cove good for families?
12% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 64% of households and one-parent families 7.8%. Schools near Upper Island Cove are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Upper Island Cove?
Half of Upper Island Cove’s households had more than $64,500 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
What is the population of Upper Island Cove?
About 1,553, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 1,401 people in Upper Island Cove, 10% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Upper Island Cove?
The median age is 53.2. 12% are under 15 and 29% 65 or older.
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).