Photo: Abebenjoe · CC BY-SA 3.0Older than 86% of Canadian towns: half of Cape Breton is over 50.4
Children under 15: 13% here and 16% across Canada’s towns. The 2021 Census found 42,315 households in Cape Breton; by July 2025 the population was about 106,752. The census found that a third of households are one person living alone here. Fewer residents with no religion than in 83% of Canadian towns: 22%.
What stands out about the people of Cape Breton
Older than most towns
Cape Breton’s median age is 50.4; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 27% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A change of −1% since 2016 leaves Cape Breton behind 82% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. How the population moved between the last two censuses, and since.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across Nova Scotia’s towns +2%. Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 14% higher again.
27% of residents are 65 or over, a share 85% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
The share of residents aged 15 to 24 trails 61% of Canadian towns: 10%. The wider picture: 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Cape Breton, 50.4. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
Above 94% of Canadian towns: 13% of households are one-parent families
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against Nova Scotia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Households in Cape Breton hold 2.2 people on average (Canada’s towns: 2.4). By way of comparison, nearly one in ten households are one-parent families across Canada’s towns.
A lower share of married residents 15 and over than 65% of Canadian towns, at 41%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
31% of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%. Typically, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. For Cape Breton, the census puts common-law partners at 9%.
Households in single-detached houses: 74%, a higher share than 63% of Canadian towns
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
Across Canada’s towns, a typical a quarter of households rent; here, 29%. 37% of homes were built before 1961 and 11% in 2001 or later. The comparison figure for households in single-detached houses is 64% across Canada’s towns.
Median household income here: $62,400 a year
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
Cape Breton’s median household took in $62,400 before tax, 27% less than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across Nova Scotia’s towns the median is $69,100. 28% of income recipients received COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefits (typical: 28%).
Cape Breton sits below 76% of Canadian towns for residents who moved in within the year (8.7%)
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
Compared with 17% across Canada’s towns, 2.3% of residents are immigrants here. The share of residents who moved in within the year across Canada’s towns is 11%. Residents without Canadian citizenship account for 3.4%.
3.2% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 55% of Canadian towns
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%; Cape Breton has 5.4%. Set beside that, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
95% have English as their mother tongue; 4.3% also speak French
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
Against a figure of 7.5% across Canada’s towns, the share of bilingual residents in Cape Breton comes in at 4.3%. At home: English 97%, French 0.2%. Residents whose mother tongue is French are rarer here than in just over four fifths of Canadian towns.
Degree holders aged 25 to 64: 22%, a lower share than 62% of Canadian towns
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Some 10% have no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. To put it in context, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
Employment: 42% of residents 15 and over had a job
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 42% is below the typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 27% of residents are 65 or over.
41 towns of 79,371 to 149,527 people: this is the 2nd oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
The span goes from 34.4 (Fort McMurray) up to 51.6 (Lindsay). The closest ages to Cape Breton’s belong to Chatham (46.4), Sault Ste. Marie (47.2) and Lindsay (51.6).
Older than Cape Breton: 1 of the 3 towns nearby
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page. Distances here run 6–45 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Cape Breton.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Breton | 106,752 | — | 50.4 | 27% | 2.3% |
| Membertou 28B | 1,266 | 6.0 km | 30.4 | 8.2% | 0% |
| Eskasoni 3 | 3,911 | 45.1 km | 25.4 | 6.4% | 0% |
| Victoria County, Subdivision B | 4,258 | 45.5 km | 56 | 32% | 5.8% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. Some things the page can’t show: the Census Profile asks nothing about unpaid care, cars or internet access, and gives no change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted.
- 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 Nova Scotia’s towns and Canada’s towns. The middle of Nova Scotia’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 Cape Breton’s residents
Is Cape Breton good for families?
Children under 15 are 13% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 44% of households and one-parent families 13%. Schools near Cape Breton are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Cape Breton?
Median total household income in Cape Breton was $62,400 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Cape Breton?
The latest figure is an estimate: 106,752 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Cape Breton counted 93,694, about the same as 2016.
What is the average age in Cape Breton?
Half the residents are older than 50.4 and half younger, older than 86% of Canadian towns; 13% are children under 15 and 27% are 65 or over.
Is Cape Breton bilingual?
4.3% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 0% speak French only and 96% English only. French is the mother tongue of 0.8%.
How diverse is Cape Breton?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 2.3%. A visible minority makes up 5.4% and Indigenous residents 3.2%.
What religion are people in Cape Breton?
Most often Christian (76%) or no religion (22%); other religions make up 2.5%.
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).