Photo: Dennis G. Jarvis · CC BY-SA 2.0Digby is older than 95% of Canadian towns: a median age of 55.2
Set against 2.8% across Canada’s towns, nearly one in ten residents have an Indigenous identity in Digby. The town had about 2,153 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 1,030 households at the 2021 Census. The census found that 11% of residents are under 15 in the town. Residents who moved in within the year are more common here than in 80% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Digby
Older than most towns
The middle resident of Digby is 55.2; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 34% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Many people living alone
47% of households are one person living alone, more than in 95% of Canadian towns; 34% of residents are 65 or over. Households ↓
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Digby went from 2,060 to 2,001 residents (−3%), slower growth than in 91% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
A town of renters
Renters are 59% of households, more than in 90% of Canadian towns, and 38% of households live in an apartment. Homes ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Digby changed by −3% from 2016 to 2021, behind 91% of Canadian towns
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. How the population moved between the last two censuses, and since.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Across Nova Scotia’s towns the median is +2%, and across Canada’s towns +4%. By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 8%.
34% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 96% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
In Digby, one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24, beside 11% across Canada’s towns. As a yardstick, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
55% women, 45% men
About 82 men for every 100 women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
Digby: 47% of households are one person living alone, above 95% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against Nova Scotia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Households in Digby hold 1.8 people on average (Canada’s towns: 2.4). The share of one-parent families stands at 10%. As a yardstick, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns.
Digby ranks below 81% of Canadian towns on married residents 15 and over: 33%
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: 29% of adults, against a typical 27%. Set beside that, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. For Digby, the census puts common-law partners at 11%.
59% of households rent their home, more than in 90% of Canadian towns
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
By its share of households in single-detached houses (55%), Digby is below just over three fifths of Canadian towns. Older homes outnumber new: 44% predate 1961, 14% date from 2001 or later. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, the share of renter households is 25%.
Household income, middle of the range: $43,200 a year
Census incomes cover 2020, when emergency benefits like CERB lifted many households’ totals. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
At $43,200, the middle household in Digby earned 50% less than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The figure for Nova Scotia’s towns: $69,100. The pandemic’s benefits: 29% of income recipients, against 28% in the typical town.
6.9% of residents are immigrants
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
Immigrants here were most often born in Asia (50%), then in Europe (31%). Fewer immigrants than in 74% of Canadian towns: 6.9%. Most recent wave: 46% of immigrants arrived in 2011–2021 (Canada’s towns: 27%).
In Digby, 37% of residents said they have no religion, more than in 57% of Canadian towns
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Nearly one in ten residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% across Canada’s towns. The wider picture: just over a third of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns.
Residents whose mother tongue is French: 2.9%, a higher share than 68% of Canadian towns
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
The census found that nearly one in ten residents speak English and French in Digby. On average, 1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue across Canada’s towns.
Degree holders aged 25 to 64: 17%, a lower share than 76% of Canadian towns
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Some 27% have no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%.
In work on census day: 41% of adults
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.
At 41%, fewer residents are in work than the typical 58% across Canada’s towns, and 34% are 65 or over.
Digby sits below 1 of its 3 closest neighbours on median age
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page. Digby has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 14–49 km out.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digby | 2,153 | — | 55.2 | 34% | 6.9% |
| Digby | 7,528 | 14.1 km | 53.6 | 29% | 4.7% |
| Annapolis County, Subdivision A | 6,719 | 19.5 km | 57.2 | 33% | 8.8% |
| Annapolis County, Subdivision B | 5,086 | 49.0 km | 54.4 | 30% | 8.3% |
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 Nova Scotia’s towns and Canada’s towns. A figure here is set beside two middles, the median across Nova Scotia’s places of 2,500 people or more and the median across all Canadian towns that size; reserves and entire cities are excluded from both.
- 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 Digby’s residents
How diverse is Digby?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 6.9%. A visible minority makes up 8.2% and Indigenous residents 8.5%.
What religion are people in Digby?
Most often Christian (60%) or no religion (37%); other religions make up 3.2%.
Is Digby good for families?
Children under 15 are 11% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 35% of households and one-parent families 10%. Schools near Digby are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Digby?
Median total household income in Digby was $43,200 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Digby?
The latest figure is an estimate: 2,153 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Digby counted 2,001, 3% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Digby?
Half the residents are older than 55.2 and half younger; 11% are children under 15 and 34% are 65 or over.
Is Digby bilingual?
8.4% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 0% speak French only and 91% English only. French is the mother tongue of 2.9%.
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).