Half of Membertou 28B is under 30.4, younger than 99% of Canadian towns
Membertou 28B is a First Nations reserve, the home of Membertou. One-parent families: 24% here and 8.2% across Canada’s towns. Renter households account for 6.1%. Its population is up 9% on 2016.
What stands out about the people of Membertou 28B
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
91% of residents identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, more than in 99% of Canadian towns; 90% are Registered or Treaty Indians, and 10% have an Indigenous mother tongue. Identity & religion ↓
Younger than most towns
Line Membertou 28B’s residents up by age and the one in the middle is 30.4; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 26% are under 15 and 8.2% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Growth of +9% since 2016 puts Membertou 28B ahead of 76% of Canadian towns
The figures are the 2021 Census’s, except where another date is given. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across Nova Scotia’s towns +2%. By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 15%.
A smaller share of residents aged 65 and over than 96% of Canadian towns: 8.2%
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
Children under 15: 26% here and 16% across Canada’s towns. The wider picture: 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Bigger households than 76% of Canadian towns: 2.7 people each on average
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against Nova Scotia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Here, 28% of households are one person living alone.
Married residents 15 and over: 30%, a lower share than 88% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: 49% of adults, against a typical 27%. To put it in context, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. Common-law partners: 10% of the total.
82% of households live in a single-detached house, more than in 75% 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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Typically, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. Newer homes outnumber old: 49% date from 2001 or later, 4.9% from before 1961. 13% of homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%.
Median household income: $50,400 a year
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
The median across Canada’s towns is $86,000; Membertou 28B’s, at $50,400, is 41% lower. Within Nova Scotia’s towns, the household in the middle had $69,100. Pandemic benefits reached 43% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
Above 99% of Canadian towns: 91% of residents have an Indigenous identity
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
In Membertou 28B, 34% of residents said they have no religion. Across Canada’s towns, Indigenous residents come to 2.8%.
82% have English as their mother tongue; 0.9% also speak French
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
Across Canada’s towns, the share of bilingual residents is 7.5%; Membertou 28B has 0.9%. An Indigenous language is the mother tongue of 10%. Residents whose mother tongue is French are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns.
Membertou 28B sits below 75% of Canadian towns for degree holders aged 25 to 64 (17%)
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (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%.
An employment rate of 36%
Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic: some of these rates are lower than in a usual year. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
Fewer work here than in the typical town: 36%, against 58% across Canada’s towns. 8.2% of residents are 65 or over.
2 in 3 nearby towns have a higher median age than Membertou 28B
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page. Distances here run 6–43 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Membertou 28B.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Membertou 28B | 1,266 | — | 30.4 | 8.2% | 0% |
| Cape Breton | 106,752 | 6.0 km | 50.4 | 27% | 2.3% |
| Eskasoni 3 | 3,911 | 40.6 km | 25.4 | 6.4% | 0% |
| Victoria County, Subdivision B | 4,258 | 43.4 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. 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.
- The census’s own words. “Visible minority” is the census’s term from the Employment Equity Act: people, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered. The page compares them with other towns and never labels a town by them.
- Against Nova Scotia’s towns and Canada’s towns. For each measure we take the median of Nova Scotia’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.
- A First Nations reserve. Reserves are compared with Canada’s towns but aren’t counted among them: they have no overall grade and no place in ranked lists. Census figures for small reserves are rounded, and some are suppressed.
Questions about Membertou 28B’s residents
What is the average age in Membertou 28B?
Half the residents are older than 30.4 and half younger; 26% are children under 15 and 8.2% are 65 or over.
Is Membertou 28B bilingual?
English and French: 0.9% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 99%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 0%.
How diverse is Membertou 28B?
In Membertou 28B, 91% have an Indigenous identity and 0% belong to a visible minority; its immigration figures are suppressed.
What religion are people in Membertou 28B?
Most often Christian (60%) or no religion (34%); other religions make up 6.3%.
Is Membertou 28B good for families?
Children under 15 are 26% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 36% of households and one-parent families 24%. Schools near Membertou 28B are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Membertou 28B?
Median total household income in Membertou 28B was $50,400 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Membertou 28B?
The latest figure is an estimate: 1,266 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Membertou 28B counted 1,103, 9% more than 2016.
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).