Photo: Verne Equinox · CC BY-SA 3.0Trenton: 14% of households are one-parent families, above 96% of Canadian towns
With a median age of 47.6, Trenton is older than nearly four fifths of Canadian towns. Census figures put immigrants at 1.1% in the town. Some 2,499 people live in the town, by the estimate for July 2025. Set against 64% across Canada’s towns, 74% of households live in a single-detached house locally.
What stands out about the people of Trenton
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Trenton went from 2,474 to 2,407 residents (−3%), slower growth than in 91% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Slower than most: −3% since 2016, behind 91% of Canadian towns
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 4%.
In Trenton, 23% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 71% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
Against a figure of 16% across Canada’s towns, the share of children under 15 in Trenton comes in at 14%. The biggest five-year age group is 55–59, with nearly one in ten residents. Set beside that, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women.
More one-person households than 75% of Canadian towns: 34%
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.
Across Canada’s towns, households average 2.4 people; in Trenton, 2.2. To put it in context, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns.
40% of residents 15 and over are married, fewer than in 69% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
30% of adults have never married and don’t live common-law (typical: 27%). Across the comparison, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. For Trenton, the census puts common-law partners at 11%.
In Trenton, 26% of households rent their home, more than in 51% 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
17% of homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Across the comparison, a quarter of households rent their home across Canada’s towns.
A median household income of $58,800 a year
The census asked about income in 2020: a pandemic year, with CERB and other emergency benefits counted in. What households took in before tax, at the middle and across income groups.
Households by income · share of households
The median across Canada’s towns is $86,000; Trenton’s, at $58,800, is 32% lower. The median across Nova Scotia’s towns is $69,100. In 2020, 26% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
Trenton ranks below 65% of Canadian towns on residents who moved in within the year: 9.5%
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
Residents without Canadian citizenship are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns. The share of residents who moved in within the year across Canada’s towns is 11%.
36% of residents said they have no religion, a share 54% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Here 2.7% of residents belong to a visible minority, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 15%. Across Canada’s towns, the share of residents with no religion is 35%. Locally, 3.2% of residents have an Indigenous identity.
English is the mother tongue of 98%, and 2.7% speak French as well
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
7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns, against 2.7% in Trenton. Lower than in 89% of Canadian towns: 0.6% of residents have French as their mother tongue.
A lower share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 93% of Canadian towns, at 11%
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Across Canada’s towns, 27% of 25- to 64-year-olds hold a degree; in Trenton, 11%, and 47% have a college or trades credential (typical: 29%). Those with no credential make up 10%, next to 9.5% in the typical town.
46% of adults were employed in May 2021
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
With 23% of residents 65 or over, the employment rate of 46% sits under the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
Median age: 3 of the 6 towns around Trenton are older
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton | 2,499 | — | 47.6 | 23% | 1.1% |
| New Glasgow | 10,378 | 2.7 km | 47.6 | 26% | 5.1% |
| Stellarton | 4,251 | 6.4 km | 47.2 | 23% | 2.5% |
| Pictou County, Subdivision C | 8,847 | 6.5 km | 52 | 26% | 1.6% |
| Westville | 3,731 | 9.1 km | 47.2 | 24% | 2.7% |
| Pictou | 3,307 | 9.3 km | 53.2 | 30% | 4.3% |
| Pictou County, Subdivision B | 6,482 | 12.7 km | 51.6 | 27% | 2.7% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. For origins the charts stop at visible minority and Indigenous identity, and the Census Profile has nothing on unpaid care, cars or the internet, or on change by age since 2016.
- 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 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 Trenton’s residents
Is Trenton bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 2.7% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 97% speak only English and 0% only French; 0.6% grew up with French.
How diverse is Trenton?
1.1% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 2.7% belong to a visible minority and 3.2% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Trenton?
63% are Christian and 36% have no religion; 1% follow another religion.
Is Trenton good for families?
Under 15: 14% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 44% of households. One-parent families: 14%. Schools near Trenton are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Trenton?
The median household in Trenton took in $58,800 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Trenton?
Trenton had about 2,499 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 2,407, 3% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Trenton?
A median age of 47.6. Children under 15 make up 14%, and people 65 and over 23%.
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).