Photo: Verne Equinox · CC BY-SA 3.0A higher share of one-parent families than 95% of Canadian towns, at 14%
Recent arrivals are 47% of immigrants (2011 to 2021), beside 27% across Canada’s towns. In Westville, 24% of residents are 65 or over. On immigrants, Westville sits lower than 91% of Canadian towns: 2.7%. About 3,731 people lived here in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates.
What stands out about the people of Westville
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Westville went from 3,628 to 3,540 residents (−2%), slower growth than in 90% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
From 2016 to 2021, 90% of Canadian towns grew faster than Westville: −2%
Every figure here comes from the 2021 Census unless it carries another date. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across Nova Scotia’s towns, +2%. The July 2025 estimate adds another 5%.
Older than 77% of Canadian towns: half of Westville is over 47.2
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
The largest age band is 55–59: nearly one in ten residents. On residents aged 15 to 24, 11% here is much the same as across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Westville, 47.2. The typical town is 42.
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.
In Westville, 32% of households are one person living alone, more than in 68% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against Nova Scotia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The typical household size is 2.3 people, against 2.4 across Canada’s towns. Typically, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns.
In Westville, 42% of residents 15 and over are married, fewer than in 63% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Singles who have never married make up 27% of adults, beside a typical 27%. Against that, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. For Westville, the census puts common-law partners at 12%.
In Westville, 74% of households live in a single-detached house, more than in 64% 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
Older homes outnumber new: 38% predate 1961, 15% date from 2001 or later. One in ten homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%.
The middle household earns $60,800 a year
Incomes here are for 2020, the year before the census, CERB and other pandemic benefits included. 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; Westville’s, at $60,800, is 29% lower. The figure for Nova Scotia’s towns: $69,100. In 2020, 27% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, more than in 53% of Canadian towns
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
The share of residents without Canadian citizenship trails 85% of Canadian towns: 1.3%.
37% of residents said they have no religion, a share 57% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Across Canada’s towns, a typical 15% belong to a visible minority and 2.8% are Indigenous; here, 3.1% and 3.3%. Residents with no religion make up 35% across Canada’s towns.
98% have English as their mother tongue; 2.4% 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, 7.5% of residents speak English and French; in Westville, 2.4%. On residents whose mother tongue is French, Westville sits lower than 89% of Canadian towns: 0.6%.
14% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, below 86% of Canadian towns
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 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%.
45% of residents 15 and over were in work
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.
Across Canada’s towns the typical rate is 58%, above this 45%; 24% of residents are 65 or over.
The 10th oldest of 41 towns of 3,672 to 3,787 people
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
At one end is West Kildonan Industrial (31.5), at the other Saint-Tite (57.6). Kensington (47), Killarney (47.2), Alpine Place (48.4) and Baie-D'Urfé (50.4): the towns nearest Westville in median age.
5 of the 6 nearest towns are older than Westville
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westville | 3,731 | — | 47.2 | 24% | 2.7% |
| Pictou County, Subdivision B | 6,482 | 3.8 km | 51.6 | 27% | 2.7% |
| Stellarton | 4,251 | 4.2 km | 47.2 | 23% | 2.5% |
| New Glasgow | 10,378 | 6.6 km | 47.6 | 26% | 5.1% |
| Trenton | 2,499 | 9.1 km | 47.6 | 23% | 1.1% |
| Pictou County, Subdivision C | 8,847 | 12.0 km | 52 | 26% | 1.6% |
| Pictou | 3,307 | 13.5 km | 53.2 | 30% | 4.3% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. These are self-reported answers: Indigenous identity, immigrant status, religion. The census’s “visible minority” comes from the Employment Equity Act (non-white in colour or race, Indigenous peoples aside), and the page sets each beside other towns without labelling any.
- Against Nova Scotia’s towns and Canada’s towns. Provincial and national yardsticks: Nova Scotia’s towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500 residents, and all Canadian towns of that size. No whole city and no First Nations reserve is in either median.
- 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.
Questions about Westville’s residents
Is Westville good for families?
16% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 46% of households and one-parent families 14%. Schools near Westville are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Westville?
Half of Westville’s households had more than $60,800 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
What is the population of Westville?
About 3,731, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 3,540 people in Westville, 2% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Westville?
The median age is 47.2, older than 77% of Canadian towns. 16% are under 15 and 24% 65 or older.
Is Westville bilingual?
English and French: 2.4% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 98%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 0.6%.
How diverse is Westville?
Immigrants: 2.7% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 3.1%. Indigenous identity: 3.3%.
What religion are people in Westville?
37% said they have no religion and 61% that they are Christian; 1.6% named another faith.
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).