Photo: Timkal · CC BY-SA 3.0Arctic Bay is younger than 99% of Canadian towns: a median age of 19.8
Across Canada’s towns, just over one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier; in Arctic Bay, 5.3%. The 2021 Census found 215 households here; by July 2025 the population was about 1,126. On the census count, 14% of households are one-parent families. 16% of residents are aged 15 to 24, more than in 96% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Arctic Bay
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
An Indigenous identity is reported by 97% of residents, more than in 99% of Canadian towns. 0% are Registered or Treaty Indians and 93% grew up speaking an Indigenous language. Identity & religion ↓
Younger than most towns
Line Arctic Bay’s residents up by age and the one in the middle is 19.8; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 41% are under 15 and 4% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
A town of renters
88% of households rent their home, more than in 99% of Canadian towns; 2.3% live in an apartment. Homes ↓
Common-law couples
35% of residents 15 and over live common-law, more than in 98% of Canadian towns; 22% are married. Couples ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
From 2016 to 2021, Arctic Bay outgrew 92% of Canadian towns: +15%
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
By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 13%. Across Canada’s towns the median change was +4%.
Only 4% of residents are 65 or over in Arctic Bay
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
By its share of children under 15 (41%), Arctic Bay is above 99% of Canadian towns. Measured more widely, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 108 men for every 100 women.
Larger households than 99% of Canadian towns: 4.6 people on average
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Nearly a fifth of households are one person living alone, against 27% across Canada’s towns.
A larger share of common-law partners than 98% of Canadian towns: 35%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
37% of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%. At 22%, the share of married residents 15 and over is lower than in 98% of Canadian towns. Common-law partners make up 11% across Canada’s towns.
More renter households than 99% of Canadian towns: 88%
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
26% of homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%. Elsewhere, 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. The census found that 57% of households live in a single-detached house in Arctic Bay. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns.
Half of households earn more than $103,000 a year
Incomes here are for 2020, the year before the census, CERB and other pandemic benefits included. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
Household incomes run high in Arctic Bay: half had more than $103,000, 20% above the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). COVID-19 benefits went to 39% of residents with an income (typical: 28%).
0% of residents are immigrants
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
Immigrants are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns.
In Arctic Bay, 97% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Just over a third of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns, against 11% in Arctic Bay. By way of comparison, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
1% have a mother tongue other than English or 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
Residents whose mother tongue is French are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns. In Arctic Bay, 0.5% of residents speak English and French.
A lower share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 99% of Canadian towns, at 3.8%
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 Arctic Bay, 3.8%, and 19% have a college or trades credential (typical: 29%). Those with no credential make up 60%, next to 9.5% in the typical town.
An employment rate of 37%
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 37% is below the typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 4% of residents are 65 or over.
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. Missing from the census as published: unpaid care, cars and internet access, and the shift in each age band since 2016. Ethnic origins past visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- 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 Canada’s towns. Nunavut has too few towns of 2,500 or more for a median of its own, so each figure is set beside the median of all Canadian towns of that size (whole cities and First Nations reserves left out).
Questions about Arctic Bay’s residents
Is Arctic Bay bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 0.5% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 76% speak only English and 0% only French; 0% grew up with French.
How diverse is Arctic Bay?
0% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 0% belong to a visible minority and 97% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Arctic Bay?
88% are Christian and 11% have no religion; 1% follow another religion.
Is Arctic Bay good for families?
Under 15: 41% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 37% of households. One-parent families: 14%. Schools near Arctic Bay are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Arctic Bay?
The median household in Arctic Bay took in $103,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Arctic Bay?
Arctic Bay had about 1,126 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 994, 15% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Arctic Bay?
A median age of 19.8. Children under 15 make up 41%, and people 65 and over 4%.
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).