Photo: Canmenwalker · CC BY 4.0More households in buildings of five or more storeys than 85% of Canadian towns: 18%
Here 26% of residents are immigrants, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 17%. With about 197,737 residents in July 2025, Burlington counted 73,180 households at the 2021 Census. The share of residents aged 65 and over stands at 21%. Half of the town’s residents are over 44.4, older than in 64% of Canadian towns.
A +2% change since 2016: slower than 64% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. 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 6%.
11% of residents are aged 15 to 24, more than in 55% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
On the census count, 16% of residents are under 15.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Burlington, 44.4. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women.
Larger households than 58% of Canadian towns: 2.5 people on average
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
One-parent families make up 9%, close to the figure across Canada’s towns. Census figures put one-person households at 25% in Burlington.
Only 7.9% of residents 15 and over live common-law in Burlington
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Across Canada’s towns, 46% of residents 15 and over are married; in Burlington, 52%. Common-law partners make up 11% across Canada’s towns.
A smaller share of households in single-detached houses than 68% of Canadian towns: 50%
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
24% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 14% built before 1961. Across Canada’s towns, the share of households in single-detached houses is 64%. Renter households are about as common here as across Canada’s towns, at 25%.
Household income at the median: $110,000 a year
Incomes are 2020’s, the census’s reference year, and include pandemic benefits such as CERB. What households took in before tax, at the middle and across income groups.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Burlington had $110,000 before tax, 28% above the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). $91,600 is the median household income across Ontario’s towns. The pandemic’s benefits: 25% of income recipients, against 28% in the typical town.
9.9% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, below 61% 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 35%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
23% of immigrants arrived between 2011 and 2021, against 27% across Canada’s towns. For comparison, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across Canada’s towns. Immigrants here were most often born in Europe (42%), then in Asia (37%).
A larger share of visible minority residents than 57% of Canadian towns: 21%
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
With Indigenous residents at 1.3%, Burlington is behind three quarters of Canadian towns on that count. On the census count, nearly a third of residents said they have no religion. For comparison, 15% of residents belong to a visible minority across Canada’s towns.
Above 56% of Canadian towns: 8.6% of residents speak English and 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
At home: English 87%, French 0.4%. Across Canada’s towns, 7.5% of residents speak English and French. Little separates the share of residents whose mother tongue is French here, 1.4%, from the figure across Canada’s towns.
A larger share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 79% of Canadian towns: 45%
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 4.2% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. To put it in context, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
58% of residents 15 and over were in work
The census was taken in May 2021, during the pandemic, so these rates show a labour market still recovering. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 58% is close to the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
The 8th oldest of 41 towns of 105,520 to 243,107 people
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
The span goes from 36 (Milton) up to 50.4 (Cape Breton). Closest in median age to Burlington are Thunder Bay (44), Saanich (44.4), St. Catharines (44.8) and Niagara Falls (44.8).
Burlington is younger than 1 of its 6 nearest neighbours
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | 197,737 | — | 44.4 | 21% | 26% |
| Waterdown | 23,858 | 7.9 km | 37.4 | 12% | 21% |
| North End East | 4,816 | 11.1 km | 39.5 | 17% | 27% |
| Industrial Sector A and Keith | 3,723 | 11.4 km | 36.5 | 11% | 16% |
| Beasley | 6,338 | 12.0 km | 34.2 | 13% | 35% |
| Central | 3,698 | 12.0 km | 39.3 | 18% | 27% |
| Parkview West | 3,686 | 12.1 km | 44.6 | 17% | 17% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. In the census, “visible minority” is the Employment Equity Act’s term for people who are non-white in colour or race and not Indigenous. Like immigrant status, Indigenous identity and religion, which residents reported themselves, it is compared with other towns, never turned into a label.
- Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns. Each comparison is its own median: over Ontario’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, and over all Canadian towns of that size (whole cities and First Nations reserves left out). Percentiles are within Canada only.
- 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 Burlington’s residents
What is the median income in Burlington?
The median household in Burlington took in $110,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Burlington?
Burlington had about 197,737 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 186,948, 2% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Burlington?
A median age of 44.4, older than 64% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 16%, and people 65 and over 21%.
Is Burlington bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 8.6% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 90% speak only English and 0% only French; 1.4% grew up with French.
How diverse is Burlington?
26% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 21% belong to a visible minority and 1.3% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Burlington?
58% are Christian and 32% have no religion; 9.3% follow another religion.
Is Burlington good for families?
Under 15: 16% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 58% of households. One-parent families: 9%. Schools near Burlington are on its Schools page.
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).