Photo: Squirrelwhisperer · CC BY-SA 4.0A median age of 48.4: Cardinal is older than 81% of Canadian towns
Compared with 19% across Canada’s towns, 23% of residents are 65 or over here. The latest estimate, for July 2025, is 7,952 residents; the 2021 Census found 3,140 households. Households in single-detached houses: 83% of the total. Fewer visible minority residents than in 90% of Canadian towns: 1.5%. The census figures here are for the whole of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal, the municipality that includes Cardinal.
A growing town: +6% since 2016, faster than 63% of Canadian towns
Every figure here comes from the 2021 Census unless it carries another date. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
For comparison, the median is +4% across Canada’s towns and +6% across Ontario’s towns.
Residents aged 15 to 24: 9%, a lower share than 80% of Canadian towns
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
The largest age band is 55–59: 8.9% of residents. To put it in context, 11% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Cardinal, 48.4. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split.
25% of households are one person living alone, below 56% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The average household has 2.4 people, against 2.4 across Canada’s towns. Across Canada’s towns, 27% of households are one person living alone. The share of one-parent families stands at 7.8%.
A higher share of common-law partners than 67% of Canadian towns, at 13%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: 22% of adults, against a typical 27%. For Cardinal, the census puts married residents 15 and over at 50%. The share of common-law partners across Canada’s towns is 11%.
19% of households rent their home, below 63% of Canadian towns
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
By its share of households in buildings of five or more storeys (2.1%), Cardinal is above nearly two thirds of Canadian towns. For renter households, the comparison across Canada’s towns is 25%. Older homes outnumber new: 34% predate 1961, 16% date from 2001 or later.
Half above, half below $84,000 a year in household income
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
At $84,000, the middle household in Cardinal earned close to the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The median across Ontario’s towns is $91,600. 21% of income recipients received COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefits (typical: 28%).
Below 68% of Canadian towns: 9.3% of residents lived at another address a year earlier
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 35%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
With residents without Canadian citizenship at 1.1%, Cardinal is behind 88% of Canadian towns on that count. Across Cardinal, 5.1% of residents are immigrants. The usual figure: just over one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier across Canada’s towns.
Cardinal ranks above 62% of Canadian towns on Indigenous residents: 3.9%
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
For Cardinal, the census puts residents with no religion at 34%. To put it in context, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
In Cardinal, 3.9% of residents have French as their mother tongue, more than in 70% of Canadian towns
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
12% of residents speak English and French, against 7.5% across Canada’s towns. For residents whose mother tongue is French, the comparison across Canada’s towns is 1.5%.
A lower share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 91% of Canadian towns, at 12%
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 9.1% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. Across the comparison, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 54%
The census was taken in May 2021, during the pandemic, so these rates show a labour market still recovering. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
54% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 23% are 65 or more.
41 towns of 7,825 to 8,093 people: this is the 9th oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
Between Taber (27.4) and Minden Hills (58.8) lies the rest of the group. Closest in median age to Cardinal are Shaughnessy (45.1), Whitewater Region (47.6), Otonabee-South Monaghan (49.2) and Acton Vale (49.6).
Cardinal is younger than every town around it
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | 7,952 | — | 48.4 | 23% | 5.1% |
| Prescott | 4,342 | 13.9 km | 49.6 | 27% | 5.9% |
| Morrisburg | 11,943 | 17.5 km | 50.8 | 27% | 6.3% |
| Augusta | 7,767 | 18.8 km | 49.2 | 24% | 5.6% |
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. 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 Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns. Provincial and national yardsticks: Ontario’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.
Questions about Cardinal’s residents
What is the population of Cardinal?
Cardinal had about 7,952 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 7,505, 6% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Cardinal?
A median age of 48.4, older than 81% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 15%, and people 65 and over 23%.
Is Cardinal bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 12% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 88% speak only English and 0% only French; 3.9% grew up with French.
How diverse is Cardinal?
5.1% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 1.5% belong to a visible minority and 3.9% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Cardinal?
65% are Christian and 34% have no religion; 0.9% follow another religion.
Is Cardinal good for families?
Under 15: 15% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 58% of households. One-parent families: 7.8%. Schools near Cardinal are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Cardinal?
The median household in Cardinal took in $84,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
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).