Photo: Paul Vincent Dimaranan · CC BY 3.0A median age of 58: Carling is older than 98% of Canadian towns
6.7% of residents are aged 15 to 24, against 11% across Canada’s towns. The 2021 Census found 695 households in Carling; by July 2025 the population was about 1,609. On the census count, 97% of households live in a single-detached house. Higher than in 87% of Canadian towns: 10% of residents have an Indigenous identity.
What stands out about the people of Carling
Older than most towns
Half of Carling’s residents are under 58 and half over; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 32% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Growing faster than most
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Carling went from 1,125 to 1,491 residents (+33%), faster growth than in 99% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A growing town: +33% since 2016, faster than 99% of Canadian towns
Unless a figure says otherwise, it is from the 2021 Census. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 8%. Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across Ontario’s towns, +6%.
More residents aged 65 and over than 95% of Canadian towns: 32%
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
By its share of children under 15 (9.7%), Carling is below 96% of Canadian towns. The usual figure: 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 107 men for every 100 women.
Households here average 2.1 people, below 83% of Canadian towns
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
One-person households: 30% here and 27% across Canada’s towns. The census found that 4.3% of households are one-parent families in Carling.
More married residents 15 and over than 88% of Canadian towns: 57%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Here, 11% of residents 15 and over live common-law.
5.8% of households rent their home, fewer than in 98% 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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. Across the comparison, a quarter of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Newer homes outnumber old: 27% date from 2001 or later, 10% from before 1961.
The median household brings in $84,000 a year
The census asked about income in 2020: a pandemic year, with CERB and other emergency benefits counted in. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
At $84,000, the middle household in Carling earned close to the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The middle household across Ontario’s towns has $91,600 before tax. Pandemic benefits reached 19% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
8.8% 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 35%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
Where 17% of residents are immigrants across Canada’s towns, Carling has 8.8%. Census figures put residents who moved in within the year at 11% here. Residents without Canadian citizenship are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns.
49% of residents said they have no religion, more than in 86% of Canadian towns
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Visible minority residents are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, the share of residents with no religion is 35%.
89% have English as their mother tongue; 6% also speak 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
Little separates the share of residents whose mother tongue is French here, 0.7%, from the figure across Canada’s towns. Fewer bilingual residents than in 63% of Canadian towns: 6%.
Carling sits below 56% of Canadian towns for degree holders aged 25 to 64 (24%)
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
8.6% have no certificate, diploma or degree (typical: 9.5%). The wider picture: 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
Employment: 49% of residents 15 and over had a job
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 49% is below the typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 32% of residents are 65 or over.
Median age: 1 of the 3 towns around Carling are older
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carling | 1,609 | — | 58 | 32% | 8.8% |
| McDougall | 3,002 | 14.1 km | 52 | 28% | 6.9% |
| Parry Sound | 7,584 | 17.4 km | 53.2 | 32% | 7.5% |
| The Archipelago | 1,057 | 18.4 km | 60.4 | 37% | 9.5% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns. The middle of Ontario’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.
- What these tables don’t give. The Census Profile has no unpaid care, cars or internet access, and no change by age since 2016; ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- The census’s own words. “Visible minority” is the census’s term from the Employment Equity Act: people, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered. The page compares them with other towns and never labels a town by them.
Questions about Carling’s residents
Is Carling good for families?
9.7% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 61% of households and one-parent families 4.3%. Schools near Carling are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Carling?
Half of Carling’s households had more than $84,000 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
What is the population of Carling?
About 1,609, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 1,491 people in Carling, 33% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Carling?
The median age is 58. 9.7% are under 15 and 32% 65 or older.
Is Carling bilingual?
English and French: 6% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 94%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 0.7%.
How diverse is Carling?
Immigrants: 8.8% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 0%. Indigenous identity: 10%.
What religion are people in Carling?
49% said they have no religion and 50% that they are Christian; 0.6% 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).