Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0Collingwood is older than 87% of Canadian towns: a median age of 50.8
Just over a third of households are one person living alone; across Canada’s towns the figure is 27%. The 2021 Census found 11,175 households in Collingwood; by July 2025 the population was about 28,366. Residents with no religion: 44% of the total. Few places have as many residents who moved in within the year: 15% here, more than in 76% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Collingwood
Growing faster than most
Collingwood went from 21,793 people in 2016 to 24,811 in 2021, +14%: faster growth than in 90% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Older than most towns
Collingwood’s median age is 50.8; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 30% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
+14% since 2016, a pace 90% of Canadian towns didn’t match
Figures are from the 2021 Census unless dated otherwise. 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 Ontario’s towns, +6%.
30% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 92% of Canadian towns
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
Nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24 (Canada’s towns: 11%). The biggest five-year age group is 60–64, with nearly one in ten residents. Set beside that, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Collingwood, 50.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
2.2 people per household, fewer than in 74% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Here, 8.1% of households are one-parent families.
57% of adults are married or living common-law
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: nearly a quarter of adults, against a typical 27%. The share of common-law partners stands at 11%.
Collingwood: 4% of households live in a building of five or more storeys, above 71% of Canadian towns
The kinds of homes people live in, who owns and who rents, and how old the homes are. 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
Newer homes outnumber old: 38% date from 2001 or later, 19% from before 1961. Fewer households in single-detached houses than in three fifths of Canadian towns: 56%. By contrast, the share of renter households is 27%, against 25% across Canada’s towns.
Half of households earn more than $82,000 a year
Census incomes are for 2020, the year before the census, when CERB and other pandemic benefits topped up many households. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
The median across Canada’s towns is $86,000, and Collingwood’s, at $82,000, is close to it. The figure for Ontario’s towns: $91,600. 29% of income recipients received COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefits (typical: 28%).
13% of residents are immigrants
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
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
Immigrants here were most often born in Europe (63%), then in Asia (21%). Collingwood has fewer residents without Canadian citizenship than two thirds of Canadian towns, at 2.8%. Recent arrivals, from 2011 to 2021, are 14% of immigrants (typical: 27%); non-permanent residents add 0.5% of residents.
52% said they are Christian and 44% that they have no religion
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
15% of residents belong to a visible minority across Canada’s towns, against 6.9% in Collingwood. The census found that 2.4% of residents have an Indigenous identity here.
90% have English as their mother tongue; 7.5% also speak French
Who can speak English and French, mother tongue, and the language spoken most at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
At home: English 97%, French 0.2%. 1.2% of residents have French as their mother tongue, fewer than in 62% of Canadian towns.
29% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, more than in 54% of Canadian towns
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
8.6% have no certificate, diploma or degree (typical: 9.5%). The usual figure: 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. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
With 30% of residents 65 or over, the employment rate of 49% sits under the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
Of 41 towns its size (27,155 to 29,725 people), the 4th oldest
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
Between Alloa (31.3) and Picton (56.8) lies the rest of the group. The towns whose median age is nearest to Collingwood’s: Sainte-Thérèse (47.6), Banbury-Don Mills (48.8), Thetford Mines (53.6) and Wasaga Beach (56.4).
Collingwood sits below 2 of its 3 closest neighbours on median age
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collingwood | 28,366 | — | 50.8 | 30% | 13% |
| Stayner | 16,571 | 13.1 km | 44.8 | 20% | 8% |
| Wasaga Beach | 28,736 | 14.3 km | 56.4 | 35% | 17% |
| Thornbury | 11,162 | 17.4 km | 58.8 | 34% | 13% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Questions about Collingwood’s residents
What is the average age in Collingwood?
Half the residents are older than 50.8 and half younger, older than 87% of Canadian towns; 13% are children under 15 and 30% are 65 or over.
Is Collingwood bilingual?
English and French: 7.5% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 92%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 1.2%.
How diverse is Collingwood?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 13%. A visible minority makes up 6.9% and Indigenous residents 2.4%.
What religion are people in Collingwood?
Most often Christian (52%) or no religion (44%); other religions make up 3.7%.
Is Collingwood good for families?
Children under 15 are 13% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 50% of households and one-parent families 8.1%. Schools near Collingwood are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Collingwood?
Median total household income in Collingwood was $82,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Collingwood?
The latest figure is an estimate: 28,366 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Collingwood counted 24,811, 14% more than 2016.
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).