Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 2.5Espanola ranks above 90% of Canadian towns on Indigenous residents: 12%
Across Canada’s towns, the share of residents aged 15 to 24 is 11%; Espanola has 8.4%. In Espanola, a quarter of residents are 65 or over. The town has more households in single-detached houses than 74% of Canadian towns, at 81%. A median age of 48.8 (older than 82% of Canadian towns) sets Espanola apart: 5,185 residents in 2,305 households at the 2021 Census.
What stands out about the people of Espanola
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
12% of residents identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, more than in 90% of Canadian towns; 3.9% are Registered or Treaty Indians. Identity & religion ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Espanola changed by +3% from 2016 to 2021, slower than 59% of Canadian towns
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
Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 6% higher again.
Half of Espanola is over 48.8, older than 82% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
More residents are 60–64 than any other five-year age: 9.6% of residents, 1.4 times the share across Canada’s towns. 15% of residents are under 15.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Espanola, 48.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split.
Households here average 2.2 people, below 74% 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.
In Espanola, 31% of households are one person living alone, beside 27% across Canada’s towns. For Espanola, the census puts one-parent families at 8.9%.
Common-law partners: 13%, a higher share than 68% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: 22% of adults, against a typical 27%. Across Canada’s towns, common-law partners come to 11%. For Espanola, the census puts married residents 15 and over at 47%.
Renter households: 24%, a lower share than 52% of Canadian towns
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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. 38% of homes were built before 1961 and 5.7% in 2001 or later. Across Canada’s towns, renter households come to 25%.
$78,000 a year: where the middle household sits
Census incomes are for 2020, the year before the census, when CERB and other pandemic benefits topped up many households. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
At $78,000, the middle household in Espanola earned 9% less than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Ontario’s towns have a median of $91,600. In 2020, 20% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
Espanola ranks below 58% of Canadian towns on residents who moved in within the year: 10%
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
17% of residents are immigrants across Canada’s towns, against 4.4% in Espanola. Residents who moved in within the year: 11% across Canada’s towns, for comparison. For Espanola, the census puts residents without Canadian citizenship at 2%.
63% said they are Christian and 35% that they have no religion
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Compared with 15% across Canada’s towns, 3.3% of residents belong to a visible minority here.
A higher share of residents whose mother tongue is French than 76% of Canadian towns, at 12%
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
Here 21% of residents speak English and French, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 7.5%. To put it in context, 1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue across Canada’s towns. At home: English 95%, French 2.3%.
Espanola sits below 84% of Canadian towns for degree holders aged 25 to 64 (15%)
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
14% of those aged 25 to 64 have no formal credential, where the typical town has 9.5%.
A job for 48% of residents aged 15 and over
These rates date from May 2021, during the pandemic, and run lower than a normal year’s. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
48% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 25% are 65 or more.
The 6th oldest of 41 towns of 5,391 to 5,616 people
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
Countryside is the youngest of them at 32; Saint-Jean-de-Matha, at 55.6, the oldest. The closest ages to Espanola’s belong to Stirling (46.4), West Lorne (48.8), Juan de Fuca (Part 1) (51.6) and Grand Falls / Grand-Sault (52.8).
Of the 3 towns nearest Espanola, 2 are older
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page. Distances here run 18–33 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Espanola.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Espanola | 5,504 | — | 48.8 | 25% | 4.4% |
| Sables-Spanish Rivers | 3,412 | 18.0 km | 50.4 | 24% | 3.6% |
| Sagamok | 1,200 | 32.6 km | 31.8 | 14% | 0% |
| Little Current | 2,764 | 33.2 km | 55.6 | 32% | 4.4% |
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. Not in the Census Profile: unpaid care, cars, internet access, and how each age group has changed since 2016. We also chart no ethnic origins besides visible minority and Indigenous identity.
- 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.
Questions about Espanola’s residents
Is Espanola bilingual?
English and French: 21% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 79%. French only: 0.2%. French mother tongue: 12%.
How diverse is Espanola?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 4.4%. A visible minority makes up 3.3% and Indigenous residents 12%.
What religion are people in Espanola?
Most often Christian (63%) or no religion (35%); other religions make up 2.5%.
Is Espanola good for families?
Children under 15 are 15% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 52% of households and one-parent families 8.9%. Schools near Espanola are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Espanola?
Median total household income in Espanola was $78,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Espanola?
The latest figure is an estimate: 5,504 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Espanola counted 5,185, 3% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Espanola?
Half the residents are older than 48.8 and half younger, older than 82% of Canadian towns; 15% are children under 15 and 25% are 65 or over.
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).