Photo: William B. Grice · CC BY-SA 4.0A median age of 45.2: Grimsby is older than 69% of Canadian towns
The share of households in buildings of five or more storeys tops 68% of Canadian towns: 3%. The 2021 Census found 11,395 households in Grimsby; by July 2025 the population was about 31,478. Census figures put one-person households at 24% here. The town has more residents aged 65 and over than nearly two thirds of Canadian towns, at 21%.
A +6% change since 2016: faster than 60% 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
Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 9% higher again. Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across Ontario’s towns, +6%.
16% of residents are under 15, more than in 52% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
55–59 is the most common age band: 7.9% of residents. At 11%, residents aged 15 to 24 sit close to the figure across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Grimsby, 45.2. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women.
Bigger households than 58% of Canadian towns: 2.5 people each on average
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
For Grimsby, the census puts one-parent families at 8.1%.
Above 76% of Canadian towns: 54% of residents 15 and over are married
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Against a figure of 11% across Canada’s towns, the share of common-law partners in Grimsby comes in at 8.8%. The usual figure: 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns.
Only 17% of households rent their home in Grimsby
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
35% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 20% built before 1961. Set beside that, 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Grimsby sits close to the norm on households in single-detached houses: 64%, about the same as across Canada’s towns.
Median household income: $104,000 a year
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
The middle household in Grimsby had $104,000 before tax, 21% above the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Among Ontario’s towns, the typical figure is $91,600. In 2020, 25% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
18% of residents are immigrants, a share 52% of Canadian towns don’t reach
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
Most immigrants were born in Europe (62%) or in Asia (21%). Lower than in 63% of Canadian towns: 3.3% of residents are not Canadian citizens. The usual figure: 17% of residents are immigrants across Canada’s towns. Of the immigrants living here, 13% came between 2011 and 2021; across Canada’s towns the share is 27%.
Fewer residents with no religion than 54% of Canadian towns: 34%
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
The share of visible minority residents is 9.7%, against 15% across Canada’s towns. Against that, 35% of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns. Here, 1.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity.
English is the mother tongue of 84%, and 6% speak French as well
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 95%, French 0.1%. Residents whose mother tongue is French are rarer here than in 71% of Canadian towns. Set against 7.5% across Canada’s towns, 6% of residents speak English and French in Grimsby.
Grimsby: 33% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, above 60% of Canadian towns
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 6.4% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. Set beside that, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
In work on census day: 58% of adults
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.
At 58%, the share in work is about the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
The 5th oldest of 41 towns of 29,725 to 33,353 people
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
Magog is the oldest at 54.4, Centretown the youngest at 34.8. Closest in median age to Grimsby are La Cité (44.6), Victoria-Fraserview (45), Vimont (46.1) and Alma (48).
Every nearby town is younger than Grimsby
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grimsby | 31,478 | — | 45.2 | 21% | 18% |
| Fifty Point | 3,690 | 6.3 km | 36.8 | 8.8% | 30% |
| Industrial | 6,690 | 7.9 km | 39.7 | 15% | 28% |
| Trillium | 2,967 | 10.0 km | 41.4 | 18% | 35% |
| Smithville | 16,586 | 11.2 km | 40.8 | 17% | 11% |
| Beamsville | 28,356 | 11.7 km | 44.4 | 22% | 15% |
| Westmeria | 2,646 | 11.8 km | 42.4 | 17% | 35% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. “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. For each measure we take the median of Ontario’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, then the median of all Canadian towns. Neither counts whole cities or reserves, and every percentile is a Canadian one.
Questions about Grimsby’s residents
What is the median income in Grimsby?
The median household in Grimsby took in $104,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Grimsby?
Grimsby had about 31,478 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 28,883, 6% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Grimsby?
A median age of 45.2, older than 69% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 16%, and people 65 and over 21%.
Is Grimsby bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 6% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 94% speak only English and 0% only French; 1% grew up with French.
How diverse is Grimsby?
18% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 9.7% belong to a visible minority and 1.8% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Grimsby?
62% are Christian and 34% have no religion; 4.6% follow another religion.
Is Grimsby good for families?
Under 15: 16% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 61% of households. One-parent families: 8.1%. Schools near Grimsby 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).