Photo: Ryan Hodnett · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in buildings of five or more storeys make up 12% in Guelph, more than in 81% of Canadian towns
In Guelph, 13% of residents are aged 15 to 24, beside 11% across Canada’s towns. The 2021 Census found 56,480 households locally; by July 2025 the population was about 160,760. Here, 16% of residents are 65 or over. The town has more residents with no religion than 62% of Canadian towns, at 39%.
A +9% change since 2016: Guelph grew faster than 77% of Canadian towns
The figures are the 2021 Census’s, except where another date is given. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across Ontario’s towns +6%. By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 12%.
Guelph is younger than 74% of Canadian towns: a median age of 38.4
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
The largest age band is 25–29: 7.7% of residents, 1.3 times the share across Canada’s towns. In Guelph, 16% of residents are under 15.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Guelph, 38.4. 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.
2.5 people per household, more than in 58% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
One-parent families: 8.9%, near enough the figure across Canada’s towns. The share of one-person households stands at 27%.
Married residents 15 and over make up 45% in Guelph, less than in 54% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
30% of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%. Against that, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. The share of common-law partners stands at 11%.
Households in single-detached houses: 49%, a lower share than 70% 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
30% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 20% built before 1961. The benchmark for households in single-detached houses across Canada’s towns: 64%. Guelph has more renter households than two thirds of Canadian towns, at 34%.
The midpoint household income is $93,000 a year
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
At $93,000, the middle household in Guelph out-earned the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000) by 8%. Across Ontario’s towns the median is $91,600. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 30% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
Guelph: 24% of residents are immigrants, above 62% of Canadian towns
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
8.4% of residents are not Canadian citizens, against 5.8% across Canada’s towns. Immigrants: 17% across Canada’s towns, for comparison. The share of residents who moved in within the year stands at 13%.
Visible minority residents make up 25% in Guelph, more than in 62% of Canadian towns
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Indigenous residents: 1.6% here and 2.8% across Canada’s towns. Other faiths: Muslim (4.5%) and Hindu (2.7%). To put it in context, 15% of residents belong to a visible minority across Canada’s towns.
Above 57% of Canadian towns: 8.9% of residents speak English and French
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 85%, French 0.3%. The benchmark for bilingual residents across Canada’s towns: 7.5%. Residents whose mother tongue is French are rarer here than in two thirds of Canadian towns.
41% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, a share 73% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
8.2% of those aged 25 to 64 have no formal credential, where the typical town has 9.5%.
Employment: 60% of residents 15 and over had a job
Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic: some of these rates are lower than in a usual year. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 60% is above the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
The 5th youngest of 41 towns of 105,520 to 243,107 people
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
The span goes from 36 (Milton) up to 50.4 (Cape Breton). In age, Guelph keeps company with Lethbridge (38), Ajax (38.4), Red Deer (38.8) and Cambridge (39.2).
Nearby, 5 of 6 towns have older populations than Guelph
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guelph | 160,760 | — | 38.4 | 16% | 24% |
| Rockwood | 14,870 | 5.3 km | 45.2 | 19% | 14% |
| Puslinch | 8,577 | 9.9 km | 49.2 | 23% | 17% |
| Grand River South | 10,723 | 16.5 km | 35.9 | 9.4% | 35% |
| Grand River North | 3,823 | 17.8 km | 44 | 18% | 28% |
| Cambridge | 165,354 | 18.0 km | 39.2 | 16% | 23% |
| Idlewood | 5,005 | 18.1 km | 45.5 | 19% | 27% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- 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. 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 Guelph’s residents
Is Guelph bilingual?
English and French: 8.9% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 90%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 1.1%.
How diverse is Guelph?
Immigrants make up 24% of residents, against 17% across Canada’s towns. 25% are members of a visible minority, and 1.6% are First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What religion are people in Guelph?
Christian: 50%. No religion: 39%. Another religion: 12%.
Is Guelph good for families?
Across Canada’s towns, a typical 16% of residents are under 15; here, 16%. 51% of households are couple families and 8.9% one-parent families. Schools near Guelph are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Guelph?
$93,000 before tax, in 2020: the middle household’s income in Guelph (Canada’s towns: $86,000).
What is the population of Guelph?
Statistics Canada estimates 160,760 residents for July 2025; the 2021 Census counted 143,740 in Guelph, 9% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Guelph?
38.4 is the median age, younger than 74% of Canadian towns. Under 15: 16%. 65 and over: 16%.
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).