Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0A smaller share of renter households than 97% of Canadian towns: 6.2%
Here 18% of households are one person living alone, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 27%. Fewer residents who moved in within the year than in 91% of Canadian towns: 6.9%. Half of Hamilton’s 11,059 residents are older than 49.6 (older than 84% of Canadian towns), in 4,280 households at the 2021 Census. In Hamilton, 47% of residents said they have no religion.
+1% since 2016: slower than 70% 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
For comparison, the median is +4% across Canada’s towns and +6% across Ontario’s towns. The July 2025 estimate adds another 7%.
Half of Hamilton is over 49.6, older than 84% of Canadian towns
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
By its share of children under 15 (14%), Hamilton is below 73% of Canadian towns. For Hamilton, the census puts residents aged 65 and over at 23%.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Hamilton, 49.6. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Bigger households than 67% of Canadian towns: 2.6 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.
8.2% of households are one-parent families across Canada’s towns, against 5.3% in Hamilton.
Hamilton sits above 83% of Canadian towns for married residents 15 and over (56%)
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: just over a fifth of adults, against a typical 27%. Across Canada’s towns, 46% of residents 15 and over are married. Common-law partners: 12% of the total.
Hamilton sits above 96% of Canadian towns for households in single-detached houses (95%)
Occupied homes by type, by owners and renters, and by when they were built. 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
27% of homes were built before 1961 and 14% in 2001 or later. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, households in single-detached houses come to 64%.
Half above, half below $106,000 a year in household income
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Hamilton had $106,000 before tax, 23% above the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). $91,600 is the median household income across Ontario’s towns. In 2020, 25% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
8.9% of residents are immigrants
Immigrants, newcomers and movers.
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 (70%) or in the Americas (15%). 1.7% of residents are not Canadian citizens, a lower share than in 80% of Canadian towns. Recent arrivals are 7.1% of immigrants (2011 to 2021), beside 27% across Canada’s towns.
51% said they are Christian and 47% 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
Visible minority residents: 3.5%, below 74% of Canadian towns. Here, 2.6% of residents have an Indigenous identity.
94% have English as their mother tongue; 6.2% also speak French
Knowledge of the two official languages, first languages, and the language of home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
At home: English 99%, French 0.2%. On residents whose mother tongue is French, Hamilton sits lower than two thirds of Canadian towns: 1.1%. Set against 7.5% across Canada’s towns, 6.2% of residents speak English and French locally.
21% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, below 64% of Canadian towns
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
7.9% of those aged 25 to 64 have no formal credential, where the typical town has 9.5%.
A job for 56% of residents aged 15 and over
Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic: some of these rates are lower than in a usual year. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 56%, the share in work is about the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
In its size band (11,518 to 12,075), the 7th oldest of 41 towns
Median age of the Canadian towns nearest in population; hover a dot.
Sechelt is the oldest at 57.6, Cityscape the youngest at 31.5. By median age, Hamilton sits among German Mills (48.7), Tay (49.2), Morrisburg (50.8) and Georgian Bluffs (51.2).
Of the 3 towns nearest Hamilton, 2 are older
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 11,810 | — | 49.6 | 23% | 8.9% |
| Cobourg | 22,529 | 9.5 km | 54.8 | 34% | 13% |
| Port Hope | 18,446 | 12.0 km | 50.8 | 28% | 10% |
| Alnwick/Haldimand | 8,197 | 12.7 km | 49.6 | 23% | 9.9% |
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. 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. In the census, “visible minority” is the Employment Equity Act’s term for people who are non-white in colour or race and not Indigenous. Like immigrant status, Indigenous identity and religion, which residents reported themselves, it is compared with other towns, never turned into a label.
Questions about Hamilton’s residents
What is the average age in Hamilton?
A median age of 49.6, older than 84% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 14%, and people 65 and over 23%.
Is Hamilton bilingual?
English and French: 6.2% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 94%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 1.1%.
How diverse is Hamilton?
8.9% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 3.5% belong to a visible minority and 2.6% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Hamilton?
51% are Christian and 47% have no religion; 1.9% follow another religion.
Is Hamilton good for families?
Under 15: 14% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 67% of households. One-parent families: 5.3%. Schools near Hamilton are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Hamilton?
The median household in Hamilton took in $106,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Hamilton?
Hamilton had about 11,810 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 11,059, 1% 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).