Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0Listowel: 21% of residents are under 15, above 89% of Canadian towns
Half of Listowel’s residents are under 37.6, younger than in 79% of Canadian towns. The town had about 18,168 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 5,960 households at the 2021 Census. Locally, 30% of residents said they have no religion. Recent arrivals are nearly a quarter of immigrants (2011 to 2021), beside 27% across Canada’s towns. The census figures here are for the whole of North Perth, the municipality that includes Listowel.
What stands out about the people of Listowel
Growing faster than most
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Listowel went from 13,130 to 15,538 residents (+18%), faster growth than in 95% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
A town of families
Children under 15 are 21% of residents, more than in 89% of Canadian towns. Households average 2.6 people, and 6.1% are one-parent families. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A +18% change since 2016: faster than 95% of Canadian towns
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says 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, half of towns changed by more than +4%; across Ontario’s towns, by more than +6%. The July 2025 estimate adds another 17%.
19% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 51% of Canadian towns
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
No age band is larger than 0–4: 7.6% of residents, 1.6 times the share across Canada’s towns. 11% of residents are aged 15 to 24.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Listowel, 37.6. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Listowel households average 2.6 people, larger than in 67% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
One-person households make up 25%, against 27% across Canada’s towns. For Listowel, the census puts one-parent families at 6.1%.
In Listowel, 56% of residents 15 and over are married, more than in 83% of Canadian towns
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
23% of adults have never married and don’t live common-law (typical: 27%). In Listowel, 8.7% of residents 15 and over live common-law.
Listowel ranks above 59% of Canadian towns on households in single-detached houses: 70%
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
Nearly a third of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 32% built before 1961. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. The wider picture: 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. Set against 25% across Canada’s towns, 29% of households rent their home in Listowel.
$84,000 a year is the median household income here
The census asked about income in 2020: a pandemic year, with CERB and other emergency benefits counted in. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
Listowel’s median household took in $84,000 before tax, about the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Household incomes across Ontario’s towns have a median of $91,600. In 2020, 21% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
11% 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
Immigrants here were most often born in Europe (42%), then in the Americas (31%). Fewer immigrants than in 62% of Canadian towns: 11%. 5.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens across Canada’s towns, against 4% in Listowel.
67% said they are Christian and 30% that they have no religion
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Set against 15% across Canada’s towns, 6.6% of residents belong to a visible minority in Listowel. For Listowel, the census puts Indigenous residents at 1.7%.
84% have English as their mother tongue; 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
8.5% most often speak a language other than English or French at home, and 1.5% speak neither official language. Fewer bilingual residents than in 98% of Canadian towns: 2%. On top of that, with residents whose mother tongue is French at 0.5%, Listowel is behind 92% of Canadian towns on that count.
15% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, below 83% of Canadian towns
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
20% have no certificate, diploma or degree (typical: 9.5%). Elsewhere, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 64%
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.
Employment runs above the middle of Canada’s towns (58%), at 64%.
Ranked by age, 14th youngest of 41 towns this size
Median age of the Canadian towns nearest in population; hover a dot.
Oak Bay is the oldest at 54.4, Schmidtville the youngest at 29. By median age, Listowel sits among Dewdney East (36.5), McKenzie Towne (37.4), Collingwood (37.7) and Centre (38.4).
Listowel and its 5 nearest towns: 2 of them are older
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page. Listowel has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 20–28 km out.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listowel | 18,168 | — | 37.6 | 19% | 11% |
| Howick | 4,517 | 19.6 km | 35.2 | 16% | 4.7% |
| Palmerston | 10,029 | 22.1 km | 40.8 | 21% | 7% |
| Drayton | 11,518 | 23.7 km | 32 | 12% | 7.5% |
| Perth East | 13,423 | 23.9 km | 36.4 | 16% | 6% |
| Morris-Turnberry | 4,028 | 28.0 km | 40 | 22% | 5.9% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered them. “Visible minority” follows the Employment Equity Act, meaning people other than Indigenous peoples who are non-white in colour or race. We compare these figures across towns; none is a label for a town.
- Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns. Provincial and national yardsticks: Ontario’s towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500 residents, and all Canadian towns of that size. No whole city and no First Nations reserve is in either median.
- What these tables don’t give. Unpaid care, car ownership and internet access aren’t in the Census Profile, nor is the change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins other than visible minority and Indigenous identity are left out of the charts.
Questions about Listowel’s residents
Is Listowel bilingual?
English and French: 2% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 97%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 0.5%.
How diverse is Listowel?
11% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 6.6% belong to a visible minority and 1.7% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Listowel?
67% are Christian and 30% have no religion; 3.8% follow another religion.
Is Listowel good for families?
Under 15: 21% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 62% of households. One-parent families: 6.1%. Schools near Listowel are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Listowel?
The median household in Listowel took in $84,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Listowel?
Listowel had about 18,168 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 15,538, 18% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Listowel?
A median age of 37.6, younger than 79% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 21%, and people 65 and over 19%.
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).