Photo: Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine · CC0Markham: 59% of residents are immigrants, above 97% of Canadian towns
Across Canada’s towns, the share of one-person households is 27%; Markham has 16%. For Markham, the census puts renter households at 18%. Lower than in 94% of Canadian towns: 0.2% of residents have an Indigenous identity. The city had about 371,504 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 110,870 households at the 2021 Census.
What stands out about the people of Markham
More immigrants than most towns
59% of residents are immigrants, against 26% across Ontario’s towns and 17% across Canada’s towns. Immigrants here were most often born in Asia (83%), then in the Americas (7%); 20% of them arrived from 2011 to 2021. Immigrants & newcomers ↓
A mix of backgrounds
Visible minority residents make up 82%, more than in 97% of Canadian towns, and immigrants 59%. Identity & religion ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Markham changed by +3% from 2016 to 2021, behind 58% of Canadian towns
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 10%. For comparison, the median is +4% across Canada’s towns and +6% across Ontario’s towns.
Markham sits above 70% of Canadian towns for residents aged 15 to 24 (12%)
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
The biggest five-year age group is 55–59, with 7.3% of residents. Typically, 11% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Canada’s towns. Half of Markham’s residents are over 42.4, older than in 52% of Canadian towns. Compared with 19% across Canada’s towns, 18% of residents are 65 or over here.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women.
Markham households average 3 people, larger than in 90% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
One-parent families account for 8.6%.
3.5% of residents 15 and over live common-law, fewer than in 96% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns, against 58% in Markham. The comparison figure for common-law partners is 11% across Canada’s towns.
Markham sits above 84% of Canadian towns for households in buildings of five or more storeys (16%)
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
Against a figure of 64% across Canada’s towns, the share of households in single-detached houses in Markham comes in at 56%. Newer homes outnumber old: 47% date from 2001 or later, 2.6% from before 1961.
Median household income: $104,000 a year
The census asked about income in 2020: a pandemic year, with CERB and other emergency benefits counted in. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
At $104,000, the middle household in Markham out-earned the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000) by 21%. The figure for Ontario’s towns: $91,600. In 2020, 34% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
Markham: 15% of residents are not Canadian citizens, above 83% 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 70%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
Most recent wave: a fifth of immigrants arrived in 2011–2021 (Canada’s towns: 27%). Typically, 5.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens across Canada’s towns. Residents who moved in within the year account for 9.7%.
Visible minority residents make up 82% in Markham, more than in 97% of Canadian towns
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Among other religions: Hindu (9.2%), Muslim (7.9%) and Buddhist (4%). Markham has more residents with no religion than 68% of Canadian towns, at 41%. The share of visible minority residents across Canada’s towns is 15%.
66% have a mother tongue other than English or 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
The figure for residents whose mother tongue is French is 0.5% in Markham and 1.5% across Canada’s towns. The census found that 5.4% of residents speak English and French in the city.
Markham: 49% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, above 83% of Canadian towns
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 9.1% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. On average, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
52% of residents 15 and over were in work
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
With 18% of residents 65 or over, the employment rate of 52% sits under the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
From a median age of 38 in Cornell to 50 in Langstaff
The city’s 22 neighbourhoods, youngest first; each links its own page.
Langstaff is the oldest area, with 26% aged 65 or over; Cornell the youngest (median age 38). Immigrants are most common in Underwood (71% of residents). Renting is most common in Steeles Corners, where 51% of households rent.
Older than Markham: 3 of the 6 towns nearby
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markham | 371,504 | — | 42.4 | 18% | 59% |
| Unionville | 17,632 | 1.5 km | 47.5 | 24% | 54% |
| Hagerman's Corners | 43,555 | 2.1 km | 40.5 | 19% | 65% |
| Quantztown | 13,146 | 2.1 km | 47.1 | 21% | 61% |
| Berczy Village | 22,149 | 3.2 km | 39.7 | 12% | 62% |
| Underwood | 5,972 | 3.3 km | 45.6 | 23% | 71% |
| Brown's Corners | 7,228 | 3.3 km | 40.5 | 19% | 69% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. Some things the page can’t show: the Census Profile asks nothing about unpaid care, cars or internet access, and gives no change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted.
- The census’s own words. These are self-reported answers: Indigenous identity, immigrant status, religion. The census’s “visible minority” comes from the Employment Equity Act (non-white in colour or race, Indigenous peoples aside), and the page sets each beside other towns without labelling any.
- Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns. Two medians frame each figure: one for Ontario’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, one for all Canadian towns of that size, with whole cities and First Nations reserves left out. Percentiles rank the town within Canada.
Questions about Markham’s residents
What is the median income in Markham?
Half of Markham’s households had more than $104,000 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
What is the population of Markham?
About 371,504, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 338,503 people in Markham, 3% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Markham?
The median age is 42.4. 16% are under 15 and 18% 65 or older.
Is Markham bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 5.4% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 84% speak only English and 0% only French; 0.5% grew up with French.
How diverse is Markham?
Immigrants: 59% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 82%. Indigenous identity: 0.2%.
What religion are people in Markham?
41% said they have no religion and 35% that they are Christian; 24% named another faith.
Is Markham good for families?
16% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 57% of households and one-parent families 8.6%. Schools near Markham 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).