Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0More Indigenous residents than 97% of Canadian towns: 22%
Just over one in ten residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%). With about 11,141 residents in July 2025, Penetanguishene counted 3,975 households at the 2021 Census. The census found that 1.3% of residents are not Canadian citizens in the town. Fewer immigrants than in 74% of Canadian towns: 6.8%.
What stands out about the people of Penetanguishene
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
22% of residents identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, more than in 97% of Canadian towns; 3% are Registered or Treaty Indians. Identity & religion ↓
Older than most towns
The middle resident of Penetanguishene is 52; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 30% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Growing faster than most
Penetanguishene went from 8,962 people in 2016 to 10,077 in 2021, +12%: faster growth than in 88% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Penetanguishene’s population changed by +12% since 2016, more than in 88% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. 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 the median change is +4%; across Ontario’s towns, +6%. Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 11% higher again.
Older than 90% of Canadian towns: half of Penetanguishene is over 52
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
Nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24; across Canada’s towns the figure is 11%. For Penetanguishene, the census puts residents aged 65 and over at 30%.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Penetanguishene, 52. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split.
Smaller households than 64% of Canadian towns: 2.3 people on average
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Where 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns, Penetanguishene has 30%. One-parent families: nearly a tenth of the total.
43% of residents 15 and over are married, below 62% of Canadian towns
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Singles who have never married make up 27% of adults, beside a typical 27%. Elsewhere, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. Common-law partners account for 11%.
In Penetanguishene, 68% of households live in a single-detached house, more than in 56% of Canadian towns
Dwelling types, tenure and age of the housing. 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 19% in 2001 or later. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. On average, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. Against a figure of 25% across Canada’s towns, the share of renter households in Penetanguishene comes in at 24%.
Median household income: $74,000 a year
Incomes are 2020’s, the census’s reference year, and include pandemic benefits such as CERB. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Penetanguishene had $74,000 before tax, 14% below the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across Ontario’s towns the median is $91,600. In 2020, 24% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
Only 9.1% of residents lived at another address a year earlier in Penetanguishene
Where immigrants were born and when they came, and how recently residents moved in.
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 recent wave: 4.9% of immigrants arrived in 2011–2021 (Canada’s towns: 27%). By way of comparison, just over one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier across Canada’s towns. Immigrants here were most often born in Europe (73%), then in the Americas (16%).
35% of residents said they have no religion, more than in 51% of Canadian towns
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Visible minority residents: 2.8%, below 78% of Canadian towns.
Residents whose mother tongue is French make up 7.6% in Penetanguishene, more than in 74% of Canadian towns
The official languages residents can speak, and the ones they learned first.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
Bilingual residents: 17%, above 72% of Canadian towns. For residents whose mother tongue is French, the comparison across Canada’s towns is 1.5%. At home: English 96%, French 1.3%.
16% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, below 80% of Canadian towns
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Holding no credential: 11% (typical 9.5%). Across Canada’s towns, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
A job for 45% of residents aged 15 and over
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
45% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 30% are 65 or more.
41 towns of 10,966 to 11,369 people: this is the 4th oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
At one end is Bridgwater Trails (30.4), at the other Thornbury (58.8). In age, Penetanguishene keeps company with Whitehaven - Woodpark - Glabar Park (51.4), La Tuque (51.6), Montmagny (53.2) and Liverpool (55.6).
Penetanguishene and its 3 nearest towns: 1 of them are older
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- 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 Penetanguishene’s residents
Is Penetanguishene good for families?
Across Canada’s towns, a typical 16% of residents are under 15; here, 11%. 51% of households are couple families and 8.8% one-parent families. Schools near Penetanguishene are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Penetanguishene?
$74,000 before tax, in 2020: the middle household’s income in Penetanguishene (Canada’s towns: $86,000).
What is the population of Penetanguishene?
Statistics Canada estimates 11,141 residents for July 2025; the 2021 Census counted 10,077 in Penetanguishene, 12% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Penetanguishene?
52 is the median age, older than 90% of Canadian towns. Under 15: 11%. 65 and over: 30%.
Is Penetanguishene bilingual?
English and French: 17% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 83%. French only: 0.1%. French mother tongue: 7.6%.
How diverse is Penetanguishene?
Immigrants make up 6.8% of residents, against 17% across Canada’s towns. 2.8% are members of a visible minority, and 22% are First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What religion are people in Penetanguishene?
Christian: 64%. No religion: 35%. Another religion: 1%.
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).