Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Above 76% of Canadian towns: 24% of residents are 65 or over
Just over four in five households live in a single-detached house; across Canada’s towns the figure is 64%. Petrolia had about 6,422 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 2,460 households at the 2021 Census. On the census count, 42% of residents said they have no religion. Few places have so few immigrants: 5.6% here, fewer than in 79% of Canadian towns.
Faster growth than 54% of Canadian towns: Petrolia changed by +5% since 2016
Unless a figure says otherwise, it is from the 2021 Census. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 7%. Across Canada’s towns, half of towns changed by more than +4%; across Ontario’s towns, by more than +6%.
Children under 15 make up 18% in Petrolia, more than in 67% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
With a median age of 42.8, Petrolia is older than 54% of Canadian towns. Across the comparison, 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns. The biggest five-year age group is 65–69, with 7.2% of residents.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Petrolia, 42.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
Petrolia sits above 78% of Canadian towns for one-parent families (10%)
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
29% of households are one person living alone, against 27% across Canada’s towns. The wider picture: 8.2% of households are one-parent families across Canada’s towns. Households average 2.4 people.
Above 59% of Canadian towns: 49% of residents 15 and over are married
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Singles who have never married make up 23% of adults, beside a typical 27%. On the census count, 9.2% of residents 15 and over live common-law.
A lower share of renter households than 60% of Canadian towns, at 21%
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
33% of homes were built before 1961 and 25% in 2001 or later. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns.
Median gross household income: $86,000 a year
Incomes here are for 2020, the year before the census, CERB and other pandemic benefits included. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
Half of Petrolia’s households had a total income above $86,000 and half below, close to the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across Ontario’s towns the median is $91,600. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 25% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
A lower share of residents who moved in within the year than 73% of Canadian towns, at 8.9%
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
Most immigrants were born in Europe (63%) or in the Americas (25%). At 1.8%, the share of residents without Canadian citizenship is lower than in 78% of Canadian towns. Residents who moved in within the year make up 11% across Canada’s towns. Recent arrivals, from 2011 to 2021, are 14% of immigrants (typical: 27%); non-permanent residents add 0.4% of residents.
56% said they are Christian and 42% 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
At 3.7%, Indigenous residents sit close to the figure across Canada’s towns. Census figures put visible minority residents at 2.4% in Petrolia.
95% have English as their mother tongue; 6.7% also speak 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
On the census count, 1.1% of residents have French as their mother tongue.
18% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 73% of Canadian towns
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Holding no credential: 7.2% (typical 9.5%). On average, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
53% of residents 15 and over were in work
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.
At 53%, fewer residents are in work than the typical 58% across Canada’s towns, and 24% are 65 or over.
Ranked by age, 19th oldest of 41 towns this size
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
The span goes from 33.5 (City View) up to 53.6 (Tweed). In age, Petrolia keeps company with Valley Park (42.2), Hautes-Plaines (42.4), Garden Village (42.9) and Heritage Park (43.1).
Petrolia is younger than every town around it
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrolia | 6,422 | — | 42.8 | 24% | 5.6% |
| Enniskillen | 3,174 | 2.1 km | 47.2 | 23% | 6.3% |
| Plympton-Wyoming | 9,548 | 13.3 km | 45.6 | 22% | 7.1% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns. The middle of Ontario’s towns of 2,500 or more comes first, the middle of all Canadian towns second; cities as a whole and First Nations reserves stay out, and percentiles are within Canada.
- 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. 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 Petrolia’s residents
Is Petrolia bilingual?
English and French: 6.7% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 93%. French only: 0.1%. French mother tongue: 1.1%.
How diverse is Petrolia?
Immigrants make up 5.6% of residents, against 17% across Canada’s towns. 2.4% are members of a visible minority, and 3.7% are First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What religion are people in Petrolia?
Christian: 56%. No religion: 42%. Another religion: 1.6%.
Is Petrolia good for families?
Across Canada’s towns, a typical 16% of residents are under 15; here, 18%. 55% of households are couple families and 10% one-parent families. Schools near Petrolia are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Petrolia?
$86,000 before tax, in 2020: the middle household’s income in Petrolia (Canada’s towns: $86,000).
What is the population of Petrolia?
Statistics Canada estimates 6,422 residents for July 2025; the 2021 Census counted 6,013 in Petrolia, 5% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Petrolia?
42.8 is the median age, older than 54% of Canadian towns. Under 15: 18%. 65 and over: 24%.
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).