Photo: maar345 · CC BY 2.0Renfrew is older than 93% of Canadian towns: a median age of 54
Most recent wave: 11% of immigrants arrived in 2011–2021 (Canada’s towns: 27%). Renfrew had about 8,721 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 3,950 households at the 2021 Census. Here, just over one in ten residents are under 15. Indigenous residents are more common here than in nearly four fifths of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Renfrew
Older than most towns
The middle resident of Renfrew is 54; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 32% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Many people living alone
41% of households are one person living alone, more than in 90% of Canadian towns; 32% of residents are 65 or over. Households ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Renfrew changed by ±0% from 2016 to 2021, behind 80% of Canadian towns
The figures are the 2021 Census’s, except where another date is given. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across Ontario’s towns +6%.
A larger share of residents aged 65 and over than 95% of Canadian towns: 32%
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
In Renfrew, nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24, beside 11% across Canada’s towns. Across the comparison, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Renfrew, 54. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
One-person households make up 41% in Renfrew, more 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.
The share of one-parent families tops 77% of Canadian towns: 10%. Households average 2 people. One-person households make up 27% across Canada’s towns.
Married residents 15 and over make up 39% in Renfrew, less than in 71% of Canadian towns
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Never married and not common-law: a quarter of adults (typical: 27%). As a yardstick, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. Common-law partners account for 11%.
A higher share of renter households than 77% of Canadian towns, at 41%
The kinds of homes people live in, who owns and who rents, and how old the homes are. 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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. The share of renter households across Canada’s towns is 25%. Older homes outnumber new: 52% predate 1961, 11% date from 2001 or later. Nearly one in ten homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%.
$60,400 a year is the median household income here
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
The median across Canada’s towns is $86,000; Renfrew’s, at $60,400, is 30% lower. The median across Ontario’s towns is $91,600. The pandemic’s benefits: 22% of income recipients, against 28% in the typical town.
3.6% of residents are immigrants
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
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
17% of residents are immigrants across Canada’s towns, against 3.6% in Renfrew. On top of that, fewer residents without Canadian citizenship than in 95% of Canadian towns: 0.6%. Immigrants here were most often born in Europe (74%), then in Asia (14%).
A smaller share of residents with no religion than 70% of Canadian towns: 28%
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
With visible minority residents at 1.3%, Renfrew is behind 92% of Canadian towns on that count. The benchmark for residents with no religion across Canada’s towns: 35%.
Renfrew sits above 67% of Canadian towns for residents whose mother tongue is French (2.8%)
Who can speak English and French, mother tongue, and the language spoken most at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
At home: English 98%, French 0.4%. Typically, 1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue across Canada’s towns. Where 7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns, Renfrew has 8.6%.
12% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, below 90% of Canadian towns
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Holding no credential: 13% (typical 9.5%). Across Canada’s towns, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
44% of adults were employed in May 2021
These rates date from May 2021, during the pandemic, and run lower than a normal year’s. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
44% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 32% are 65 or more.
Of 41 towns its size (8,517 to 8,907 people), the 1st oldest
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
At one end is Iqaluit (32.8), at the other Renfrew (54). The closest ages to Renfrew’s belong to Pictou County, Subdivision C (52) and Nicolet (52.4).
Renfrew is older than every town around it
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renfrew | 8,721 | — | 54 | 32% | 3.6% |
| Horton | 3,550 | 8.3 km | 48.8 | 23% | 3.1% |
| Admaston/Bromley | 3,086 | 12.5 km | 45.2 | 20% | 3.2% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- What these tables don’t give. For origins the charts stop at visible minority and Indigenous identity, and the Census Profile has nothing on unpaid care, cars or the internet, or on change by age since 2016.
- The census’s own words. “Visible minority” is the census’s term from the Employment Equity Act: people, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered. The page compares them with other towns and never labels a town by them.
Questions about Renfrew’s residents
What is the median income in Renfrew?
Median total household income in Renfrew was $60,400 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Renfrew?
The latest figure is an estimate: 8,721 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Renfrew counted 8,190, about the same as 2016.
What is the average age in Renfrew?
Half the residents are older than 54 and half younger, older than 93% of Canadian towns; 12% are children under 15 and 32% are 65 or over.
Is Renfrew bilingual?
English and French: 8.6% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 91%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 2.8%.
How diverse is Renfrew?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 3.6%. A visible minority makes up 1.3% and Indigenous residents 7.1%.
What religion are people in Renfrew?
Most often Christian (70%) or no religion (28%); other religions make up 1.3%.
Is Renfrew good for families?
Children under 15 are 12% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 42% of households and one-parent families 10%. Schools near Renfrew 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).