Photo: norgo · CC BY-SA 3.0Severn is older than 84% of Canadian towns: a median age of 49.6
64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns, against 90% in Severn. For Severn, the census puts Indigenous residents at 5.6%. At 8.3%, the share of residents who moved in within the year is lower than in nearly four fifths of Canadian towns. The town had about 15,716 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 5,800 households at the 2021 Census.
A +8% change since 2016: Severn grew faster than 74% of Canadian towns
The figures are the 2021 Census’s, except where another date is given. Two census counts, five years apart, and Statistics Canada’s newest estimate.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across Ontario’s towns +6%.
24% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 74% of Canadian towns
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
14% of residents are under 15; across Canada’s towns the figure is 16%. Measured more widely, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Severn, 49.6. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
22% of households are one person living alone, below 69% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The figure for one-parent families is 5.9% in Severn and 8.2% across Canada’s towns. On average, 2.5 people share a household. Typically, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns.
In Severn, 52% of residents 15 and over are married, more than in 69% of Canadian towns
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Just over a fifth of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%. Common-law partners are more common here than in nearly two thirds of Canadian towns. The usual figure: 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns.
10% of households rent their home, fewer than in 89% 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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. 28% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 21% built before 1961. As a yardstick, 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns.
Before tax, the median household income is $94,000 a year
Census incomes are for 2020, the year before the census, when CERB and other pandemic benefits topped up many households. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
Severn’s median household took in $94,000 before tax, 9% more than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across Ontario’s towns the median is $91,600. Emergency and recovery benefits reached 26% of those with an income, beside a typical 28%.
7.2% of residents are immigrants
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: 6.2% of immigrants arrived in 2011–2021 (Canada’s towns: 27%). Compared with other places, residents without Canadian citizenship are scarce here: 1.1%, fewer than in 88% of Canadian towns.
A larger share of residents with no religion than 83% of Canadian towns: 48%
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
In Severn, 2.5% of residents belong to a visible minority, beside 15% across Canada’s towns. As a reference point, just over a third of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns.
English is the mother tongue of 94%, and 4.2% speak French as well
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
The share of bilingual residents trails 84% of Canadian towns: 4.2%. Severn has fewer residents whose mother tongue is French than 62% of Canadian towns, at 1.2%. At home: English 99%, French 0.2%.
In Severn, 18% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 72% of Canadian towns
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
With no certificate, diploma or degree: 10%, beside a typical 9.5%. Across the comparison, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
Employment: 54% of residents 15 and over had a job
The census was taken in May 2021, during the pandemic, so these rates show a labour market still recovering. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 54%, fewer residents are in work than the typical 58% across Canada’s towns, and 24% are 65 or over.
41 towns of 15,359 to 16,088 people: this is the 7th oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
Median ages here range from 32.1 in Ledbury-Heron Gate-Ridgemont to 62 in Parksville. The closest ages to Severn’s belong to Edenbridge-Humber Valley (47.6), Jésuites (48.4), Almonte (50) and Gaspé (50.4).
Severn sits below 1 of its 4 closest neighbours on median age
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severn | 15,716 | — | 49.6 | 24% | 7.2% |
| Orillia | 37,735 | 7.1 km | 46.8 | 26% | 9.7% |
| Chippewas of Rama First Nation | 1,149 | 8.7 km | 38 | 14% | 0% |
| Oro-Medonte | 24,681 | 16.7 km | 47.6 | 21% | 9% |
| Ramara | 11,551 | 17.9 km | 54.4 | 28% | 11% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns. Each comparison is its own median: over Ontario’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, and over all Canadian towns of that size (whole cities and First Nations reserves left out). Percentiles are within Canada only.
Questions about Severn’s residents
What is the median income in Severn?
Median total household income in Severn was $94,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Severn?
The latest figure is an estimate: 15,716 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Severn counted 14,576, 8% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Severn?
Half the residents are older than 49.6 and half younger, older than 84% of Canadian towns; 14% are children under 15 and 24% are 65 or over.
Is Severn bilingual?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 7.5% are bilingual; here 4.2% are. Another 0% speak only French and 96% only English, and French is the first language of 1.2%.
How diverse is Severn?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 7.2%. A visible minority makes up 2.5% and Indigenous residents 5.6%.
What religion are people in Severn?
Most often Christian (51%) or no religion (48%); other religions make up 1.5%.
Is Severn good for families?
Children under 15 are 14% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 61% of households and one-parent families 5.9%. Schools near Severn 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).