Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Half of St. Joseph is over 57.2, older than 97% of Canadian towns
2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns, against 8.1% in St. Joseph. Few places have as many households in single-detached houses: 94% here, more than in 95% of Canadian towns. There are 15% more residents than in 2016. The share of one-parent families stands at 4.1%.
What stands out about the people of St. Joseph
Older than most towns
Half of St. Joseph’s residents are under 57.2 and half over; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 34% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Growing faster than most
St. Joseph went from 1,240 people in 2016 to 1,426 in 2021, +15%: faster growth than in 92% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
St. Joseph grew +15% from 2016 to 2021, ahead of 92% of Canadian towns
Figures are from the 2021 Census unless dated otherwise. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
For comparison, the median is +4% across Canada’s towns and +6% across Ontario’s towns. By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 9%.
Residents aged 65 and over make up 34% in St. Joseph, more than in 97% of Canadian towns
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
Against a figure of 11% across Canada’s towns, the share of residents aged 15 to 24 in St. Joseph comes in at 7.4%. By way of comparison, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% 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.
Nearly a quarter of households are one person living alone; across Canada’s towns the figure is 27%.
Above 98% of Canadian towns: 62% of residents 15 and over are married
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
16% of adults have never married and don’t live common-law (typical: 27%). Against that, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. Common-law partners: nearly a tenth of the total.
A smaller share of renter households than 83% of Canadian towns: 12%
Occupied homes by type, by owners and renters, and by when they were built. 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. As a yardstick, 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Older homes outnumber new: 27% predate 1961, 21% date from 2001 or later. Just over one in ten homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%.
$83,000 a year: the median household income
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in St. Joseph had $83,000 before tax, near the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Within Ontario’s towns, the household in the middle had $91,600. Emergency and recovery benefits reached 16% of those with an income, beside a typical 28%.
St. Joseph sits below 65% of Canadian towns for residents who moved in within the year (9.5%)
Immigrants, newcomers and movers.
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
3.5% of residents are not Canadian citizens (Canada’s towns: 5.8%). The share of residents who moved in within the year across Canada’s towns is 11%. Immigrants account for 8.8%.
St. Joseph: 39% of residents said they have no religion, above 64% of Canadian towns
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
The figure for visible minority residents is 3.5% in St. Joseph and 15% across Canada’s towns. Across Canada’s towns, residents with no religion come to 35%.
More residents whose mother tongue is French than 67% of Canadian towns: 2.8%
Knowledge of the two official languages, first languages, and the language of home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
At home: English 99%, French 0.4%. The wider picture: 1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue across Canada’s towns. 4.9% of residents speak English and French, fewer than in 76% of Canadian towns.
Only 26% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in St. Joseph
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 9.6% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. For comparison, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
A job for 44% of residents aged 15 and over
The census was taken in May 2021, during the pandemic, so these rates show a labour market still recovering. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
With 34% of residents 65 or over, the employment rate of 44% sits under the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
Older than St. Joseph: 1 of the 5 towns nearby
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page. No closer places have figures: these lie 14–39 km from St. Joseph.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph | 1,560 | — | 57.2 | 34% | 8.8% |
| Laird | 1,221 | 13.8 km | 50.4 | 23% | 1.8% |
| Macdonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Additional | 1,771 | 22.5 km | 45.6 | 20% | 3.3% |
| Garden River 14 | 1,205 | 31.5 km | 38.8 | 14% | 0% |
| Sault Ste. Marie | 81,182 | 35.4 km | 47.2 | 25% | 8.5% |
| Thessalon | 1,363 | 38.9 km | 58.8 | 36% | 3% |
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. Missing from the census as published: unpaid care, cars and internet access, and the shift in each age band since 2016. Ethnic origins past visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- 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 St. Joseph’s residents
How diverse is St. Joseph?
8.8% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 3.5% belong to a visible minority and 8.1% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in St. Joseph?
60% are Christian and 39% have no religion; 0.3% follow another religion.
Is St. Joseph good for families?
Under 15: 14% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 67% of households. One-parent families: 4.1%. Schools near St. Joseph are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in St. Joseph?
The median household in St. Joseph took in $83,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of St. Joseph?
St. Joseph had about 1,560 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 1,426, 15% more than 2016.
What is the average age in St. Joseph?
A median age of 57.2. Children under 15 make up 14%, and people 65 and over 34%.
Is St. Joseph bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 4.9% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 95% speak only English and 0% only French; 2.8% grew up with French.
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).