Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Half of Stratford is over 46, older than 72% of Canadian towns
Of the immigrants living here, 18% came between 2011 and 2021; across Canada’s towns the share is 27%. Census figures put households in buildings of five or more storeys at 5.5% in Stratford. This Ontario town has more residents aged 65 and over than 76% of Canadian towns, at 24%. With about 36,097 residents in July 2025, Stratford counted 14,745 households at the 2021 Census.
From 2016 to 2021, Stratford outgrew 60% of Canadian towns: +6%
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
Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across Ontario’s towns, +6%. By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 9%.
14% of residents are under 15, fewer than in 68% of Canadian towns
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
No age band is larger than 60–64: 7.9% of residents. As a reference point, 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Stratford, 46. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
One-person households: 33%, a higher share than 73% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Compared with 8.2% across Canada’s towns, 9.3% of households are one-parent families here. There are 2.2 people in the average household. The usual figure: 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns.
56% of adults are married or living common-law
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: just over a quarter of adults, against a typical 27%. Married residents 15 and over: 46% of the total.
A higher share of renter households than 66% of Canadian towns, at 34%
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
Older homes outnumber new: 38% predate 1961, 18% date from 2001 or later. Few places have so few households in single-detached houses: 53% here, fewer than in 64% of Canadian towns. The share of renter households across Canada’s towns is 25%.
A median household income of $77,000 a year
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. What households took in before tax, at the middle and across income groups.
Households by income · share of households
Stratford’s median household took in $77,000 before tax, 10% less than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). For Ontario’s towns, the median household income is $91,600. COVID-19 benefits were paid to 30% of residents with an income, where the typical town had 28%.
11% of residents are immigrants
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
The largest groups of immigrants were born in Europe (50%) and in Asia (25%). Immigrants are rarer here than in 62% of Canadian towns. The share of residents without Canadian citizenship trails 60% of Canadian towns: 3.8%.
Stratford sits above 70% of Canadian towns for residents with no religion (42%)
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
By its share of Indigenous residents (1.7%), Stratford is below just over two thirds of Canadian towns. The share of residents with no religion across Canada’s towns is 35%. The census found that 8% of residents belong to a visible minority here.
91% have English as their mother tongue; 6.3% also speak French
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
Residents whose mother tongue is French make up 0.7%, close to the figure across Canada’s towns. At home: English 96%, French 0.1%.
26% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, below 53% of Canadian towns
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
9.7% of those aged 25 to 64 have no formal credential, where the typical town has 9.5%.
Employment: 56% of residents 15 and over had a job
Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic: some of these rates are lower than in a usual year. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
About as many work here as in the typical town: 56%, against 58% across Canada’s towns.
In its size band (33,699 to 38,300), the 8th oldest of 41 towns
Median age of the Canadian towns nearest in population; hover a dot.
Sorel-Tracy is the oldest at 53.2, Sainte-Marie the youngest at 35.1. By median age, Stratford sits among Saint-Georges (45.6), Marc-Aurèle-Fortin (46), Orillia (46.8) and Neufchatel Est—Lebourgneuf (47.1).
Around Stratford, 1 of 3 towns have a higher median age
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stratford | 36,097 | — | 46 | 24% | 11% |
| Perth South | 4,055 | 14.2 km | 44.8 | 19% | 5.7% |
| Perth East | 13,423 | 15.5 km | 36.4 | 16% | 6% |
| St. Marys | 8,203 | 18.3 km | 48.4 | 27% | 8.5% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns. A figure here is set beside two middles, the median across Ontario’s places of 2,500 people or more and the median across all Canadian towns that size; reserves and entire cities are excluded from both.
- 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. 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 Stratford’s residents
How diverse is Stratford?
11% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 8% belong to a visible minority and 1.7% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Stratford?
55% are Christian and 42% have no religion; 3.6% follow another religion.
Is Stratford good for families?
Under 15: 14% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 50% of households. One-parent families: 9.3%. Schools near Stratford are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Stratford?
The median household in Stratford took in $77,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Stratford?
Stratford had about 36,097 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 33,232, 6% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Stratford?
A median age of 46, older than 72% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 14%, and people 65 and over 24%.
Is Stratford bilingual?
English and French: 6.3% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 93%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 0.7%.
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).