Photo: Nick3501 · CC BY-SA 3.0In Tay, 14% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 93% of Canadian towns
Most recent wave: 5.4% of immigrants arrived in 2011–2021 (Canada’s towns: 27%). Half of Tay’s residents are over 49.2, older than in 83% of Canadian towns. This Ontario town had about 11,968 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 4,535 households at the 2021 Census. The census found that 8.1% of residents are aged 15 to 24 locally.
What stands out about the people of Tay
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
14% of residents identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, more than in 93% of Canadian towns; 2.1% are Registered or Treaty Indians. Identity & religion ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A +11% change since 2016: Tay grew faster than 83% of Canadian towns
Figures are from the 2021 Census unless dated otherwise. 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 typical town changed +4%; across Ontario’s towns, +6%. Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 8% higher again.
A higher share of residents aged 65 and over than 74% of Canadian towns, at 24%
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
Against a figure of 16% across Canada’s towns, the share of children under 15 in Tay comes in at 14%. Measured more widely, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Tay, 49.2. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About 104 men for every 100 women.
Tay ranks below 66% of Canadian towns on one-person households: 23%
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
One-parent families: 6.9% here and 8.2% across Canada’s towns. As a yardstick, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns.
Tay sits above 79% of Canadian towns for common-law partners (16%)
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
21% of adults have never married and don’t live common-law (typical: 27%). The share of common-law partners across Canada’s towns is 11%. On the census count, 48% of residents 15 and over are married.
A lower share of renter households than 90% of Canadian towns, at 9.6%
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
With households in single-detached houses at 92%, Tay is ahead of 92% of Canadian towns on that count. Measured more widely, 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Older homes outnumber new: 26% predate 1961, 21% date from 2001 or later. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns.
Median household income: $82,000 a year
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
At $82,000, the middle household in Tay earned close to the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). For Ontario’s towns, the median household income is $91,600. Emergency and recovery benefits reached 26% of those with an income, beside a typical 28%.
In Tay, 9.8% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, fewer than in 62% of Canadian towns
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
1.2% of residents are not Canadian citizens (Canada’s towns: 5.8%). Across Canada’s towns, the share of residents who moved in within the year is 11%. Here, 6.7% of residents are immigrants.
More residents with no religion than 79% of Canadian towns: 46%
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
By its share of visible minority residents (1.1%), Tay is below 94% of Canadian towns. As a reference point, 35% of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns.
1.8% of residents have French as their mother tongue, more than in 57% of Canadian towns
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
The share of bilingual residents is 5.7%, against 7.5% across Canada’s towns. The comparison figure for residents whose mother tongue is French is 1.5% across Canada’s towns. At home: English 98%, French 0.3%.
15% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 83% 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: 12% (typical 9.5%). By way of comparison, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
In work on census day: 51% of adults
Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic: some of these rates are lower than in a usual year. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 51% is below the typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 24% of residents are 65 or over.
Oldest by rank: 9th of 41 towns of 11,663 to 12,258 people
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
Median ages here range from 31.5 in Cityscape to 58.4 in Saint-Sauveur. Next to Tay on this scale come German Mills (48.7), Wetaskiwin County No. 10 (48.8), Hamilton (49.6) and Morrisburg (50.8).
No nearby town is as young as Tay
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tay | 11,968 | — | 49.2 | 24% | 6.7% |
| Midland | 19,305 | 8.9 km | 50 | 28% | 9.5% |
| Penetanguishene | 11,141 | 13.2 km | 52 | 30% | 6.8% |
| Tiny | 14,195 | 17.7 km | 55.2 | 29% | 12% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. The census takes “visible minority” from the Employment Equity Act: anyone other than Indigenous peoples who is non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are what residents reported, compared here with other towns and never used as a label.
- Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns. For each measure we take the median of Ontario’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, then the median of all Canadian towns. Neither counts whole cities or reserves, and every percentile is a Canadian one.
- What these tables don’t give. Unpaid care, car ownership and internet access aren’t in the Census Profile, nor is the change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins other than visible minority and Indigenous identity are left out of the charts.
Questions about Tay’s residents
What is the median income in Tay?
Half of Tay’s households had more than $82,000 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
What is the population of Tay?
About 11,968, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 11,091 people in Tay, 11% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Tay?
The median age is 49.2, older than 83% of Canadian towns. 14% are under 15 and 24% 65 or older.
Is Tay bilingual?
English and French: 5.7% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 94%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 1.8%.
How diverse is Tay?
Immigrants: 6.7% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 1.1%. Indigenous identity: 14%.
What religion are people in Tay?
46% said they have no religion and 53% that they are Christian; 1.5% named another faith.
Is Tay good for families?
14% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 58% of households and one-parent families 6.9%. Schools near Tay 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).