Photo: Gogerr · CC BY-SA 4.0Younger than 81% of Canadian towns: half of Thorold is under 37.2
Residents who moved in within the year: 18% here and 11% across Canada’s towns. Fewer residents aged 65 and over than in just over two thirds of Canadian towns: 16%. The 2021 Census found 9,095 households in Thorold; by July 2025 the population was about 33,844. One-parent families: 9.9% of the total.
What stands out about the people of Thorold
Growing faster than most
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Thorold went from 18,801 to 23,816 residents (+27%), faster growth than in 98% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Since 2016, Thorold has grown +27%, faster than 98% of Canadian towns
Every figure here comes from the 2021 Census unless it carries another date. 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. The July 2025 estimate adds another 42%.
A larger share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 87% of Canadian towns: 14%
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
17% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%). The biggest five-year age group is 25–29, with 8.4% of residents, 1.4 times the share across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Thorold, 37.2. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Bigger households than 67% of Canadian towns: 2.6 people each on average
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The share of one-person households stands at 26%.
Only 43% of residents 15 and over are married in Thorold
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
32% of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%. Across the comparison, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. The share of common-law partners stands at 10%.
Renter households make up 31% in Thorold, more than in 60% of Canadian towns
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
Nearly a third of homes were built before 1961 and 25% in 2001 or later. At 1.8%, the share of households in buildings of five or more storeys is higher than in 64% of Canadian towns.
Household income at the median: $82,000 a year
Census incomes cover 2020, when emergency benefits like CERB lifted many households’ totals. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
Thorold’s median household took in $82,000 before tax, about the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Household incomes across Ontario’s towns have a median of $91,600. Pandemic benefits reached 35% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
Residents without Canadian citizenship: 7.2%, a higher share than 57% of Canadian towns
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
Recent arrivals are 30% of immigrants (2011 to 2021), beside 27% across Canada’s towns. As a reference point, 5.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens across Canada’s towns. Immigrants here were most often born in Asia (40%), then in Europe (35%).
A higher share of visible minority residents than 55% of Canadian towns, at 19%
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Indigenous residents are about as common here as across Canada’s towns: 3.6%. Among other religions: Muslim (4.1%). By way of comparison, 15% of residents belong to a visible minority across Canada’s towns.
English is the mother tongue of 81%, and 5.8% speak French as well
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, 7.4% mostly speak another language; 1% speak neither English nor French. On bilingual residents, Thorold sits lower than 66% of Canadian towns: 5.8%. Residents whose mother tongue is French: 1.5%, near enough the figure across Canada’s towns.
A smaller share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 54% of Canadian towns: 25%
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
No certificate, diploma or degree is held by 8.3%; in the typical town the share is 9.5%. Across Canada’s towns, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
52% of adults were employed in May 2021
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.
The employment rate of 52% is below the typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 16% of residents are 65 or over.
In its size band (31,383 to 36,473), the 7th youngest of 41 towns
Median age of the Canadian towns nearest in population; hover a dot.
DT Core is the youngest of them at 34.8; North Cowichan, at 51.2, the oldest. The closest ages to Thorold’s belong to Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown (35.8), Savane (36.2), Whitehorse (37.6) and Chestermere (37.6).
Every neighbour of Thorold has an older population
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorold | 33,844 | — | 37.2 | 16% | 17% |
| St. Catharines | 153,865 | 7.3 km | 44.8 | 23% | 20% |
| Niagara Falls | 113,983 | 9.5 km | 44.8 | 22% | 23% |
| Pelham | 19,980 | 10.3 km | 50.4 | 27% | 13% |
| Welland | 66,480 | 13.2 km | 45.2 | 23% | 12% |
| Niagara-on-the-Lake | 20,080 | 14.9 km | 57.2 | 36% | 26% |
| Beamsville | 28,356 | 18.1 km | 44.4 | 22% | 15% |
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. 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. The Census Profile has no unpaid care, cars or internet access, and no change by age since 2016; ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
Questions about Thorold’s residents
What is the average age in Thorold?
Half the residents are older than 37.2 and half younger, younger than 81% of Canadian towns; 17% are children under 15 and 16% are 65 or over.
Is Thorold bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 5.8% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 93% speak only English and 0% only French; 1.5% grew up with French.
How diverse is Thorold?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 17%. A visible minority makes up 19% and Indigenous residents 3.6%.
What religion are people in Thorold?
Most often Christian (58%) or no religion (35%); other religions make up 7.5%.
Is Thorold good for families?
Children under 15 are 17% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 49% of households and one-parent families 9.9%. Schools near Thorold are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Thorold?
Median total household income in Thorold was $82,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Thorold?
The latest figure is an estimate: 33,844 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Thorold counted 23,816, 27% more than 2016.
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).