Photo: JFVoll · CC BY-SA 3.0Residents aged 15 to 24 make up 18% in Waterloo, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
Residents who moved in within the year are more common here than in 89% of Canadian towns. Waterloo had about 142,450 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 47,040 households at the 2021 Census. On the census count, 22% of households live in a building of five or more storeys. The share of residents without Canadian citizenship is 17%, against 5.8% across Canada’s towns.
What stands out about the people of Waterloo
Growing faster than most
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Waterloo went from 104,986 to 121,436 residents (+16%), faster growth than in 93% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Younger than most towns
Waterloo’s median age is 36; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 15% are under 15 and 15% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A +16% change since 2016: Waterloo grew faster than 93% 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
Medians for comparison: +4% across Canada’s towns; +6% across Ontario’s towns. Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 17% higher again.
Half of Waterloo is under 36, younger than 87% of Canadian towns
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
Against a figure of 19% across Canada’s towns, the share of residents aged 65 and over in Waterloo comes in at 15%. The largest age band is 20–24: 12% of residents, 2.1 times the share across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Waterloo, 36. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Larger households than 58% of Canadian towns: 2.5 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.
Shared houses stand out: nearly one in ten households are unrelated adults living together, more than in 95% of Canadian towns. Locally, 7.5% of households are one-parent families. Here 26% of households are one person living alone, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 27%.
A smaller share of common-law partners than 76% of Canadian towns: 7.6%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Singles who have never married make up 36% of adults, beside a typical 27%. On average, 11% of residents 15 and over live common-law across Canada’s towns.
39% of households rent their home, a share 73% of Canadian towns don’t reach
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
A third of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 9.6% built before 1961. Compared with other places, households in single-detached houses are scarce here: 49%, fewer than in 69% of Canadian towns. The wider picture: 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns.
The midpoint household income is $94,000 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
The median across Canada’s towns is $86,000; Waterloo’s, at $94,000, is 9% higher. Household incomes across Ontario’s towns have a median of $91,600. In 2020, 28% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
28% of residents are immigrants, more than in 68% of Canadian towns
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
33% of immigrants arrived between 2011 and 2021, against 27% across Canada’s towns. The benchmark for immigrants across Canada’s towns: 17%. The largest groups of immigrants were born in Asia (54%) and in Europe (26%).
35% of residents belong to a visible minority, a share 73% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Among other religions: Muslim (8.1%) and Hindu (4.7%). 1.3% of residents have an Indigenous identity, fewer than in 75% of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, visible minority residents come to 15%. The figure for residents with no religion is 38% in Waterloo and 35% across Canada’s towns.
Bilingual residents make up 8.6% in Waterloo, more than in 56% of Canadian towns
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
At home, 17% mostly speak another language; 1.7% speak neither English nor French. 0.9% of residents have French as their mother tongue, a lower share than in 77% of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, 7.5% of residents speak English and French.
A higher share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 90% of Canadian towns, at 55%
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 4.6% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. On average, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
Employment: 58% of residents 15 and over had a job
The census counted work in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so read these rates as a pandemic snapshot. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 58%, the share in work is about the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
In its size band (97,845 to 197,737), the 2nd youngest of 41 towns
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
Median ages here range from 36 in Milton to 50.4 in Cape Breton. Milton (36), Lethbridge (38) and Ajax (38.4): the towns nearest Waterloo in median age.
A younger town than 3 of the 6 around it: Waterloo
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | 142,450 | — | 36 | 15% | 28% |
| Westmount | 5,048 | 3.3 km | 37.1 | 17% | 28% |
| Cherry Hill | 6,304 | 3.4 km | 35.9 | 16% | 26% |
| Mt. Hope Huron Park | 5,174 | 3.6 km | 35.7 | 11% | 18% |
| Fairfield | 3,497 | 3.7 km | 46 | 24% | 15% |
| Victoria Hills | 10,760 | 3.9 km | 33.5 | 12% | 41% |
| Victoria Park | 3,574 | 4.4 km | 43.5 | 25% | 25% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. These are self-reported answers: Indigenous identity, immigrant status, religion. The census’s “visible minority” comes from the Employment Equity Act (non-white in colour or race, Indigenous peoples aside), and the page sets each beside other towns without labelling any.
- 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. Some things the page can’t show: the Census Profile asks nothing about unpaid care, cars or internet access, and gives no change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted.
Questions about Waterloo’s residents
What is the average age in Waterloo?
The median age is 36, younger than 87% of Canadian towns. 15% are under 15 and 15% 65 or older.
Is Waterloo bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 8.6% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 90% speak only English and 0% only French; 0.9% grew up with French.
How diverse is Waterloo?
Immigrants: 28% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 35%. Indigenous identity: 1.3%.
What religion are people in Waterloo?
38% said they have no religion and 46% that they are Christian; 17% named another faith.
Is Waterloo good for families?
15% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 52% of households and one-parent families 7.5%. Schools near Waterloo are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Waterloo?
Half of Waterloo’s households had more than $94,000 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
What is the population of Waterloo?
About 142,450, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 121,436 people in Waterloo, 16% 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).