Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0Wawa ranks above 95% of Canadian towns on Indigenous residents: 17%
Half of Wawa’s residents are over 47.2, older than in 77% of Canadian towns. The town had about 2,943 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 1,215 households at the 2021 Census. The census found that just over a fifth of residents are 65 or over locally. Households in Wawa hold 2.2 people on average (Canada’s towns: 2.4).
What stands out about the people of Wawa
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
17% of residents identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, more than in 95% of Canadian towns; 9.2% are Registered or Treaty Indians. Identity & religion ↓
Fewer people than before
Wawa went from 2,905 people in 2016 to 2,705 in 2021, −7%: slower growth than in 98% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
−7% since 2016: slower than 98% 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
For comparison, the median is +4% across Canada’s towns and +6% across Ontario’s towns. Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 9% higher again.
Below 77% of Canadian towns: 9.2% of residents are aged 15 to 24
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
The biggest five-year age group is 55–59, with nearly one in ten residents. By way of comparison, 11% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Canada’s towns. On children under 15, 16% here is much the same as across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Wawa, 47.2. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split.
One-person households make up 32% in Wawa, more than in 69% of Canadian towns
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
In Wawa, 8.3% of households are one-parent families. As a yardstick, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns.
Wawa sits above 80% of Canadian towns for common-law partners (16%)
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: nearly a quarter of adults, against a typical 27%. Against that, just over one in ten residents 15 and over live common-law across Canada’s towns.
More households in single-detached houses than 75% of Canadian towns: 82%
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 quarter of households rent their home across Canada’s towns, against 22% in Wawa. As a yardstick, 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns. Across Wawa, 0.4% of households live in a building of five or more storeys.
Household income, middle of the range: $80,000 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
Half of Wawa’s households had a total income below $80,000, 7% under the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across Ontario’s towns the median is $91,600. COVID-19 benefits were paid to 22% of residents with an income, where the typical town had 28%.
Below 62% of Canadian towns: 9.8% of residents lived at another address a year earlier
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
Across Canada’s towns, 5.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens; in Wawa, 0.6%. The share of residents who moved in within the year across Canada’s towns is 11%. In Wawa, 4.1% of residents are immigrants.
In Wawa, 43% of residents said they have no religion, more than in 74% of Canadian towns
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
0.7% of residents belong to a visible minority; across Canada’s towns the figure is 15%. The comparison figure for residents with no religion is 35% across Canada’s towns.
Wawa ranks above 80% of Canadian towns on bilingual residents: 29%
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: English 90%, French 7.6%. The comparison figure for bilingual residents is 7.5% across Canada’s towns. On residents whose mother tongue is French, Wawa sits higher than 77% of Canadian towns: 17%.
Wawa sits below 87% of Canadian towns for degree holders aged 25 to 64 (14%)
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
11% have no certificate, diploma or degree (typical: 9.5%). Across Canada’s towns, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
58% of residents 15 and over were in work
Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic: some of these rates are lower than in a usual year. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
About as many work here as in the typical town: 58%, against 58% across Canada’s towns.
Among 41 towns of 2,897 to 2,990 people, the 11th oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
The group spans Paisley, youngest at 31.7, to Algonquin Highlands, oldest at 60.4. The closest ages to Wawa’s belong to Varsity View (46.6), Black River-Matheson (46.8), Lesser Slave River No. 124 (48.8) and Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley (50).
Wawa and its 5 nearest towns: 3 of them are older
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page. Distances here run 104–148 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Wawa.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wawa | 2,943 | — | 47.2 | 22% | 4.1% |
| Chapleau | 2,044 | 104.3 km | 47.6 | 23% | 2.4% |
| Hornepayne | 1,110 | 138.0 km | 41.2 | 16% | 2.6% |
| Algoma, Unorganized, North Part | 7,008 | 139.9 km | 54.4 | 26% | 4.7% |
| Marathon | 3,223 | 142.2 km | 43.2 | 16% | 6.9% |
| Manitouwadge | 2,052 | 147.8 km | 49.2 | 24% | 9.7% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- 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. Provincial and national yardsticks: Ontario’s towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500 residents, and all Canadian towns of that size. No whole city and no First Nations reserve is in either median.
Questions about Wawa’s residents
What is the average age in Wawa?
Half the residents are older than 47.2 and half younger, older than 77% of Canadian towns; 16% are children under 15 and 22% are 65 or over.
Is Wawa bilingual?
English and French: 29% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 69%. French only: 1.5%. French mother tongue: 17%.
How diverse is Wawa?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 4.1%. A visible minority makes up 0.7% and Indigenous residents 17%.
What religion are people in Wawa?
Most often Christian (56%) or no religion (43%); other religions make up 0.9%.
Is Wawa good for families?
Children under 15 are 16% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 54% of households and one-parent families 8.3%. Schools near Wawa are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Wawa?
Median total household income in Wawa was $80,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Wawa?
The latest figure is an estimate: 2,943 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Wawa counted 2,705, 7% fewer 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).