Photo: Rub-a-dub Hedgehog · CC0Half of West Lorne is over 48.8, older than 82% of Canadian towns
7.3% of residents lived at another address a year earlier (Canada’s towns: 11%). Here, 91% of households live in a single-detached house. On residents aged 65 and over, West Lorne sits higher than 77% of Canadian towns: 24%. Statistics Canada puts the town’s population at 5,566 for July 2025. Statistics Canada counts West Lorne as part of West Elgin: the figures on this page are the municipality’s.
+1% since 2016, a pace below 69% of Canadian towns
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%. The July 2025 estimate adds another 10%.
West Lorne sits below 66% of Canadian towns for children under 15 (15%)
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
No age band is larger than 55–59: nearly one in ten residents, 1.3 times the share across Canada’s towns. Measured more widely, 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ West Lorne, 48.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
West Lorne households average 2.4 people, smaller than in 53% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The share of one-person households stands at 26%. Nothing unusual on one-parent families: 7.8%, close to the figure across Canada’s towns.
Married residents 15 and over: 50%, a higher share than 62% of Canadian towns
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Here 13% of residents 15 and over live common-law, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 11%. Just over a fifth of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%.
A smaller share of renter households than 73% of Canadian towns: 16%
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
48% of homes were built before 1961 and 8.1% in 2001 or later. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Set beside that, a quarter of households rent their home across Canada’s towns.
Half of households earn more than $75,500 a year
Census incomes are for 2020, the year before the census, when CERB and other pandemic benefits topped up many households. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
West Lorne’s median household took in $75,500 before tax, 12% less than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Ontario’s towns have a median of $91,600. Emergency and recovery benefits reached 25% of those with an income, beside a typical 28%.
11% of residents are immigrants
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
The share of immigrants trails 62% of Canadian towns: 11%. 1.4% of residents are not Canadian citizens.
Residents with no religion make up 39% in West Lorne, more than in 63% of Canadian towns
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Visible minority residents: 2.8% here and 15% across Canada’s towns. Across the comparison, just over a third of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns. Locally, 3% of residents have an Indigenous identity.
89% have English as their mother tongue; 3.9% also speak French
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 97%, French 0.1%. Bilingual residents are rarer here than in 87% of Canadian towns. Residents whose mother tongue is French: 1.1%, near enough the figure across Canada’s towns.
11% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 94% of Canadian towns
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
15% have no certificate, diploma or degree (typical: 9.5%). Across the comparison, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
A job for 54% of residents aged 15 and over
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.
54% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 24% are 65 or more.
41 towns of 5,456 to 5,678 people: this is the 7th oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
The span goes from 27.8 (Montcalm) up to 56 (Chertsey). The towns whose median age is nearest to West Lorne’s: Stirling (46.4), Espanola (48.8), Armstrong (50) and Grand Falls / Grand-Sault (52.8).
No nearby town is as old as West Lorne
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page. West Lorne has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 14–37 km out.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Lorne | 5,566 | — | 48.8 | 24% | 11% |
| Dutton | 4,686 | 13.8 km | 44 | 20% | 5.6% |
| Glencoe | 6,468 | 20.0 km | 44.8 | 21% | 7% |
| Southwold | 5,473 | 30.7 km | 44 | 20% | 6.5% |
| Brooke-Alvinston | 2,557 | 33.9 km | 41.6 | 20% | 4.7% |
| Dawn-Euphemia | 2,127 | 36.7 km | 43.6 | 21% | 6.6% |
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. Missing from the census as published: unpaid care, cars and internet access, and the shift in each age band since 2016. Ethnic origins past visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- The census’s own words. “Visible minority” is the census’s term from the Employment Equity Act: people, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered. The page compares them with other towns and never labels a town by them.
Questions about West Lorne’s residents
How diverse is West Lorne?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 11%. A visible minority makes up 2.8% and Indigenous residents 3%.
What religion are people in West Lorne?
Most often Christian (60%) or no religion (39%); other religions make up 1.1%.
Is West Lorne good for families?
Children under 15 are 15% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 58% of households and one-parent families 7.8%. Schools near West Lorne are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in West Lorne?
Median total household income in West Lorne was $75,500 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of West Lorne?
The latest figure is an estimate: 5,566 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, West Lorne counted 5,060, 1% more than 2016.
What is the average age in West Lorne?
Half the residents are older than 48.8 and half younger, older than 82% of Canadian towns; 15% are children under 15 and 24% are 65 or over.
Is West Lorne bilingual?
English and French: 3.9% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 96%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 1.1%.
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).