Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Wiarton is older than 97% of Canadian towns: a median age of 56.8
64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns, against 89% in Wiarton. The share of residents aged 15 to 24 stands at 7.3%. At 43%, the share of residents with no religion is higher than in 75% of Canadian towns. Statistics Canada puts the town’s population at 9,799 for July 2025. Statistics Canada counts Wiarton as part of South Bruce Peninsula: the figures on this page are the municipality’s.
What stands out about the people of Wiarton
Older than most towns
Wiarton’s median age is 56.8; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 33% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Wiarton grew +9% from 2016 to 2021, ahead of 75% 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
By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 7%. Across Ontario’s towns the median is +6%, and across Canada’s towns +4%.
Residents aged 65 and over make up 33% in Wiarton, more than in 96% of Canadian towns
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
In Wiarton, 12% of residents are under 15, beside 16% across Canada’s towns. Across the comparison, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Wiarton, 56.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
2.2 people per household, fewer than in 74% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
In Wiarton, 6.6% of households are one-parent families, beside 8.2% across Canada’s towns. One-person households: 31% of the total.
A larger share of married residents 15 and over than 69% of Canadian towns: 52%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
19% of adults have never married and don’t live common-law (typical: 27%). Against that, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. Common-law partners: just over a tenth of the total.
Renter households make up 17% in Wiarton, less than in 70% of Canadian towns
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
29% of homes were built before 1961 and 16% in 2001 or later. As a yardstick, a quarter of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are about as common here as across Canada’s towns: 0.1%.
Households here have a median income of $71,500 a year
Census incomes are for 2020, the year before the census, when CERB and other pandemic benefits topped up many households. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Wiarton had $71,500 before tax, 17% below the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The provincial yardstick is $91,600, the median across Ontario’s towns. Pandemic benefits reached 21% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
Only 9.5% of residents lived at another address a year earlier in Wiarton
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
Immigrants here were most often born in Europe (76%), then in the Americas (19%). Fewer residents without Canadian citizenship than in 81% of Canadian towns: 1.6%. Against that, just over one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier across Canada’s towns. Recent arrivals, from 2011 to 2021, are 6.1% of immigrants (typical: 27%); non-permanent residents add 0.4% of residents.
3.4% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 57% of Canadian towns
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
2% of residents belong to a visible minority; across Canada’s towns the figure is 15%. By way of comparison, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
95% have English as their mother tongue; 4.4% 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
Residents whose mother tongue is French are about as common here as across Canada’s towns, at 0.9%. Fewer bilingual residents than in 82% of Canadian towns: 4.4%. At home: English 99%, French 0.1%.
14% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 86% of Canadian towns
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Holding no credential: 9.9% (typical 9.5%). As a yardstick, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
A job for 47% of residents aged 15 and over
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
47% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 33% are 65 or more.
Among 41 towns of 9,622 to 9,989 people, the 3rd oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
At one end is Stanley (25.6), at the other Qualicum Beach (67.5). By median age, Wiarton sits among Shediac (52.8), Ladysmith (52.8), Blind Bay (58.8) and Qualicum Beach (67.5).
No nearby town is as old as Wiarton
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are. Distances here run 16–27 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Wiarton.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiarton | 9,799 | — | 56.8 | 33% | 7.3% |
| Georgian Bluffs | 12,061 | 16.2 km | 51.2 | 26% | 6.5% |
| Owen Sound | 24,075 | 22.7 km | 48 | 27% | 7.8% |
| Port Elgin | 18,167 | 26.9 km | 46.8 | 26% | 11% |
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. 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.
- What these tables don’t give. Not in the Census Profile: unpaid care, cars, internet access, and how each age group has changed since 2016. We also chart no ethnic origins besides visible minority and Indigenous identity.
Questions about Wiarton’s residents
Is Wiarton bilingual?
English and French: 4.4% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 96%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 0.9%.
How diverse is Wiarton?
7.3% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 2% belong to a visible minority and 3.4% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Wiarton?
56% are Christian and 43% have no religion; 0.7% follow another religion.
Is Wiarton good for families?
Under 15: 12% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 56% of households. One-parent families: 6.6%. Schools near Wiarton are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Wiarton?
The median household in Wiarton took in $71,500 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Wiarton?
Wiarton had about 9,799 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 9,137, 9% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Wiarton?
A median age of 56.8, older than 97% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 12%, and people 65 and over 33%.
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).