Central PrincePrince Edward Island
With 1,287 residents, it is a town on Prince Edward Island. Between 2016 and 2021, its population grew by 7%.
Is Central Prince a good place to live?
Central Prince’s best grade is for cost of living (A). The local economy is weaker than most (D). Most journeys need a car (C−). Hazard risk is lower than in most Canadian towns (A−).
With fewer than 2,500 residents, Central Prince gets subject grades but no overall one among Canadian towns.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. No Safety Grade: no police service publishes a crime rate for this place on its own. No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Central Prince grades
Each subject compares Central Prince with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
With fewer than 2,500 residents, Central Prince gets subject grades but no overall one among Canadian towns.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Central Prince stand out
The 3 things Central Prince does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Central Prince.
Commuters in Central Prince travel further than in Prince Edward Island’s towns or Canadian towns, 29 min on average
97% of commuters drove, about level with Prince Edward Island’s towns (95%) and above Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Central Prince | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 29 min | 23 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 97% | 95% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
Renting in Central Prince costs 13% of household income, less than in Prince Edward Island’s towns and across Canadian towns
Nine in ten households own their home, close to Prince Edward Island’s towns (86%) and above Canadian towns (74%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 8% of households, below Prince Edward Island’s towns (11%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Central Prince | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 13% | 18% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 8% | 11% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 90% | 86% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $180,000 | $288,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
The nearest high school to Central Prince is 55 km away
From the middle of town, the first elementary school is 46 km off, between Prince Edward Island’s towns (56 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellerslie Elementary SchoolIn Central PrinceElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Central Prince | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 55 km | 76 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 46 km | 56 km | 0.5 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Schools grade on Prince Edward Island: none (the province publishes no results school by school).
A flood study covers Central Prince: 2 on the national inventory, the newest from Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action - Government of Prince Edward Island
Earthquake risk in Central Prince is ordinary: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.032 a year per $1,000 of value, close to the typical town’s $0.030. Radon is lower than usual: 3.5% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Central Prince doesn’t get its own radon tests figures; the ones here come from the Prince Edward Island Health Region.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Central Prince | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 3.5% | 3.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.032 | $0.020 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Central Prince is wetter than nine in ten Canadian towns: 1,252 mm of rain and snow a year
Snow peaks in January: 67 cm in a normal year. For the wettest month, look to December: 138 mm on average. A normal winter brings 292 cm of snow, about level with Prince Edward Island’s towns (285 cm) and above Canadian towns (141 cm). Expect July highs of around 24.1°C in Central Prince.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Central Prince | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 292 cm | 285 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,252 mm | 1,136 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 24.1°C | 23.7°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −11.3°C | −11.4°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Summerside)
What November brings in Central Prince: freezing at night, 7°C by day
Precipitation in November averages 130 mm. December follows at 1°C by day and −6°C by night. November usually brings some 19 cm of snow. ECCC’s forecast for Summerside is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −10°C | 339 mm |
| Spring | 8°C | −1°C | 270 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 13°C | 262 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 5°C | 381 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Summerside); the forecast is on the Weather page
Egmont, which takes in Central Prince, is held by Bobby Morrissey (Liberal Party of Canada)
With no licence on the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island’s ridings map, Central Prince isn’t placed in a riding here.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Central Prince is Tyne Valley Public Library, 7.7 km away
After it comes Alberton Public Library (Alberton), 25 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
More of the land around Central Prince is protected than around 9 in 10 Canadian towns
Some protected land is inside the town: 12% of its area. Prince Edward Island National Park is the closest national park, 32 km from town. 58 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. The closest provincial park is Amherst Shore Provincial Park, 62 km from the edge of town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Central Prince | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 19% | 4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 11 | 7 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Older residents shape Central Prince: 22% are 65 or over, above Prince Edward Island’s towns and Canadian towns
0.9% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Prince Edward Island’s towns (3.4%) and Canadian towns (15%). Children under 15 make up 17% of residents.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 50.7% of Central Prince
Here the census found 570 women and 555 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.
| Central Prince | Prince Edward Island | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 61% | 63% | 64% |
| 65+ | 22% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 32% | 14% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 34% | 61% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Prince Edward Island and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Very good or excellent health for 51% of adults in Central Prince’s health region
Statistics Canada puts the region’s life expectancy at 81.2, women 83.3 and men 79.1 (2022/2024). Closer to home, a hospital is 22 km from the average resident of Central Prince, further than the usual 3.7 km. Behind health survey and life expectancy sits data gathered across the Prince Edward Island health region, with Central Prince one part of it.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Central Prince | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 51% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.2 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
In Central Prince, 37% of homes go back before 1961
Within 5 km of the town lies one more that belongs to it.
| Heritage | Central Prince | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 37% | 21% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Central Prince
Bideford Parsonage Museum and 6 more in and around Central Prince
What there is to see in Central Prince and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
Famous people from around Central Prince
One notable person was born in Central Prince; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
About Central Prince
Town in Prince Edward Island
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Central Prince is one municipality on Prince Edward Island, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 1,287 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Prince Edward Island
- Census division
- Prince
- Census subdivision
- 1103043
Central Prince’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Prince | 1,287 | — | — | A | — | B− |
| Wellington | 1,972 | 14 | — | A− | — | B− |
| O'Leary | 2,878 | 19 | — | A | — | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Central Prince
What kind of homes are in Central Prince?
91% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.5 people; 22% are one person living alone.
Is Central Prince growing?
It added people: 1,054 in 2016, 1,129 in 2021, 7.1% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 1,287.
How old are the people of Central Prince?
At 47.6, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 17% of the population and seniors 22%.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. 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).