Photo: Larry from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada · CC BY 2.019% of residents are under 15, a share 77% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Of the immigrants living here, 66% came between 2011 and 2021; across Canada’s towns the share is 27%. Compared with other places, one-person households are scarce here: 23%, fewer than in 64% of Canadian towns. Stratford is home to some 13,152 people (July 2025 estimate), in 4,310 households at the 2021 Census. Locally, just over one in ten residents are not Canadian citizens.
What stands out about the people of Stratford
Growing faster than most
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Stratford went from 9,711 to 10,927 residents (+13%), faster growth than in 88% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Growth of +13% since 2016 puts Stratford ahead of 88% of Canadian towns
Every figure here comes from the 2021 Census unless it carries another date. How the population moved between the last two censuses, and since.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across Prince Edward Island’s towns +11%. The July 2025 estimate adds another 20%.
Younger than 61% of Canadian towns: half of Stratford is under 40.4
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
The biggest five-year age group is 45–49, with 7.2% of residents. Stratford has more residents aged 15 to 24 than 70% of Canadian towns, at 12%. 18% of residents are 65 or over (Canada’s towns: 19%).
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Stratford, 40.4. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women.
2.5 people per household, more than in 58% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Prince Edward Island’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
On the census count, 8.6% of households are one-parent families.
In Stratford, 53% of residents 15 and over are married, more than in 72% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Never married and not common-law: 25% of adults (typical: 27%). As a reference point, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. Census figures put common-law partners at 9.9% in Stratford.
29% of households rent their home, more than in 57% of Canadian towns
Houses and apartments, owners and renters, older and newer homes. 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
By its share of households in buildings of five or more storeys (1%), Stratford is above just over three fifths of Canadian towns. The comparison figure for renter households is 25% across Canada’s towns. Newer homes outnumber old: 48% date from 2001 or later, 5.4% from before 1961.
Household income at the median: $91,000 a year
The census asked about income in 2020: a pandemic year, with CERB and other emergency benefits counted in. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
The median across Canada’s towns is $86,000; Stratford’s, at $91,000, is 6% higher. Within Prince Edward Island’s towns, the household in the middle had $82,500. In 2020, 25% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
15% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, more than in 79% of Canadian towns
Immigrants by continent of birth and when they arrived, citizenship, and who moved in recently.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 20%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
Across Canada’s towns, the share of immigrants is 17%; Stratford has 13%. To put it in context, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across Canada’s towns. Most immigrants were born in Asia (58%) or in Europe (23%).
Residents with no religion: 32%, a lower share than 58% of Canadian towns
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Against a figure of 2.8% across Canada’s towns, the share of Indigenous residents in Stratford comes in at 1.5%. Across Stratford, 14% of residents belong to a visible minority. By way of comparison, 35% of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns.
Bilingual residents make up 16% in Stratford, more than in 71% of Canadian towns
English, French and the other languages people grew up with or speak at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
8.8% most often speak a language other than English or French at home, and 1.2% speak neither official language. Typically, 7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns. Residents whose mother tongue is French: 1.8%, near enough the figure across Canada’s towns.
Degree holders aged 25 to 64 make up 49% in Stratford, more than in 83% of Canadian towns
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Some 2.8% have no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. As a reference point, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
In work on census day: 62% of adults
These rates date from May 2021, during the pandemic, and run lower than a normal year’s. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
Employment runs above the middle of Canada’s towns (58%), at 62%.
Ranked by age, 19th oldest of 41 towns this size
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
The span goes from 31 (Thompson) up to 56.8 (Forest). The towns whose median age is nearest to Stratford’s: Albert Park (40), Corso Italia-Davenport (40.4), Huntington Hills (41) and Peel Village (41.7).
Among its 6 nearest neighbours, 5 are older than Stratford
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stratford | 13,152 | — | 40.4 | 18% | 13% |
| Charlottetown | 48,118 | 5.8 km | 40.8 | 21% | 14% |
| Crossroads | 2,366 | 5.9 km | 41.2 | 14% | 3.5% |
| Cornwall | 7,920 | 8.3 km | 38.8 | 17% | 9.7% |
| North Shore | 1,609 | 12.7 km | 42 | 15% | 5.1% |
| Miltonvale Park | 1,279 | 15.1 km | 45.2 | 18% | 4.4% |
| West River | 4,155 | 15.2 km | 44.8 | 20% | 7.3% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- Against Prince Edward Island’s towns and Canada’s towns. Provincial and national yardsticks: Prince Edward Island’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. 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.
Questions about Stratford’s residents
Is Stratford bilingual?
16% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 0.1% speak French only and 83% English only. French is the mother tongue of 1.8%.
How diverse is Stratford?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 13%. A visible minority makes up 14% and Indigenous residents 1.5%.
What religion are people in Stratford?
Most often Christian (63%) or no religion (32%); other religions make up 4.8%.
Is Stratford good for families?
Children under 15 are 19% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 59% of households and one-parent families 8.6%. Schools near Stratford are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Stratford?
Median total household income in Stratford was $91,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Stratford?
The latest figure is an estimate: 13,152 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Stratford counted 10,927, 13% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Stratford?
Half the residents are older than 40.4 and half younger, younger than 61% of Canadian towns; 19% are children under 15 and 18% are 65 or over.
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).