Photo: Johny-le-cowboy · CC BY-SA 3.0Older than 87% of Canadian towns: half of Dolbeau-Mistassini is over 50.8
Of the immigrants living here, 65% came between 2011 and 2021; across Canada’s towns the share is 27%. The 2021 Census found 6,265 households in Dolbeau-Mistassini; by July 2025 the population was about 13,581. On the census count, 37% of households are one person living alone. This Quebec town has fewer residents with no religion than 96% of Canadian towns, at 13%.
What stands out about the people of Dolbeau-Mistassini
Fewer people than before
Dolbeau-Mistassini went from 14,212 people in 2016 to 13,718 in 2021, −4%: slower growth than in 93% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Older than most towns
Dolbeau-Mistassini’s median age is 50.8; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 28% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Common-law couples
25% of residents 15 and over live common-law, more than in 88% of Canadian towns; 33% are married. Couples ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Dolbeau-Mistassini ranks above 72% of Canadian towns on bilingual residents: 17%
The figures are the 2021 Census’s, except where another date is given. 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
The share of residents whose mother tongue is English is 0.3%, against 66% across Canada’s towns. By way of comparison, 7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns.
−4% since 2016: slower than 93% of Canadian towns
How the population moved between the last two censuses, and since.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The estimate for July 2025 is much the same as the census count.
Residents aged 65 and over make up 28% in Dolbeau-Mistassini, more than in 88% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
Set against 16% across Canada’s towns, 15% of residents are under 15 in Dolbeau-Mistassini. Across Canada’s towns, 19% of residents are 65 or over.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Dolbeau-Mistassini, 50.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Dolbeau-Mistassini households average 2.1 people, smaller than in 83% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against Quebec’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Census figures put one-parent families at 8.1% in Dolbeau-Mistassini.
Dolbeau-Mistassini sits above 88% of Canadian towns for common-law partners (25%)
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Compared with 46% across Canada’s towns, 33% of residents 15 and over are married here. Across Canada’s towns, the share of common-law partners is 11%.
A larger share of renter households than 65% of Canadian towns: 33%
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
Households in single-detached houses make up 61%, against 64% across Canada’s towns. On average, 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Older homes outnumber new: 23% predate 1961, 12% date from 2001 or later.
Median household income: $62,800 a year
Incomes are 2020’s, the census’s reference year, and include pandemic benefits such as CERB. 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; Dolbeau-Mistassini’s, at $62,800, is 27% lower. For Quebec’s towns, the median household income is $74,000. The pandemic’s benefits: 25% of income recipients, against 28% in the typical town.
Dolbeau-Mistassini sits below 58% of Canadian towns for residents who moved in within the year (10%)
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
Here 1.1% of residents are not Canadian citizens, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 5.8%. On average, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across Canada’s towns. Across Dolbeau-Mistassini, 0.9% of residents are immigrants.
Above 76% of Canadian towns: 6.4% of residents have an Indigenous identity
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Compared with 15% across Canada’s towns, 1.4% of residents belong to a visible minority here. Across the comparison, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
Below 82% of Canadian towns: 15% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Without any certificate: 17% of 25- to 64-year-olds (typical: 9.5%).
An employment rate of 53%
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.
53% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 28% are 65 or more.
The 6th oldest of 41 towns of 13,237 to 13,913 people
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
Median ages climb from 29.7 (Sandy Hill) to 62 (Sidney) across the group. Closest in median age to Dolbeau-Mistassini are Signal Hill (49.4), Pine Grove (49.8), Semiahmoo Town Centre (52.9) and Bathurst (53.2).
Dolbeau-Mistassini and its 2 nearest towns: 1 of them are older
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolbeau-Mistassini | 13,581 | — | 50.8 | 28% | 0.9% |
| Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc | 1,111 | 10.4 km | 51.2 | 22% | 0% |
| Albanel | 2,191 | 14.1 km | 44.8 | 20% | 0.7% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. In the census, “visible minority” is the Employment Equity Act’s term for people who are non-white in colour or race and not Indigenous. Like immigrant status, Indigenous identity and religion, which residents reported themselves, it is compared with other towns, never turned into a label.
- Against Quebec’s towns and Canada’s towns. A figure here is set beside two middles, the median across Quebec’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.
Questions about Dolbeau-Mistassini’s residents
What is the population of Dolbeau-Mistassini?
Dolbeau-Mistassini had about 13,581 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 13,718, 4% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Dolbeau-Mistassini?
A median age of 50.8, older than 87% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 15%, and people 65 and over 28%.
Is Dolbeau-Mistassini bilingual?
17% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 83% speak French only and 0.1% English only. French is the mother tongue of 99%.
How diverse is Dolbeau-Mistassini?
0.9% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 1.4% belong to a visible minority and 6.4% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Dolbeau-Mistassini?
86% are Christian and 13% have no religion; 0.5% follow another religion.
Is Dolbeau-Mistassini good for families?
Under 15: 15% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 52% of households. One-parent families: 8.1%. Schools near Dolbeau-Mistassini are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Dolbeau-Mistassini?
The median household in Dolbeau-Mistassini took in $62,800 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
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).