Photo: OgreBot · CC BY-SA 4.0Forestville is older than 93% of Canadian towns: a median age of 54
In Forestville the average household is 1.9 people, beside 2.4 across Canada’s towns. The town had about 2,835 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 1,475 households at the 2021 Census. The census found that 6.4% of residents lived at another address a year earlier here. Fewer residents with no religion than in 94% of Canadian towns: 15%.
What stands out about the people of Forestville
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Forestville went from 3,081 to 2,892 residents (−6%), slower growth than in 97% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Older than most towns
The middle resident of Forestville is 54; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 27% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Many people living alone
42% of households are one person living alone, more than in 92% of Canadian towns; 27% of residents are 65 or over. Households ↓
Common-law couples
27% of residents 15 and over live common-law, more than in 91% of Canadian towns; 28% are married. Couples ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Forestville: 11% of residents speak English and French, above 64% of Canadian towns
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. 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
0.2% of residents have English as their mother tongue; across Canada’s towns the figure is 66%. Across Canada’s towns, bilingual residents come to 7.5%.
Forestville changed by −6% from 2016 to 2021, behind 97% of Canadian towns
How the population moved between the last two censuses, and since.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate is down 2% on the census. Across Quebec’s towns the median is +4%, and across Canada’s towns +4%.
27% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 86% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
Here 12% of residents are under 15, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 16%. Across Canada’s towns, 19% of residents are 65 or over.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Forestville, 54. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Forestville: 42% of households are one person living alone, above 92% of Canadian towns
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against Quebec’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The census found that 7.5% of households are one-parent families in Forestville. The wider picture: 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns.
Common-law partners make up 27% in Forestville, more than in 91% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Married residents 15 and over: 28%, below 92% of Canadian towns. The share of common-law partners across Canada’s towns is 11%.
33% of households rent their home, a share 64% of Canadian towns don’t reach
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 68%, against 64% across Canada’s towns. Older homes outnumber new: 31% predate 1961, 4.1% date from 2001 or later. Across Canada’s towns, renter households come to 25%.
$59,600 a year: the median household income
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
At $59,600, the middle household in Forestville earned 31% less than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The figure for Quebec’s towns: $74,000. Pandemic benefits reached 23% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
0.7% of residents are immigrants
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
17% of residents are immigrants across Canada’s towns, against 0.7% in Forestville. Residents without Canadian citizenship are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns.
Forestville sits above 86% of Canadian towns for Indigenous residents (9.7%)
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
0.7% of residents belong to a visible minority (Canada’s towns: 15%). The usual figure: 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
Degree holders aged 25 to 64 make up 9.5% in Forestville, less than in 96% of Canadian towns
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Some 24% have no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%.
A job for 49% of residents aged 15 and over
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
49% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 27% are 65 or more.
The 7th oldest of 41 towns of 2,796 to 2,872 people
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
At one end is Westmount (34.4), at the other Saint-Michel-des-Saints (58.8). In age, Forestville keeps company with Ferme-Neuve (53.2), Harbour Grace (54), Saint-Anicet (55.2) and Addington Highlands (55.6).
Around Forestville, 1 of 5 towns have a higher median age
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page. The nearest places to Forestville with figures are 39–58 km away.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forestville | 2,835 | — | 54 | 27% | 0.7% |
| Pessamit | 2,523 | 38.8 km | 34.4 | 11% | 0% |
| Les Escoumins | 1,751 | 49.3 km | 54.8 | 30% | 0.6% |
| Saint-Fabien | 1,866 | 52.5 km | 54 | 29% | 0.8% |
| Rimouski | 51,756 | 53.1 km | 47.2 | 26% | 2.4% |
| Saint-Anaclet-de-Lessard | 3,018 | 57.9 km | 42.4 | 19% | 0.7% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against Quebec’s towns and Canada’s towns. Provincial and national yardsticks: Quebec’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. Unpaid care, car ownership and internet access aren’t in the Census Profile, nor is the change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins other than visible minority and Indigenous identity are left out of the charts.
- 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 Forestville’s residents
What religion are people in Forestville?
Christian: 85%. No religion: 15%. Another religion: 0.3%.
Is Forestville good for families?
Across Canada’s towns, a typical 16% of residents are under 15; here, 12%. 44% of households are couple families and 7.5% one-parent families. Schools near Forestville are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Forestville?
$59,600 before tax, in 2020: the middle household’s income in Forestville (Canada’s towns: $86,000).
What is the population of Forestville?
Statistics Canada estimates 2,835 residents for July 2025; the 2021 Census counted 2,892 in Forestville, 6% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Forestville?
54 is the median age, older than 93% of Canadian towns. Under 15: 12%. 65 and over: 27%.
Is Forestville bilingual?
11% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 89% speak French only and 0% English only. French is the mother tongue of 99%.
How diverse is Forestville?
Immigrants make up 0.7% of residents, against 17% across Canada’s towns. 0.7% are members of a visible minority, and 9.7% are First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
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).