Photo: Charny · CC BY-SA 3.0Maria is older than 92% of Canadian towns: a median age of 53.2
Across Canada’s towns, the share of residents who moved in within the year is 11%; Maria has 7.8%. The share of residents aged 15 to 24 stands at 7.1%. A third of households are one person living alone, a higher share than in 73% of Canadian towns. The latest estimate, for July 2025, is 2,770 residents; the 2021 Census found 1,160 households.
What stands out about the people of Maria
Older than most towns
Line Maria’s residents up by age and the one in the middle is 53.2; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 32% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Common-law couples
30% of residents 15 and over live common-law, more than in 94% of Canadian towns; 28% are married. Couples ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
35% of residents speak English and French, a share 84% of Canadian towns don’t reach
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. 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
At home: French 97%, English 1.9%. Residents whose mother tongue is English are rarer here than in 91% of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, the share of bilingual residents is 7.5%.
Maria grew +6% from 2016 to 2021, faster than 59% of Canadian towns
The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
By July 2025, Statistics Canada’s estimate had barely moved. The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across Quebec’s towns +4%.
Residents aged 65 and over make up 32% in Maria, more than in 95% of Canadian towns
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
14% of residents are under 15; across Canada’s towns the figure is 16%. As a reference point, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Maria, 53.2. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
Households here average 2.2 people, below 74% of Canadian towns
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against Quebec’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
One-parent families: 8.2% of the total.
More common-law partners than 94% of Canadian towns: 30%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Never married and not common-law: 27% of adults (typical: 27%). Lower than in 93% of Canadian towns: 28% of residents 15 and over are married. Common-law partners make up 11% across Canada’s towns.
Maria ranks above 64% of Canadian towns on households in single-detached houses: 74%
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
23% of homes were built before 1961 and 17% in 2001 or later. In Maria, 27% of households rent their home, beside 25% across Canada’s towns.
The median household brings in $73,000 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 middle household in Maria had $73,000 before tax, 15% below the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Among Quebec’s towns, the typical figure is $74,000. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 20% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
1.8% of residents are immigrants
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 20%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
17% of residents are immigrants across Canada’s towns, against 1.8% in Maria. Residents without Canadian citizenship are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns.
25% of residents said they have no religion, fewer than in 77% of Canadian towns
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
With visible minority residents at 1.2%, Maria is behind 93% of Canadian towns on that count. By way of comparison, just over a third of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns. 3% of residents have an Indigenous identity.
27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 8.6% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%.
A job for 51% of residents aged 15 and over
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 51%, fewer residents are in work than the typical 58% across Canada’s towns, and 32% are 65 or over.
41 towns of 2,736 to 2,808 people: this is the 6th oldest
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
The group spans Kuujjuaq, youngest at 28.8, to Cultus Lake, oldest at 56.8. Nearest to Maria in age: Atikokan (51.6), Victoria County, Subdivision A (52.8), Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel (54) and Gore (54.8).
The towns around Maria are all younger
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maria | 2,770 | — | 53.2 | 32% | 1.8% |
| New Richmond | 3,947 | 10.5 km | 50.8 | 27% | 0.6% |
| Carleton-sur-Mer | 4,175 | 12.2 km | 52.8 | 30% | 1.5% |
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 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.
Questions about Maria’s residents
Is Maria bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 35% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 0.8% speak only English and 65% only French; 95% grew up with French.
How diverse is Maria?
Immigrants make up 1.8% of residents, against 17% across Canada’s towns. 1.2% are members of a visible minority, and 3% are First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What religion are people in Maria?
Christian: 75%. No religion: 25%. Another religion: 0.1%.
Is Maria good for families?
Across Canada’s towns, a typical 16% of residents are under 15; here, 14%. 54% of households are couple families and 8.2% one-parent families. Schools near Maria are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Maria?
$73,000 before tax, in 2020: the middle household’s income in Maria (Canada’s towns: $86,000).
What is the population of Maria?
Statistics Canada estimates 2,770 residents for July 2025; the 2021 Census counted 2,760 in Maria, 6% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Maria?
53.2 is the median age, older than 92% of Canadian towns. Under 15: 14%. 65 and over: 32%.
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).