Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 4.0Half of Sainte-Barbe is over 51.2, older than 88% of Canadian towns
The share of children under 15 trails 85% of Canadian towns: 12%. Statistics Canada puts Sainte-Barbe’s population at 1,993 for July 2025. Census figures put immigrants at 1.6% in the town. Households in single-detached houses are more common here than in 80% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Sainte-Barbe
Growing faster than most
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Sainte-Barbe went from 1,324 to 1,609 residents (+22%), faster growth than in 97% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Common-law couples
32% of residents 15 and over live common-law, more than in 96% of Canadian towns; 36% are married. Couples ↓
Older than most towns
Half of Sainte-Barbe’s residents are under 51.2 and half over; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 24% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
44% of residents speak English and French, a share 87% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Unless a figure says otherwise, it is from the 2021 Census. 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
By its share of residents whose mother tongue is English (5.3%), Sainte-Barbe is below 87% of Canadian towns. To put it in context, 7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns.
Faster growth than 97% of Canadian towns: Sainte-Barbe changed by +22% since 2016
Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 24%. Across Canada’s towns, half of towns changed by more than +4%; across Quebec’s towns, by more than +4%.
More residents aged 65 and over than 76% of Canadian towns: 24%
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
60–64 is the most common age band: 11% of residents, 1.5 times the share across Canada’s towns. On average, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns. Here, nearly one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
About 111 men for every 100 women.
Smaller households than 74% of Canadian towns: 2.2 people on average
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.
A quarter of households are one person living alone (Canada’s towns: 27%). On the census count, nearly one in ten households are one-parent families.
Sainte-Barbe ranks above 96% of Canadian towns on common-law partners: 32%
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
21% of adults have never married and don’t live common-law (typical: 27%). The share of common-law partners across Canada’s towns is 11%. Married residents 15 and over: 36% of the total.
Single-detached houses: 85% of homes
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
Newer homes outnumber old: 29% date from 2001 or later, 23% from before 1961. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. There is little gap on renter households: 25%, about the same as across Canada’s towns.
Median household income here: $78,500 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; Sainte-Barbe’s, at $78,500, is 9% lower. The middle household across Quebec’s towns has $74,000 before tax. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 26% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
A higher share of residents who moved in within the year than 81% of Canadian towns, at 15%
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
Where 5.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens across Canada’s towns, Sainte-Barbe has 0.9%. The share of residents who moved in within the year across Canada’s towns is 11%.
22% of residents said they have no religion, fewer than in 83% of Canadian towns
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
1.6% of residents belong to a visible minority; across Canada’s towns the figure is 15%. For Sainte-Barbe, the census puts Indigenous residents at 1.9%. The comparison figure for residents with no religion is 35% across Canada’s towns.
Sainte-Barbe sits below 92% of Canadian towns for degree holders aged 25 to 64 (12%)
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
24% of those aged 25 to 64 have no formal credential, where the typical town has 9.5%.
A job for 56% of residents aged 15 and over
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 here, 56%, matches the middle of Canada’s towns (58%) within a couple of points.
Every neighbour of Sainte-Barbe has a younger population
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Barbe | 1,993 | — | 51.2 | 24% | 1.6% |
| Saint-Zotique | 10,445 | 7.6 km | 41.2 | 18% | 4.4% |
| Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka | 2,162 | 8.5 km | 44.8 | 21% | 1.1% |
| Godmanchester | 1,590 | 8.7 km | 47.2 | 22% | 3.6% |
| Les Coteaux | 6,294 | 10.1 km | 38.8 | 14% | 2.6% |
| Huntingdon | 3,001 | 10.9 km | 49.6 | 28% | 3.7% |
| Rivière-Beaudette | 2,806 | 11.1 km | 40.4 | 17% | 3% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against Quebec’s towns and Canada’s towns. For each measure we take the median of Quebec’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, then the median of all Canadian towns. Neither counts whole cities or reserves, and every percentile is a Canadian one.
- 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. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered them. “Visible minority” follows the Employment Equity Act, meaning people other than Indigenous peoples who are non-white in colour or race. We compare these figures across towns; none is a label for a town.
Questions about Sainte-Barbe’s residents
What is the population of Sainte-Barbe?
Sainte-Barbe had about 1,993 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 1,609, 22% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Sainte-Barbe?
A median age of 51.2. Children under 15 make up 12%, and people 65 and over 24%.
Is Sainte-Barbe bilingual?
English and French: 44% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 1.6%. French only: 55%. French mother tongue: 92%.
How diverse is Sainte-Barbe?
1.6% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 1.6% belong to a visible minority and 1.9% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Sainte-Barbe?
78% are Christian and 22% have no religion; 0% follow another religion.
Is Sainte-Barbe good for families?
Under 15: 12% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 61% of households. One-parent families: 8.2%. Schools near Sainte-Barbe are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Sainte-Barbe?
The median household in Sainte-Barbe took in $78,500 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).