Photo: Genvievegarneau2 · CC BY-SA 4.0One-person households make up 40% in Sherbrooke, more than in 89% of Canadian towns
The figure for households in single-detached houses is 37% in Sherbrooke and 64% across Canada’s towns. This Quebec town is home to some 184,135 people (July 2025 estimate), in 80,475 households at the 2021 Census. The share of residents who moved in within the year stands at 16%. More residents aged 15 to 24 than in 82% of Canadian towns: 13%.
What stands out about the people of Sherbrooke
A bilingual town
46% of residents can hold a conversation in both English and French, more than in 88% of Canadian towns; 52% speak French only and 1.7% English only. English & French ↓
Common-law couples
26% of residents 15 and over live common-law, more than in 89% of Canadian towns; 27% are married. Couples ↓
Many people living alone
One-person households make up 40%, more than in 89% of Canadian towns, and 21% of residents are 65 or over. Households ↓
A town of renters
51% of households rent their home, more than in 86% of Canadian towns; 54% live in an apartment. Homes ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Bilingual residents make up 46% in Sherbrooke, more than in 88% of Canadian towns
Figures are from the 2021 Census unless dated 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
Compared with 66% across Canada’s towns, 3.9% of residents have English as their mother tongue here. Across Canada’s towns, bilingual residents come to 7.5%.
From 2016 to 2021, Sherbrooke outgrew 69% of Canadian towns: +7%
The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 6%. For comparison, the median is +4% across Canada’s towns and +4% across Quebec’s towns.
More residents aged 65 and over than 65% of Canadian towns: 21%
Residents by five-year age band, each beside the typical town (the tick).
The median age in Sherbrooke is 41.2, lower than in 55% of Canadian towns. Elsewhere, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns. 16% of residents are under 15. No age band is larger than 20–24: 7.8% of residents, 1.4 times the share across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Sherbrooke, 41.2. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women.
2.1 people per household, fewer than in 83% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Quebec’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The census found that 8.3% of households are one-parent families in Sherbrooke.
A higher share of common-law partners than 89% of Canadian towns, at 26%
Married, common-law, single: residents 15 and over.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns, against 27% in Sherbrooke. The benchmark for common-law partners across Canada’s towns: 11%.
Renter households make up 51% in Sherbrooke, more than in 86% of Canadian towns
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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys: 3%, above just over two thirds of Canadian towns. Renter households make up 25% across Canada’s towns. Newer homes outnumber old: 27% date from 2001 or later, 18% from before 1961.
Half above, half below $62,400 a year in household income
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 middle household in Sherbrooke had $62,400 before tax, 27% below the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Within Quebec’s towns, the household in the middle had $74,000. Pandemic benefits reached 29% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
8.8% 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
The largest groups of immigrants were born in Africa (29%) and in Europe (26%). Lower than in 67% of Canadian towns: 8.8% of residents are immigrants. 46% of immigrants arrived between 2011 and 2021, against 27% across Canada’s towns.
Residents with no religion: 33%, a lower share than 56% of Canadian towns
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
One in ten residents belong to a visible minority; across Canada’s towns the figure is 15%. Lower than in just over two thirds of Canadian towns: 1.7% of residents have an Indigenous identity. Set beside that, 35% of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns. Other faiths: Muslim (3.7%).
A larger share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 59% of Canadian towns: 32%
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 10% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. Against that, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 60%
The census counted work in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so read these rates as a pandemic snapshot. Work, briefly: employment, unemployment, participation and working from home. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
Across Canada’s towns the typical rate is 58%, below this 60%.
20th lowest median age among 41 towns of 105,520 to 243,107
The Canadian towns closest in population, from youngest to oldest.
Median ages here range from 36 in Milton to 50.4 in Cape Breton. By median age, Sherbrooke sits among Kingston (41.2), Maple Ridge (41.2), Coquitlam (41.6) and Oakville (41.6).
Sherbrooke is younger than 3 of its 6 nearest neighbours
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherbrooke | 184,135 | — | 41.2 | 21% | 8.8% |
| Hatley | 2,512 | 8.2 km | 50 | 25% | 6.8% |
| Waterville | 2,643 | 11.0 km | 39.2 | 17% | 4.2% |
| Ascot Corner | 3,725 | 12.1 km | 40 | 16% | 2.7% |
| Stoke | 3,272 | 12.2 km | 43.6 | 18% | 3% |
| Saint-Denis-de-Brompton | 5,249 | 15.1 km | 41.2 | 17% | 2.4% |
| Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley | 2,938 | 17.7 km | 50 | 24% | 4.7% |
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. These are self-reported answers: Indigenous identity, immigrant status, religion. The census’s “visible minority” comes from the Employment Equity Act (non-white in colour or race, Indigenous peoples aside), and the page sets each beside other towns without labelling any.
- 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.
Questions about Sherbrooke’s residents
What religion are people in Sherbrooke?
62% are Christian and 33% have no religion; 4.6% follow another religion.
Is Sherbrooke good for families?
Under 15: 16% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 45% of households. One-parent families: 8.3%. Schools near Sherbrooke are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Sherbrooke?
The median household in Sherbrooke took in $62,400 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Sherbrooke?
Sherbrooke had about 184,135 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 172,950, 7% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Sherbrooke?
A median age of 41.2, younger than 55% of Canadian towns. Children under 15 make up 16%, and people 65 and over 21%.
Is Sherbrooke bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 46% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 1.7% speak only English and 52% only French; 86% grew up with French.
How diverse is Sherbrooke?
8.8% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 9.6% belong to a visible minority and 1.7% have an Indigenous identity.
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).