Big River 118 is younger than 99% of Canadian towns: a median age of 21
Big River 118 is a First Nations reserve, the home of Big River. Across Canada’s towns, households average 2.4 people; in Big River 118, 4.5. The latest estimate, for July 2025, is 1,613 residents; the 2021 Census found 340 households. Locally, 20% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Households in single-detached houses are more common here than in 81% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Big River 118
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
An Indigenous identity is reported by 99% of residents, more than in 99% of Canadian towns. 97% are Registered or Treaty Indians and 24% grew up speaking an Indigenous language. Identity & religion ↓
Younger than most towns
Line Big River 118’s residents up by age and the one in the middle is 21; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 36% are under 15 and 3.6% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
−1% since 2016: slower than 86% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. How the population moved between the last two censuses, and since.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 5%. Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across Saskatchewan’s towns, ±0%.
Below 99% of Canadian towns: 3.6% of residents are 65 or over
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
The biggest five-year age group is 10–14, with 12% of residents, 2.2 times the share across Canada’s towns. The share of children under 15 stands at 36%. For comparison, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 107 men for every 100 women.
18% of households are one-parent families, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against Saskatchewan’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The share of one-person households is 15%, against 27% across Canada’s towns. By way of comparison, 8.2% of households are one-parent families across Canada’s towns.
A lower share of married residents 15 and over than 99% of Canadian towns, at 15%
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Common-law partners make up 21%, against 11% across Canada’s towns. The wider picture: 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns.
85% of homes are single-detached houses
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
44% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 2.9% built before 1961. Renter households are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns.
Before tax, the median household income is $62,000 a year
Incomes are 2020’s, the census’s reference year, and include pandemic benefits such as CERB. What households took in before tax, at the middle and across income groups.
Households by income · share of households
Household incomes run lower in Big River 118: half had less than $62,000, 28% under the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The provincial yardstick is $86,500, the median across Saskatchewan’s towns. COVID-19 benefits were paid to 60% of residents with an income, where the typical town had 28%.
99% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
29% of residents said they have no religion; across Canada’s towns the figure is 35%. By way of comparison, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
64% have English as their mother tongue; 0.3% also speak French
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
Residents whose mother tongue is French are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns. Across Big River 118, 0.3% of residents speak English and French.
Degree holders aged 25 to 64: 9.6%, a lower share than 96% of Canadian towns
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Without any certificate: 33% of 25- to 64-year-olds (typical: 9.5%).
30% of adults were employed in May 2021
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.
The employment rate of 30% is below the typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 3.6% of residents are 65 or over.
Big River 118 is younger than every town around it
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page. The nearest places to Big River 118 with figures are 20–42 km away.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big River 118 | 1,613 | — | 21 | 3.6% | 0% |
| Ahtahkakoop 104 | 1,609 | 19.8 km | 24.4 | 7.1% | 0% |
| Canwood No. 494 | 1,398 | 33.5 km | 50.8 | 26% | 1.9% |
| Spiritwood | 1,005 | 34.1 km | 42 | 25% | 11% |
| Big River No. 555 | 1,008 | 36.7 km | 54 | 28% | 0.9% |
| Spiritwood No. 496 | 1,291 | 41.6 km | 52.8 | 25% | 1.6% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- A First Nations reserve. Reserves are compared with Canada’s towns but aren’t counted among them: they have no overall grade and no place in ranked lists. Census figures for small reserves are rounded, and some are suppressed.
- What these tables don’t give. For origins the charts stop at visible minority and Indigenous identity, and the Census Profile has nothing on unpaid care, cars or the internet, or on change by age since 2016.
- 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 Saskatchewan’s towns and Canada’s towns. For each measure we take the median of Saskatchewan’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.
Questions about Big River 118’s residents
How diverse is Big River 118?
0% of residents belong to a visible minority and 99% have an Indigenous identity; Statistics Canada suppresses the immigration figures for Big River 118.
What religion are people in Big River 118?
Most often Christian (32%) or no religion (29%); other religions make up 40%.
Is Big River 118 good for families?
Children under 15 are 36% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 29% of households and one-parent families 18%. Schools near Big River 118 are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Big River 118?
Median total household income in Big River 118 was $62,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Big River 118?
The latest figure is an estimate: 1,613 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Big River 118 counted 1,535, 1% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Big River 118?
Half the residents are older than 21 and half younger; 36% are children under 15 and 3.6% are 65 or over.
Is Big River 118 bilingual?
0.3% of residents can speak both English and French (typical across Canada’s towns: 7.5%); 0% speak French only and 100% English only. French is the mother tongue of 0%.
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).