Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0Watrous is older than 82% of Canadian towns: a median age of 48.8
Across Canada’s towns, households average 2.4 people; in Watrous, 2.1. Statistics Canada puts the town’s population at 2,154 for July 2025. Locally, 7.5% of residents have an Indigenous identity. Just over three quarters of households live in a single-detached house, more than in 67% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Watrous
Fewer people than before
Watrous went from 1,900 people in 2016 to 1,842 in 2021, −3%: slower growth than in 92% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Many older residents
27% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 87% of Canadian towns; 9.5% are 80 or over, and 38% of households are one person living alone. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
−3% since 2016, a pace below 92% of Canadian towns
Figures are from the 2021 Census unless dated otherwise. Two census counts, five years apart, and Statistics Canada’s newest estimate.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 17%. Across Canada’s towns, half of towns changed by more than +4%; across Saskatchewan’s towns, by more than ±0%.
27% of residents are 65 or over, a share 87% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
By its share of children under 15 (15%), Watrous is below 62% of Canadian towns. 55–59 is the most common age band: 7.6% of residents. For comparison, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women.
Watrous sits above 84% of Canadian towns for one-person households (38%)
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Saskatchewan’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
5.9% of households are one-parent families; across Canada’s towns the figure is 8.2%. Set beside that, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns.
7.7% of residents 15 and over live common-law, fewer than in 75% of Canadian towns
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Single and never married: just over a fifth of adults, against a typical 27%. Higher than in 70% of Canadian towns: 52% of residents 15 and over are married. For common-law partners, the comparison across Canada’s towns is 11%.
28% of households rent their home, a share 56% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Occupied homes by type, by owners and renters, and by when they were built. 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 are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. A quarter of homes were built before 1961 and 13% in 2001 or later.
Household income, middle of the range: $76,500 a year
Census incomes are for 2020, the year before the census, when CERB and other pandemic benefits topped up many households. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
At $76,500, the middle household in Watrous earned 11% less than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Saskatchewan’s towns have a median of $86,500. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 21% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
Watrous sits above 61% of Canadian towns for residents who moved in within the year (12%)
Immigrants, newcomers and movers.
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
Recent arrivals are 62% of immigrants (2011 to 2021), beside 27% across Canada’s towns. Few places have so few immigrants: 10% here, fewer than in 64% of Canadian towns. As a reference point, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across Canada’s towns. Most immigrants were born in Asia (73%) or in Europe (22%).
In Watrous, 30% of residents said they have no religion, fewer than in 66% of Canadian towns
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
11% of residents belong to a visible minority; across Canada’s towns the figure is 15%. On average, 35% of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns.
English is the mother tongue of 90%, and 1.4% speak French as well
Knowledge of the two official languages, first languages, and the language of home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
Against a figure of 7.5% across Canada’s towns, the share of bilingual residents in Watrous comes in at 1.4%. Few places have so few residents whose mother tongue is French: 0.6% here, fewer than in 89% of Canadian towns.
In Watrous, 21% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 63% of Canadian towns
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
With no certificate, diploma or degree: 7.5%, beside a typical 9.5%. As a yardstick, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 59%
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 59% is close to the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
Every nearby town is younger than Watrous
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are. The nearest places to Watrous with figures are 36–72 km away.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watrous | 2,154 | — | 48.8 | 27% | 10% |
| Lanigan | 1,597 | 35.6 km | 42 | 22% | 9.7% |
| Davidson | 1,164 | 58.5 km | 43.6 | 28% | 9.4% |
| Humboldt | 6,551 | 62.8 km | 43.6 | 25% | 13% |
| Humboldt No. 370 | 1,039 | 66.4 km | 43.6 | 18% | 1% |
| Blucher No. 343 | 2,239 | 72.1 km | 41.6 | 16% | 6.5% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against Saskatchewan’s towns and Canada’s towns. Two medians frame each figure: one for Saskatchewan’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, one for all Canadian towns of that size, with whole cities and First Nations reserves left out. Percentiles rank the town within Canada.
- 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. The census takes “visible minority” from the Employment Equity Act: anyone other than Indigenous peoples who is non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are what residents reported, compared here with other towns and never used as a label.
Questions about Watrous’s residents
What is the population of Watrous?
About 2,154, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 1,842 people in Watrous, 3% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Watrous?
The median age is 48.8. 15% are under 15 and 27% 65 or older.
Is Watrous bilingual?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 7.5% are bilingual; here 1.4% are. Another 0% speak only French and 98% only English, and French is the first language of 0.6%.
How diverse is Watrous?
Immigrants: 10% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 11%. Indigenous identity: 7.5%.
What religion are people in Watrous?
30% said they have no religion and 69% that they are Christian; 1.4% named another faith.
Is Watrous good for families?
15% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 52% of households and one-parent families 5.9%. Schools near Watrous are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Watrous?
Half of Watrous’s households had more than $76,500 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
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).