Nova Scotia Profile

Nova Scotia's population is 969,383, up 5.0% since 2016. The largest cities are Halifax (439,819), Cape Breton (93,694), and Lunenburg (25,545).

Income, age, households, education, commute, occupation, industry, and a full population-by-city list for Nova Scotia are below.

National Rank:7 of 10

Level:Province

Consumer Price Index

Nova Scotia

All-items index for September 2026, up 5.6% from September 2025, calculated from the published index (2002=100). This is the Statistics Canada series for Nova Scotia.

All-items: 178.1
12-month change: +5.6%
Food: 207.6+1.7% in 12 months

Source: Statistics Canada table 18-10-0004-01, reference month September 2026 (2002=100). Compare consumer prices across Canada. Data sources.

Nova Scotia Population

Total Population (2021)

969,383

Total Population (2016)

923,598

Population Growth

+5.0% (+45,785)

Growth Rank

#4 of 10Same geo level

Male

48.7%471,730

Female

51.3%497,650

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.948

Average Age

44.2

Median Age

45.6

Age Rank

#8 of 10Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

40,340(4.2%)

5–9

47,070(4.9%)

10–14

49,300(5.1%)

15–19

48,180(5.0%)

20–24

58,005(6.0%)

25–29

60,430(6.2%)

30–34

59,575(6.1%)

35–39

57,755(6.0%)

40–44

56,420(5.8%)

45–49

59,200(6.1%)

50–54

63,775(6.6%)

55–59

77,080(8.0%)

60–64

76,935(7.9%)

65–69

68,395(7.1%)

70–74

59,435(6.1%)

75–79

39,325(4.1%)

80–84

25,130(2.6%)

85+

23,035(2.4%)

Nova Scotia Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.2

Total Private Dwellings

476,007

Occupied Private Dwellings

428,228

Size Distribution

1 Person

131,850 (30.8%)

2 Persons

166,475 (38.9%)

3 Persons

61,700 (14.4%)

4 Persons

45,700 (10.7%)

5+ Persons

22,500 (5.3%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

88,670(20.7%)

Couples without children

125,945(29.4%)

One-parent families

38,415(9.0%)

One-person households

131,850(30.8%)

Multigenerational

8,620(2.0%)

Multiple-family

1,570(0.4%)

Nova Scotia Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$72,500After tax

Median Household Income

$62,400After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$39,160After tax

Median Individual Income

$33,600After tax

Income Rank

#8 of 10Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

79.0%

Employment Income

62.3%

Government Transfers

21.0%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

65,365(8.3%)

$10k–$20k

102,030(12.9%)

$20k–$30k

140,270(17.7%)

$30k–$40k

111,240(14.0%)

$40k–$50k

96,235(12.1%)

$50k–$60k

72,270(9.1%)

$60k–$70k

52,910(6.7%)

$70k–$80k

40,055(5.1%)

$80k–$90k

32,100(4.1%)

$90k–$100k

23,205(2.9%)

$100k+

56,580(7.1%)

Nova Scotia Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

51.9%

Unemployment Rate

12.7%

Total Labour Force

487,260

Employed

425,190

Unemployed

62,070

Not in Labour Force

332,055

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

14.9%

Children (0–17)

17.3%

Adults (18–64)

12.5%

Seniors (65+)

19.7%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3270 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.282

Nova Scotia Education

Highest certificate, diploma or degree for the population aged 15 and over, Census 2021. The highest-credential groups are mutually exclusive. Bachelor's degree, master's degree, and medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine sit inside “bachelor's degree or higher” and are not extra slices of the population. Shares are calculated on this site from the published counts. Statistics Canada randomly rounds census counts, so parts can miss the published total by a few people.

Highest credential

Population aged 15 and over

819,315

No certificate, diploma or degree

137,525 (16.8%)

High school diploma or equivalency

220,205 (26.9%)

Postsecondary credential

461,580 (56.3%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

131,470 (16.0%)66.2% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

43,285 (5.3%)21.8% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

5,045 (0.6%)2.5% of bachelor's or higher

Those credentials are published parts of bachelor's degree or higher. They do not add up to that count. Earned doctorates and other university credentials above the bachelor level stay inside the published total and are not separate columns in this extract.

Share of the population aged 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree

137,525(16.8%)

High school diploma or equivalency

220,205(26.9%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

70,140(8.6%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

173,685(21.2%)

University certificate below bachelor

19,035(2.3%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

198,725(24.3%)

Nova Scotia Commute

Place of work for the employed labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021. Worked at home is the census count of people who worked at home, shown as a share of that employed labour force. Shares are calculated on this site from the published counts. Statistics Canada randomly rounds census counts, so parts can miss the published total by a few people.

Worked at home

20.7%

88,135 people

Share of 425,195 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

88,135(20.7%)

Usual place of work

278,705(65.5%)

No fixed workplace address

57,310(13.5%)

Worked outside Canada

1,040(0.2%)

Nova Scotia Occupation

Broad category for the labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021, using the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021. Legislative and senior management is broad category 0, not every job with “manager” in the title. Shares use the published labour-force total. These categories do not add up to that total. Counts are randomly rounded, and people with no classified category stay in the published total. This page does not estimate that remainder.

Labour force

487,260

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

5,065(1.0%)

Business, finance and administration

73,305(15.0%)

Natural and applied sciences

32,455(6.7%)

Health

45,420(9.3%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

66,135(13.6%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

13,070(2.7%)

Sales and service

123,130(25.3%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

80,775(16.6%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

17,745(3.6%)

Manufacturing and utilities

19,200(3.9%)

Nova Scotia Industry

Industry sector for the labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021. Shares use the published labour-force total. These categories do not add up to that total. Counts are randomly rounded, and people with no classified category stay in the published total. This page does not estimate that remainder.

Labour force

487,260

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

17,880(3.7%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

3,065(0.6%)

Utilities

3,655(0.8%)

Construction

35,720(7.3%)

Manufacturing

31,210(6.4%)

Wholesale trade

11,400(2.3%)

Retail trade

58,985(12.1%)

Transportation and warehousing

19,930(4.1%)

Information and cultural industries

8,260(1.7%)

Finance and insurance

16,490(3.4%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

6,570(1.3%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

31,400(6.4%)

Management of companies and enterprises

655(0.1%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

21,530(4.4%)

Educational services

38,425(7.9%)

Health care and social assistance

70,595(14.5%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

9,045(1.9%)

Accommodation and food services

30,010(6.2%)

Other services (except public administration)

19,395(4.0%)

Public administration

42,070(8.6%)

Nova Scotia Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

856,200 (89.3%)

French Only

605 (0.1%)

English & French

98,940 (10.3%)

Neither

3,245 (0.3%)

Mother Tongue

English

851,545 (88.8%)

French

27,340 (2.9%)

Non-official languages

62,220 (6.5%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

851,545(88.8%)

French

27,340(2.9%)

Arabic

7,960(0.8%)

Mandarin

6,730(0.7%)

Punjabi

4,550(0.5%)

Tagalog

3,240(0.3%)

Spanish

2,680(0.3%)

Korean

2,340(0.2%)

Hindi

2,035(0.2%)

Russian

1,735(0.2%)

Nova Scotia Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

272,980(63.7%)

Semi-detached

21,605(5.0%)

Row house

11,220(2.6%)

Duplex

13,165(3.1%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

64,575(15.1%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

28,650(6.7%)

Other attached

700(0.2%)

Movable

15,345(3.6%)

Nova Scotia housing

Tenure and monthly shelter costs for Nova Scotia from the 2021 Census (reference period 2021), tables 98-10-0252-01 and 98-10-0253-01. Shares are calculated on this site from the published household counts.

Tenure

Private households

422,200

Owner households

283,280 (67.1%)

Renter households

138,920 (32.9%)

Owners with a mortgage

153,760 (54.3%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

129,515 (45.7%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

15,710 (11.3%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

123,210 (88.7%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$940All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,074All households, 2021

Owners, median

$870

Renters, median

$1,000

Owners with a mortgage, median

$1,410

Owners without a mortgage, median

$460

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

75,475 (17.9%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

27,320 (9.6%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

48,150 (34.7%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

285 (0.1%)

Monthly shelter cost

Published household counts by shelter-cost band. Census counts are randomly rounded, so the bands can differ slightly from the household total.

Less than $500

88,390(20.9%)

$500 to $749

70,795(16.8%)

$750 to $999

66,810(15.8%)

$1,000 to $1,249

56,090(13.3%)

$1,250 to $1,499

43,675(10.3%)

$1,500 to $1,999

57,525(13.6%)

$2,000 to $2,499

22,865(5.4%)

$2,500 to $2,999

8,810(2.1%)

$3,000 and over

7,245(1.7%)

Shelter cost is the census monthly amount. For owners it includes mortgage payments, property taxes and condominium fees, along with electricity, heat, water and other municipal services. For renters it includes rent and those utility payments when the tenant pays them. Current consumer prices are a separate series on the cost-of-living page. Data sources.

Population by city

22 municipalities in Nova Scotia, largest first. Each name links to its full profile.

Population by city in Nova Scotia
Name	Population	Growth
Halifax	439,819	+9.1%
Cape Breton	93,694	-0.6%
Lunenburg	25,545	+2.7%
East Hants	22,892	+2.0%
Kings	22,355	+0.5%
Colchester	19,806	+1.4%
West Hants	19,509	+2.6%
Truro	12,954	+5.7%
Colchester	12,476	-4.7%
Chester	10,693	+3.7%
Queens	10,422	+1.2%
Yarmouth	10,067	+2.3%
New Glasgow	9,471	+4.4%
Amherst	9,404	-0.1%
Bridgewater	8,790	+3.0%
Argyle	7,870	-0.4%
Clare	7,678	-4.2%
Digby	7,242	+1.9%
Yarmouth	6,829	+4.8%
Kentville	6,630	+5.7%
Barrington	6,523	-1.9%
Wolfville	5,057	+20.5%

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Data sources → Census profiles, housing tables, and consumer prices