Petawawa Profile

Explore population, households, income, employment, education, commute, occupation, industry, languages, and dwellings for Petawawa. Compare trends since 2016 and dig into the full profile below.

National Rank:245 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Petawawa Population

Total Population (2021)

18,160

Total Population (2016)

17,187

Population Growth

+5.7% (+973)

Growth Rank

#288 of 688Same geo level

Male

53.9%9,780

Female

46.2%8,385

Male-to-Female Ratio

1.166

Average Age

34.1

Median Age

Age Rank

#15 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

1,400(7.7%)

5–9

1,460(8.0%)

10–14

1,090(6.0%)

15–19

915(5.0%)

20–24

1,365(7.5%)

25–29

2,020(11.1%)

30–34

2,050(11.3%)

35–39

1,595(8.8%)

40–44

1,125(6.2%)

45–49

920(5.1%)

50–54

865(4.8%)

55–59

925(5.1%)

60–64

720(4.0%)

65–69

565(3.1%)

70–74

500(2.8%)

75–79

280(1.5%)

80–84

210(1.2%)

85+

165(0.9%)

Petawawa Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.6

Total Private Dwellings

7,174

Occupied Private Dwellings

6,762

Size Distribution

1 Person

1,555 (23.0%)

2 Persons

2,355 (34.8%)

3 Persons

1,150 (17.0%)

4 Persons

1,140 (16.9%)

5+ Persons

555 (8.2%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

2,235(33.1%)

Couples without children

1,805(26.7%)

One-parent families

480(7.1%)

One-person households

1,555(23.0%)

Multigenerational

110(1.6%)

Multiple-family

20(0.3%)

Petawawa Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$95,100After tax

Median Household Income

$89,000After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$49,720After tax

Median Individual Income

$50,000After tax

Income Rank

#145 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

87.8%

Employment Income

77.4%

Government Transfers

12.3%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

815(6.3%)

$10k–$20k

1,170(9.0%)

$20k–$30k

1,225(9.5%)

$30k–$40k

1,160(9.0%)

$40k–$50k

1,145(8.8%)

$50k–$60k

1,275(9.8%)

$60k–$70k

1,635(12.6%)

$70k–$80k

1,540(11.9%)

$80k–$90k

1,060(8.2%)

$90k–$100k

615(4.8%)

$100k+

1,305(10.1%)

Petawawa Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

66.4%

Unemployment Rate

6.3%

Total Labour Force

9,475

Employed

8,875

Unemployed

600

Not in Labour Force

3,895

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

3.7%

Children (0–17)

3.8%

Adults (18–64)

2.9%

Seniors (65+)

8.4%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.2370 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.212

Petawawa 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

13,370

No certificate, diploma or degree

1,600 (12.0%)

High school diploma or equivalency

4,800 (35.9%)

Postsecondary credential

6,970 (52.1%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

1,590 (11.9%)69.7% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

430 (3.2%)18.9% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

45 (0.3%)2.0% 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

1,600(12.0%)

High school diploma or equivalency

4,800(35.9%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

920(6.9%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

3,610(27.0%)

University certificate below bachelor

155(1.2%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

2,280(17.1%)

Petawawa 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

15.8%

1,405 people

Share of 8,875 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

1,405(15.8%)

Usual place of work

6,170(69.5%)

No fixed workplace address

1,090(12.3%)

Worked outside Canada

200(2.3%)

Petawawa 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

9,475

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

70(0.7%)

Business, finance and administration

1,090(11.5%)

Natural and applied sciences

600(6.3%)

Health

735(7.8%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

3,795(40.1%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

130(1.4%)

Sales and service

1,715(18.1%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

1,020(10.8%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

70(0.7%)

Manufacturing and utilities

115(1.2%)

Petawawa 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

9,475

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

30(0.3%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

10(0.1%)

Utilities

65(0.7%)

Construction

315(3.3%)

Manufacturing

135(1.4%)

Wholesale trade

40(0.4%)

Retail trade

710(7.5%)

Transportation and warehousing

160(1.7%)

Information and cultural industries

55(0.6%)

Finance and insurance

90(0.9%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

70(0.7%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

720(7.6%)

Management of companies and enterprises

0(0.0%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

320(3.4%)

Educational services

520(5.5%)

Health care and social assistance

930(9.8%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

100(1.1%)

Accommodation and food services

555(5.9%)

Other services (except public administration)

205(2.2%)

Public administration

4,305(45.4%)

Petawawa Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

14,205 (78.2%)

French Only

150 (0.8%)

English & French

3,785 (20.8%)

Neither

25 (0.1%)

Mother Tongue

English

15,165 (83.5%)

French

1,795 (9.9%)

Non-official languages

735 (4.0%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

15,165(83.5%)

French

1,795(9.9%)

Spanish

55(0.3%)

Tagalog

45(0.2%)

Punjabi

45(0.2%)

Arabic

40(0.2%)

Polish

40(0.2%)

Russian

40(0.2%)

Mandarin

30(0.2%)

Portuguese

30(0.2%)

Petawawa Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

4,760(70.4%)

Semi-detached

455(6.7%)

Row house

845(12.5%)

Duplex

50(0.7%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

635(9.4%)

Other attached

10(0.1%)

Movable

5(0.1%)

Housing · Petawawa (CA), Ont.

These figures are published for Petawawa (CA), Ont., a census agglomeration, reference period 2021. They are not counts for Petawawa alone. Shares are calculated on this site from the published household counts in tables 98-10-0252-01 and 98-10-0253-01.

Tenure

Private households

6,755

Owner households

4,330 (64.1%)

Renter households

2,420 (35.8%)

Owners with a mortgage

2,970 (68.6%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

1,360 (31.4%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

425 (17.6%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

1,995 (82.4%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$1,130All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,236All households, 2021

Owners, median

$1,430

Renters, median

$950

Owners with a mortgage, median

$1,640

Owners without a mortgage, median

$512

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

575 (8.5%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

230 (5.3%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

345 (14.3%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

0 (0.0%)

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

700(10.4%)

$500 to $749

955(14.1%)

$750 to $999

1,215(18.0%)

$1,000 to $1,249

845(12.5%)

$1,250 to $1,499

655(9.7%)

$1,500 to $1,999

1,615(23.9%)

$2,000 to $2,499

570(8.4%)

$2,500 to $2,999

140(2.1%)

$3,000 and over

60(0.9%)

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.

Community snapshot

About Petawawa

Petawawa is a town in Renfrew County, Ontario, on the Ottawa River northwest of Pembroke beside CFB Petawawa. Military community life, river beaches, and Canadian Shield forest define a northeastern Ontario town closely tied to the base. Highway 17 is the main corridor. About 18,000 people live in Petawawa.

Known for

Town beside Canadian Forces Base Petawawa
Ottawa River waterfront and beaches
Military family and service community character
Canadian Shield forest setting in Renfrew County
Highway 17 corridor northwest of Pembroke

See & do

Petawawa Terrace / river beaches
Ottawa River swimming and shoreline parks.
Downtown Petawawa
Local shops and services for town and base families.
Petawawa Research Forest approaches
Trail and forest recreation near town.
Community recreation complexes
Arenas and sports facilities serving residents.
Ottawa River black-granite shore drives
Shield scenery along the river corridor.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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