Renfrew Profile

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

National Rank:481 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Renfrew Population

Total Population (2021)

8,190

Total Population (2016)

8,223

Population Growth

-0.4% (-33)

Growth Rank

#585 of 688Same geo level

Male

47.3%3,870

Female

52.7%4,320

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.896

Average Age

49.4

Median Age

Age Rank

#638 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

290(3.5%)

5–9

320(3.9%)

10–14

385(4.7%)

15–19

380(4.6%)

20–24

360(4.4%)

25–29

420(5.1%)

30–34

400(4.9%)

35–39

390(4.8%)

40–44

370(4.5%)

45–49

435(5.3%)

50–54

425(5.2%)

55–59

655(8.0%)

60–64

730(8.9%)

65–69

760(9.3%)

70–74

665(8.1%)

75–79

415(5.1%)

80–84

320(3.9%)

85+

465(5.7%)

Renfrew Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.0

Total Private Dwellings

4,117

Occupied Private Dwellings

3,954

Size Distribution

1 Person

1,605 (40.6%)

2 Persons

1,465 (37.1%)

3 Persons

440 (11.1%)

4 Persons

305 (7.7%)

5+ Persons

145 (3.7%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

565(14.3%)

Couples without children

1,080(27.3%)

One-parent families

400(10.1%)

One-person households

1,605(40.6%)

Multigenerational

50(1.3%)

Multiple-family

10(0.3%)

Renfrew Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$64,300After tax

Median Household Income

$55,200After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$37,760After tax

Median Individual Income

$33,200After tax

Income Rank

#644 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

70.6%

Employment Income

52.5%

Government Transfers

29.4%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

410(6.1%)

$10k–$20k

1,060(15.9%)

$20k–$30k

1,270(19.0%)

$30k–$40k

975(14.6%)

$40k–$50k

855(12.8%)

$50k–$60k

690(10.3%)

$60k–$70k

460(6.9%)

$70k–$80k

300(4.5%)

$80k–$90k

185(2.8%)

$90k–$100k

125(1.9%)

$100k+

355(5.3%)

Renfrew Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

43.8%

Unemployment Rate

10.5%

Total Labour Force

3,365

Employed

3,005

Unemployed

355

Not in Labour Force

3,500

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

16.8%

Children (0–17)

18.2%

Adults (18–64)

15.8%

Seniors (65+)

18.1%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3050 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.271

Renfrew 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

6,860

No certificate, diploma or degree

1,400 (20.4%)

High school diploma or equivalency

2,565 (37.4%)

Postsecondary credential

2,895 (42.2%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

480 (7.0%)69.1% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

110 (1.6%)15.8% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

35 (0.5%)5.0% 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

1,400(20.4%)

High school diploma or equivalency

2,565(37.4%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

455(6.6%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

1,680(24.5%)

University certificate below bachelor

60(0.9%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

695(10.1%)

Renfrew 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

12.6%

380 people

Share of 3,010 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

380(12.6%)

Usual place of work

2,195(72.9%)

No fixed workplace address

435(14.5%)

Worked outside Canada

0(0.0%)

Renfrew 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

3,365

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

20(0.6%)

Business, finance and administration

390(11.6%)

Natural and applied sciences

195(5.8%)

Health

325(9.7%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

300(8.9%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

55(1.6%)

Sales and service

1,025(30.5%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

680(20.2%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

80(2.4%)

Manufacturing and utilities

240(7.1%)

Renfrew 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

3,365

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

40(1.2%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

15(0.4%)

Utilities

55(1.6%)

Construction

350(10.4%)

Manufacturing

400(11.9%)

Wholesale trade

45(1.3%)

Retail trade

520(15.5%)

Transportation and warehousing

95(2.8%)

Information and cultural industries

40(1.2%)

Finance and insurance

75(2.2%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

50(1.5%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

170(5.1%)

Management of companies and enterprises

0(0.0%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

145(4.3%)

Educational services

195(5.8%)

Health care and social assistance

570(16.9%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

35(1.0%)

Accommodation and food services

240(7.1%)

Other services (except public administration)

120(3.6%)

Public administration

145(4.3%)

Renfrew Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

7,235 (91.2%)

English & French

685 (8.6%)

Neither

10 (0.1%)

Mother Tongue

English

7,410 (93.4%)

French

220 (2.8%)

Non-official languages

210 (2.6%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

7,410(93.4%)

French

220(2.8%)

Polish

20(0.3%)

Arabic

15(0.2%)

Cantonese

10(0.1%)

Gujarati

10(0.1%)

Tagalog

5(0.1%)

Mandarin

5(0.1%)

Punjabi

5(0.1%)

Spanish

5(0.1%)

Renfrew Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

2,460(62.2%)

Semi-detached

235(5.9%)

Row house

330(8.3%)

Duplex

110(2.8%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

795(20.1%)

Other attached

25(0.6%)

Community snapshot

About Renfrew

Renfrew is a town in Renfrew County, Ontario, on the Bonnechere River in the Ottawa Valley west of Ottawa. A historic timber-and-mill service centre, it has a brick downtown, river parks, and a role as a highway-town hub at Highways 17 and 60. About 8,000 people live in Renfrew.

Known for

Bonnechere River town in the Ottawa Valley
Historic timber and mill service centre
Brick downtown at Highways 17 and 60
Swinging bridge and river parks
County namesake town (the county is a separate government)

See & do

Downtown Renfrew / Raglan Street
Independent shops in the brick commercial core.
Swinging Bridge over the Bonnechere
Pedestrian span and river views in town.
Renfrew Mill / waterfront parks
Heritage mill setting and green space on the river.
McDougall Mill Museum
Local timber-town history in a stone mill.
Valley drives toward Algonquin approaches
Highway 60 toward the park from this service town.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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