Saint John Profile

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

National Rank:83 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Consumer Price Index

Saint John, New Brunswick

All-items index for September 2026, up 4.8% from September 2025, calculated from the published index (2002=100). Statistics Canada publishes this series as “Saint John, New Brunswick”. It follows that price-index area, not the municipal boundary of Saint John alone.

All-items: 172.2
12-month change: +4.8%

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

Saint John Population

Total Population (2021)

69,895

Total Population (2016)

67,575

Population Growth

+3.4% (+2,320)

Growth Rank

#413 of 688Same geo level

Male

48.4%33,835

Female

51.6%36,060

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.938

Average Age

43.3

Median Age

Age Rank

#355 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

3,045(4.4%)

5–9

3,475(5.0%)

10–14

3,670(5.3%)

15–19

3,390(4.9%)

20–24

4,340(6.2%)

25–29

4,955(7.1%)

30–34

4,480(6.4%)

35–39

4,290(6.1%)

40–44

4,145(5.9%)

45–49

4,295(6.1%)

50–54

4,415(6.3%)

55–59

5,625(8.0%)

60–64

5,420(7.8%)

65–69

4,610(6.6%)

70–74

3,860(5.5%)

75–79

2,520(3.6%)

80–84

1,695(2.4%)

85+

1,670(2.4%)

Saint John Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.1

Total Private Dwellings

33,908

Occupied Private Dwellings

31,825

Size Distribution

1 Person

11,440 (35.9%)

2 Persons

11,350 (35.7%)

3 Persons

4,540 (14.3%)

4 Persons

2,925 (9.2%)

5+ Persons

1,575 (4.9%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

5,750(18.1%)

Couples without children

7,710(24.2%)

One-parent families

3,405(10.7%)

One-person households

11,440(35.9%)

Multigenerational

620(1.9%)

Multiple-family

90(0.3%)

Saint John Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$65,900After tax

Median Household Income

$56,000After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$37,600After tax

Median Individual Income

$33,200After tax

Income Rank

#620 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

76.8%

Employment Income

63.6%

Government Transfers

23.2%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

4,570(8.2%)

$10k–$20k

6,705(12.0%)

$20k–$30k

10,475(18.8%)

$30k–$40k

8,935(16.0%)

$40k–$50k

7,750(13.9%)

$50k–$60k

5,145(9.2%)

$60k–$70k

3,610(6.5%)

$70k–$80k

2,465(4.4%)

$80k–$90k

1,840(3.3%)

$90k–$100k

1,255(2.2%)

$100k+

3,075(5.5%)

Saint John Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

54.1%

Unemployment Rate

10.9%

Total Labour Force

35,225

Employed

31,375

Unemployed

3,845

Not in Labour Force

22,800

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

17.8%

Children (0–17)

24.4%

Adults (18–64)

14.9%

Seniors (65+)

20.8%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3280 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.287

Saint John 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

58,025

No certificate, diploma or degree

9,400 (16.2%)

High school diploma or equivalency

19,810 (34.1%)

Postsecondary credential

28,820 (49.7%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

7,735 (13.3%)69.3% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

2,315 (4.0%)20.7% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

300 (0.5%)2.7% 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

9,400(16.2%)

High school diploma or equivalency

19,810(34.1%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

3,920(6.8%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

12,730(21.9%)

University certificate below bachelor

1,010(1.7%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

11,160(19.2%)

Saint John 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

17.5%

5,505 people

Share of 31,375 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

5,505(17.5%)

Usual place of work

22,165(70.6%)

No fixed workplace address

3,685(11.7%)

Worked outside Canada

25(0.1%)

Saint John 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

35,225

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

230(0.7%)

Business, finance and administration

5,515(15.7%)

Natural and applied sciences

2,710(7.7%)

Health

3,170(9.0%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

4,155(11.8%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

640(1.8%)

Sales and service

11,170(31.7%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

5,060(14.4%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

430(1.2%)

Manufacturing and utilities

1,160(3.3%)

Saint John 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

35,225

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

335(1.0%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

155(0.4%)

Utilities

540(1.5%)

Construction

2,280(6.5%)

Manufacturing

2,125(6.0%)

Wholesale trade

955(2.7%)

Retail trade

4,870(13.8%)

Transportation and warehousing

1,710(4.9%)

Information and cultural industries

775(2.2%)

Finance and insurance

1,205(3.4%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

440(1.2%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

2,110(6.0%)

Management of companies and enterprises

45(0.1%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

2,500(7.1%)

Educational services

2,205(6.3%)

Health care and social assistance

5,720(16.2%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

485(1.4%)

Accommodation and food services

2,565(7.3%)

Other services (except public administration)

1,390(3.9%)

Public administration

1,840(5.2%)

Saint John Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

58,910 (85.6%)

French Only

125 (0.2%)

English & French

9,395 (13.6%)

Neither

410 (0.6%)

Mother Tongue

English

60,060 (87.2%)

French

2,530 (3.7%)

Non-official languages

4,810 (7.0%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

60,060(87.2%)

French

2,530(3.7%)

Arabic

1,010(1.5%)

Mandarin

550(0.8%)

Tagalog

315(0.5%)

Spanish

255(0.4%)

Punjabi

240(0.3%)

Korean

165(0.2%)

Russian

155(0.2%)

Portuguese

150(0.2%)

Saint John Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

12,750(40.1%)

Semi-detached

1,035(3.3%)

Row house

1,930(6.1%)

Duplex

3,170(10.0%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

9,955(31.3%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

2,150(6.8%)

Other attached

115(0.4%)

Movable

715(2.2%)

Housing · Saint John (CMA), N.B.

These figures are published for Saint John (CMA), N.B., a census metropolitan area, reference period 2021. They are not counts for Saint John 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

55,820

Owner households

38,655 (69.2%)

Renter households

17,165 (30.8%)

Owners with a mortgage

23,030 (59.6%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

15,620 (40.4%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

2,645 (15.4%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

14,525 (84.6%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$900All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,029All households, 2021

Owners, median

$980

Renters, median

$830

Owners with a mortgage, median

$1,350

Owners without a mortgage, median

$524

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

7,955 (14.3%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

3,345 (8.7%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

4,610 (26.9%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

195 (0.3%)

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

9,550(17.1%)

$500 to $749

11,530(20.7%)

$750 to $999

10,990(19.7%)

$1,000 to $1,249

7,745(13.9%)

$1,250 to $1,499

5,715(10.2%)

$1,500 to $1,999

6,360(11.4%)

$2,000 to $2,499

2,360(4.2%)

$2,500 to $2,999

855(1.5%)

$3,000 and over

720(1.3%)

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 Saint John

Saint John is on the Bay of Fundy in southern New Brunswick, at the mouth of the Saint John River. It is Canada’s oldest incorporated city, a deep-water ice-free port, and an industrial centre long associated with shipbuilding and the Irving companies. Uptown brick streets sit above Reversing Falls, where the river meets the world’s highest tides. About 70,000 people live in Saint John.

Known for

Oldest incorporated city in Canada
Reversing Falls at the river’s mouth
Ice-free Bay of Fundy port and Irving industry
Uptown Loyalist brick streets and City Market
Fog, tides, and a working harbour

See & do

Reversing Falls
Gorge where the Fundy tide pushes the Saint John River backward.
Saint John City Market
Nineteenth-century market hall in the uptown.
Market Square and the uptown
Harbourfront brick streets, museums, and the New Brunswick Museum.
Irving Nature Park
Coastal peninsula of trails and Bay of Fundy shoreline.
Carleton Martello Tower
War of 1812 tower overlooking the harbour.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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