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St. Catharines Profile

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

National Rank:42 of 688
Level:Census subdivision

St. Catharines Population

Total Population (2021)
136,803
Total Population (2016)
133,113
Population Growth
+2.8% (+3,690)
Growth Rank
#449 of 688Same geo level
Male
48.0%65,670
Female
52.0%71,135
Male-to-Female Ratio
0.923
Average Age
44.3
Median Age
44.8
Age Rank
#433 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4
6,125(4.5%)
5–9
6,405(4.7%)
10–14
6,815(5.0%)
15–19
6,945(5.1%)
20–24
8,510(6.2%)
25–29
9,385(6.9%)
30–34
8,885(6.5%)
35–39
8,185(6.0%)
40–44
7,455(5.4%)
45–49
7,855(5.7%)
50–54
8,365(6.1%)
55–59
10,165(7.4%)
60–64
9,840(7.2%)
65–69
8,920(6.5%)
70–74
8,150(6.0%)
75–79
5,895(4.3%)
80–84
4,165(3.0%)
85+
4,735(3.5%)

St. Catharines Households

Household Size

Average Household Size
2.3
Total Private Dwellings
61,977
Occupied Private Dwellings
58,903

Size Distribution

1 Person
19,010 (32.3%)
2 Persons
20,870 (35.4%)
3 Persons
8,400 (14.3%)
4 Persons
6,780 (11.5%)
5+ Persons
3,840 (6.5%)

Household Composition

Couples with children
12,565(21.3%)
Couples without children
14,960(25.4%)
One-parent families
6,085(10.3%)
One-person households
19,015(32.3%)
Multigenerational
1,465(2.5%)
Multiple-family
300(0.5%)

St. Catharines Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income
$77,000After tax
Median Household Income
$65,000After tax
Avg. Individual Income
$40,800After tax
Median Individual Income
$34,400After tax
Income Rank
#526 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income
76.2%
Employment Income
58.5%
Government Transfers
23.8%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k
8,145(7.3%)
$10k–$20k
14,520(13.1%)
$20k–$30k
19,465(17.5%)
$30k–$40k
17,265(15.5%)
$40k–$50k
13,865(12.5%)
$50k–$60k
10,405(9.4%)
$60k–$70k
7,415(6.7%)
$70k–$80k
5,380(4.8%)
$80k–$90k
3,665(3.3%)
$90k–$100k
2,995(2.7%)
$100k+
8,030(7.2%)

St. Catharines Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate
49.1%
Unemployment Rate
15.8%
Total Labour Force
67,120
Employed
56,490
Unemployed
10,630
Not in Labour Force
47,885

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate
12.4%
Children (0–17)
15.6%
Adults (18–64)
11.6%
Seniors (65+)
12.2%
Gini Coefficient (Total)
0.3210 = perfect equality
Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)
0.283

St. Catharines 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
115,005
No certificate, diploma or degree
17,880 (15.5%)
High school diploma or equivalency
36,115 (31.4%)
Postsecondary credential
61,010 (53.0%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree
17,075 (14.8%)67.2% of bachelor's or higher
Master's degree
5,175 (4.5%)20.4% of bachelor's or higher
Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine
625 (0.5%)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
17,880(15.5%)
High school diploma or equivalency
36,115(31.4%)
Apprenticeship or trades certificate
7,540(6.6%)
College, CEGEP or other non-university
25,940(22.6%)
University certificate below bachelor
2,105(1.8%)
Bachelor's degree or higher
25,420(22.1%)

St. Catharines 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

20.6%

11,620 people

Share of 56,490 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home
11,620(20.6%)
Usual place of work
37,900(67.1%)
No fixed workplace address
6,735(11.9%)
Worked outside Canada
240(0.4%)

St. Catharines 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
67,120

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management
575(0.9%)
Business, finance and administration
9,290(13.8%)
Natural and applied sciences
3,655(5.4%)
Health
5,780(8.6%)
Education, law and social, community and government services
7,750(11.5%)
Art, culture, recreation and sport
1,905(2.8%)
Sales and service
20,410(30.4%)
Trades, transport and equipment operators
10,900(16.2%)
Natural resources, agriculture and related production
1,620(2.4%)
Manufacturing and utilities
3,195(4.8%)

St. Catharines 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
67,120

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
1,445(2.2%)
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
75(0.1%)
Utilities
425(0.6%)
Construction
5,020(7.5%)
Manufacturing
5,685(8.5%)
Wholesale trade
2,240(3.3%)
Retail trade
9,135(13.6%)
Transportation and warehousing
2,810(4.2%)
Information and cultural industries
900(1.3%)
Finance and insurance
2,075(3.1%)
Real estate and rental and leasing
1,240(1.8%)
Professional, scientific and technical services
4,095(6.1%)
Management of companies and enterprises
75(0.1%)
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation
3,495(5.2%)
Educational services
5,055(7.5%)
Health care and social assistance
9,185(13.7%)
Arts, entertainment and recreation
1,425(2.1%)
Accommodation and food services
5,305(7.9%)
Other services (except public administration)
2,765(4.1%)
Public administration
2,615(3.9%)

St. Catharines Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only
124,605 (92.4%)
French Only
90 (0.1%)
English & French
8,815 (6.5%)
Neither
1,330 (1.0%)

Mother Tongue

English
107,140 (79.5%)
French
2,420 (1.8%)
Non-official languages
21,625 (16.0%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English
107,140(79.5%)
Spanish
2,855(2.1%)
French
2,420(1.8%)
Italian
1,935(1.4%)
Arabic
1,705(1.3%)
Polish
1,530(1.1%)
Mandarin
1,390(1.0%)
Tagalog
810(0.6%)
Korean
550(0.4%)
Russian
515(0.4%)

St. Catharines Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached
32,725(55.6%)
Semi-detached
3,425(5.8%)
Row house
5,010(8.5%)
Duplex
2,500(4.2%)
Apt. < 5 storeys
8,465(14.4%)
Apt. ≥ 5 storeys
6,500(11.0%)
Other attached
180(0.3%)
Movable
95(0.2%)

Housing · St. Catharines - Niagara (CMA), Ont.

These figures are published for St. Catharines - Niagara (CMA), Ont., a census metropolitan area, reference period 2021. They are not counts for St. Catharines 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
178,440
Owner households
127,280 (71.3%)
Renter households
51,160 (28.7%)
Owners with a mortgage
71,880 (56.5%)Share of owner households
Owners without a mortgage
55,400 (43.5%)Share of owner households
Renters in subsidized housing
7,530 (14.7%)Share of renter households
Renters not in subsidized housing
43,630 (85.3%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost
$1,110All households, 2021
Average monthly shelter cost
$1,288All households, 2021
Owners, median
$1,130
Renters, median
$1,080
Owners with a mortgage, median
$1,700
Owners without a mortgage, median
$624
Spending 30% or more of income on shelter
38,620 (21.6%)Share of households
Owners spending 30% or more
18,550 (14.6%)Share of owner households
Renters spending 30% or more
20,070 (39.2%)Share of renter households
Shelter-cost ratio not applicable
645 (0.4%)

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
17,570(9.8%)
$500 to $749
35,170(19.7%)
$750 to $999
25,900(14.5%)
$1,000 to $1,249
21,780(12.2%)
$1,250 to $1,499
19,390(10.9%)
$1,500 to $1,999
29,350(16.4%)
$2,000 to $2,499
16,510(9.3%)
$2,500 to $2,999
6,955(3.9%)
$3,000 and over
5,815(3.3%)

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 St. Catharines

St. Catharines is the largest city in the Niagara Region, between Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. It is a garden city with the Welland Canal running through it and vineyards on the surrounding bench. Brock University sits on the escarpment above the city. About 140,000 people live in St. Catharines.

Known for

  • Garden City parks and the Niagara wine belt
  • Welland Canal locks
  • Brock University
  • Royal Canadian Henley rowing course
  • Gateway to Niagara Falls and the peninsula

See & do

  • Port Dalhousie

    Lakeside village, pier, and Lakeside Park carousel.

  • Welland Canals Centre at Lock 3

    Viewing complex for ships on the canal.

  • Montebello Park

    Downtown park with a rose garden and pavilion.

  • FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre

    Concert and theatre complex downtown.

  • Morningstar Mill

    Historic mill on the Niagara Escarpment.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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