St. Thomas Profile

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

National Rank:120 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

St. Thomas Population

Total Population (2021)

42,840

Total Population (2016)

38,909

Population Growth

+10.1% (+3,931)

Growth Rank

#130 of 688Same geo level

Male

48.3%20,710

Female

51.7%22,130

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.936

Average Age

Median Age

43.6

Age Rank

#338 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

2,135(5.0%)

5–9

2,425(5.7%)

10–14

2,595(6.1%)

15–19

2,375(5.5%)

20–24

2,205(5.1%)

25–29

2,330(5.4%)

30–34

2,715(6.3%)

35–39

2,675(6.2%)

40–44

2,620(6.1%)

45–49

2,745(6.4%)

50–54

2,760(6.4%)

55–59

3,100(7.2%)

60–64

3,050(7.1%)

65–69

2,685(6.3%)

70–74

2,490(5.8%)

75–79

1,730(4.0%)

80–84

1,140(2.7%)

85+

1,065(2.5%)

St. Thomas Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.3

Total Private Dwellings

18,596

Occupied Private Dwellings

18,062

Size Distribution

1 Person

5,350 (29.6%)

2 Persons

6,620 (36.7%)

3 Persons

2,680 (14.8%)

4 Persons

2,215 (12.3%)

5+ Persons

1,210 (6.7%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

4,185(23.2%)

Couples without children

4,895(27.1%)

One-parent families

2,055(11.4%)

One-person households

5,345(29.6%)

Multigenerational

405(2.2%)

Multiple-family

75(0.4%)

St. Thomas Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$75,200After tax

Median Household Income

$67,500After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$40,160After tax

Median Individual Income

$36,400After tax

Income Rank

#500 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

76.0%

Employment Income

62.0%

Government Transfers

24.0%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

2,375(7.0%)

$10k–$20k

4,265(12.6%)

$20k–$30k

5,450(16.1%)

$30k–$40k

4,825(14.3%)

$40k–$50k

4,470(13.2%)

$50k–$60k

3,700(10.9%)

$60k–$70k

2,675(7.9%)

$70k–$80k

1,860(5.5%)

$80k–$90k

1,245(3.7%)

$90k–$100k

920(2.7%)

$100k+

2,010(5.9%)

St. Thomas Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

52.3%

Unemployment Rate

11.2%

Total Labour Force

20,610

Employed

18,295

Unemployed

2,315

Not in Labour Force

14,365

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

10.9%

Children (0–17)

12.5%

Adults (18–64)

9.8%

Seniors (65+)

12.4%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.2800 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.248

St. Thomas 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

34,975

No certificate, diploma or degree

6,125 (17.5%)

High school diploma or equivalency

11,600 (33.2%)

Postsecondary credential

17,250 (49.3%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

3,525 (10.1%)73.7% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

780 (2.2%)16.3% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

60 (0.2%)1.3% 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

6,125(17.5%)

High school diploma or equivalency

11,600(33.2%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

2,055(5.9%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

9,960(28.5%)

University certificate below bachelor

455(1.3%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

4,780(13.7%)

St. Thomas 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

16.7%

3,050 people

Share of 18,295 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

3,050(16.7%)

Usual place of work

13,290(72.6%)

No fixed workplace address

1,915(10.5%)

Worked outside Canada

40(0.2%)

St. Thomas 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

20,605

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

130(0.6%)

Business, finance and administration

2,855(13.9%)

Natural and applied sciences

1,025(5.0%)

Health

1,810(8.8%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

2,230(10.8%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

405(2.0%)

Sales and service

5,200(25.2%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

4,005(19.4%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

290(1.4%)

Manufacturing and utilities

2,205(10.7%)

St. Thomas 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

20,605

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

240(1.2%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

30(0.1%)

Utilities

110(0.5%)

Construction

1,420(6.9%)

Manufacturing

3,735(18.1%)

Wholesale trade

515(2.5%)

Retail trade

2,315(11.2%)

Transportation and warehousing

1,070(5.2%)

Information and cultural industries

135(0.7%)

Finance and insurance

640(3.1%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

315(1.5%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

915(4.4%)

Management of companies and enterprises

30(0.1%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

940(4.6%)

Educational services

1,335(6.5%)

Health care and social assistance

3,150(15.3%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

330(1.6%)

Accommodation and food services

1,270(6.2%)

Other services (except public administration)

875(4.2%)

Public administration

785(3.8%)

St. Thomas Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

40,140 (94.8%)

French Only

20 (0.0%)

English & French

2,040 (4.8%)

Neither

125 (0.3%)

Mother Tongue

English

38,380 (90.7%)

French

440 (1.0%)

Non-official languages

2,910 (6.9%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

38,380(90.7%)

French

440(1.0%)

Polish

230(0.5%)

Spanish

225(0.5%)

Italian

135(0.3%)

Tagalog

130(0.3%)

Portuguese

120(0.3%)

Arabic

95(0.2%)

Vietnamese

85(0.2%)

Gujarati

75(0.2%)

St. Thomas Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

11,705(64.8%)

Semi-detached

1,330(7.4%)

Row house

730(4.0%)

Duplex

595(3.3%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

2,905(16.1%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

775(4.3%)

Other attached

20(0.1%)

Movable

5(0.0%)

Community snapshot

About St. Thomas

St. Thomas is in Elgin County, south of London in southwestern Ontario, on a ridge above Kettle Creek. It branded itself the Railway City after decades as a major rail junction, and a statue of Jumbo the elephant still marks that era. A compact downtown, Pinafore Park, and the restored CASO station sit among older neighbourhoods. About 43,000 people live in St. Thomas.

Known for

Railway City heritage and the CASO station
Jumbo the elephant monument
Elgin County seat and a London-area industrial city
Pinafore Park and Kettle Creek valley
Former Michigan Central / Canada Southern rail yards

See & do

Jumbo the Elephant statue
Monument to the circus elephant killed by a train here in 1885.
CASO Station
Restored Canada Southern railway station downtown.
Elgin County Railway Museum
Locomotives and rail history in the old Michigan Central shops.
Pinafore Park
Creek-valley park, lake, and trails on the city’s south side.
Downtown Talbot Street
Historic commercial street of the Railway City.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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