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Stratford Profile

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

National Rank:142 of 688
Level:Census subdivision

Stratford Population

Total Population (2021)
33,232
Total Population (2016)
31,470
Population Growth
+5.6% (+1,762)
Growth Rank
#298 of 688Same geo level
Male
48.3%16,060
Female
51.7%17,175
Male-to-Female Ratio
0.935
Average Age
44.8
Median Age
46
Age Rank
#460 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4
1,530(4.6%)
5–9
1,580(4.8%)
10–14
1,695(5.1%)
15–19
1,705(5.1%)
20–24
1,680(5.1%)
25–29
1,965(5.9%)
30–34
2,040(6.1%)
35–39
2,100(6.3%)
40–44
1,900(5.7%)
45–49
1,955(5.9%)
50–54
1,995(6.0%)
55–59
2,530(7.6%)
60–64
2,625(7.9%)
65–69
2,430(7.3%)
70–74
2,015(6.1%)
75–79
1,400(4.2%)
80–84
1,000(3.0%)
85+
1,095(3.3%)

Stratford Households

Household Size

Average Household Size
2.2
Total Private Dwellings
15,388
Occupied Private Dwellings
14,743

Size Distribution

1 Person
4,920 (33.4%)
2 Persons
5,465 (37.1%)
3 Persons
1,960 (13.3%)
4 Persons
1,605 (10.9%)
5+ Persons
795 (5.4%)

Household Composition

Couples with children
3,130(21.2%)
Couples without children
4,210(28.6%)
One-parent families
1,375(9.3%)
One-person households
4,915(33.3%)
Multigenerational
215(1.5%)
Multiple-family
45(0.3%)

Stratford Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income
$79,000After tax
Median Household Income
$68,500After tax
Avg. Individual Income
$43,000After tax
Median Individual Income
$38,000After tax
Income Rank
#470 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income
79.4%
Employment Income
61.3%
Government Transfers
20.6%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k
1,655(6.1%)
$10k–$20k
3,200(11.8%)
$20k–$30k
4,175(15.4%)
$30k–$40k
3,620(13.4%)
$40k–$50k
3,515(13.0%)
$50k–$60k
3,045(11.2%)
$60k–$70k
2,235(8.2%)
$70k–$80k
1,580(5.8%)
$80k–$90k
1,065(3.9%)
$90k–$100k
820(3.0%)
$100k+
2,185(8.1%)

Stratford Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate
55.8%
Unemployment Rate
10.8%
Total Labour Force
17,330
Employed
15,465
Unemployed
1,870
Not in Labour Force
10,390

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate
9.7%
Children (0–17)
10.8%
Adults (18–64)
8.9%
Seniors (65+)
10.9%
Gini Coefficient (Total)
0.3000 = perfect equality
Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)
0.266

Stratford 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
27,720
No certificate, diploma or degree
4,580 (16.5%)
High school diploma or equivalency
8,810 (31.8%)
Postsecondary credential
14,330 (51.7%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree
4,155 (15.0%)68.7% of bachelor's or higher
Master's degree
1,165 (4.2%)19.3% of bachelor's or higher
Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine
180 (0.6%)3.0% 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
4,580(16.5%)
High school diploma or equivalency
8,810(31.8%)
Apprenticeship or trades certificate
1,640(5.9%)
College, CEGEP or other non-university
6,105(22.0%)
University certificate below bachelor
535(1.9%)
Bachelor's degree or higher
6,050(21.8%)

Stratford 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

19.5%

3,020 people

Share of 15,465 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home
3,020(19.5%)
Usual place of work
10,915(70.6%)
No fixed workplace address
1,505(9.7%)
Worked outside Canada
20(0.1%)

Stratford 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
17,335

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management
190(1.1%)
Business, finance and administration
2,615(15.1%)
Natural and applied sciences
925(5.3%)
Health
1,150(6.6%)
Education, law and social, community and government services
1,885(10.9%)
Art, culture, recreation and sport
865(5.0%)
Sales and service
4,015(23.2%)
Trades, transport and equipment operators
2,960(17.1%)
Natural resources, agriculture and related production
245(1.4%)
Manufacturing and utilities
2,235(12.9%)

Stratford 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
17,335

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
215(1.2%)
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
30(0.2%)
Utilities
50(0.3%)
Construction
1,250(7.2%)
Manufacturing
3,570(20.6%)
Wholesale trade
535(3.1%)
Retail trade
2,005(11.6%)
Transportation and warehousing
565(3.3%)
Information and cultural industries
315(1.8%)
Finance and insurance
650(3.7%)
Real estate and rental and leasing
185(1.1%)
Professional, scientific and technical services
1,020(5.9%)
Management of companies and enterprises
25(0.1%)
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation
460(2.7%)
Educational services
1,150(6.6%)
Health care and social assistance
2,280(13.2%)
Arts, entertainment and recreation
690(4.0%)
Accommodation and food services
975(5.6%)
Other services (except public administration)
610(3.5%)
Public administration
495(2.9%)

Stratford Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only
30,545 (93.3%)
French Only
10 (0.0%)
English & French
2,070 (6.3%)
Neither
120 (0.4%)

Mother Tongue

English
29,620 (90.5%)
French
240 (0.7%)
Non-official languages
2,445 (7.5%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English
29,620(90.5%)
Spanish
245(0.7%)
French
240(0.7%)
Italian
130(0.4%)
Gujarati
125(0.4%)
Tagalog
115(0.4%)
Punjabi
105(0.3%)
Mandarin
90(0.3%)
Arabic
80(0.2%)
Polish
80(0.2%)

Stratford Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached
7,800(52.9%)
Semi-detached
1,530(10.4%)
Row house
935(6.3%)
Duplex
670(4.5%)
Apt. < 5 storeys
2,950(20.0%)
Apt. ≥ 5 storeys
815(5.5%)
Other attached
30(0.2%)
Movable
5(0.0%)

Housing · Stratford (CA), Ont.

These figures are published for Stratford (CA), Ont., a census agglomeration, reference period 2021. They are not counts for Stratford 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
14,735
Owner households
9,695 (65.8%)
Renter households
5,040 (34.2%)
Owners with a mortgage
5,370 (55.4%)Share of owner households
Owners without a mortgage
4,330 (44.7%)Share of owner households
Renters in subsidized housing
875 (17.4%)Share of renter households
Renters not in subsidized housing
4,165 (82.6%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost
$1,110All households, 2021
Average monthly shelter cost
$1,243All households, 2021
Owners, median
$1,160
Renters, median
$1,080
Owners with a mortgage, median
$1,700
Owners without a mortgage, median
$588
Spending 30% or more of income on shelter
2,920 (19.8%)Share of households
Owners spending 30% or more
1,120 (11.6%)Share of owner households
Renters spending 30% or more
1,800 (35.7%)Share of renter households
Shelter-cost ratio not applicable
30 (0.2%)

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
1,665(11.3%)
$500 to $749
2,735(18.6%)
$750 to $999
2,065(14.0%)
$1,000 to $1,249
1,775(12.0%)
$1,250 to $1,499
1,805(12.2%)
$1,500 to $1,999
2,745(18.6%)
$2,000 to $2,499
1,150(7.8%)
$2,500 to $2,999
500(3.4%)
$3,000 and over
300(2.0%)

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 Stratford

Stratford is in Perth County, southwestern Ontario, on the Avon River. It is Canada’s principal classical-theatre city: the Stratford Festival fills purpose-built theatres each season and draws visitors to a walkable downtown of swans, river gardens, and brick shops. It is not Stratford, Prince Edward Island. About 33,000 people live in Stratford.

Known for

  • Stratford Festival, Canada’s largest classical theatre company
  • Avon River, swans, and downtown gardens
  • Purpose-built Festival, Tom Patterson, and Studio theatres
  • Walkable Perth County county-seat downtown
  • Distinct from Stratford, Prince Edward Island

See & do

  • Stratford Festival theatres

    Festival Theatre, Tom Patterson Theatre, and Studio Theatre productions through the season.

  • Avon River and the swans

    River gardens, the swan population, and the path through downtown.

  • Downtown Ontario Street

    Shops, restaurants, and the walkable core beside the theatres.

  • Gallery Stratford

    Public art gallery in a former pump house.

  • Shakespearean Gardens

    Riverside garden on the site of the old wooden mill dam.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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