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Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census

Province of New Brunswick

Map of Canada with the province of New Brunswick shaded in green

Map of New Brunswick

Interactive version of map

In 2011, the enumerated population of New Brunswick was 751,171 which represents a change of 2.9% from 2006. This compares to the national average of 5.9%.

The land area of New Brunswick is 71,377.18 square kilometres with a population density of 10.5 persons per square kilometre. This compares to the national land area of 8,965,121.42 square kilometres with a population density of 3.7 persons per square kilometre.

In total, there were 314,007 private dwellings occupied by usual residents in New Brunswick in 2011. This represents an increase of 6.1% of the number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents from 2006. For Canada as a whole, the total number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents increased 7.1%.

Population and dwelling counts

Canada, provinces and territories – Population, percentage change between 2006 and 2011

Chart A: Canada, provinces and territories - Population, percentage change between 2006 and 2011

Chart A description: Canada, provinces and territories - Population, percentage change between 2006 and 2011

Table 1 Canada, provinces and territories – Population change, 2006 to 2011
Geographic name Population
2011 2006 Change % change % of nat. pop.
Canada † 33,476,688 31,612,897 1,863,791 5.9 100.00
Newfoundland and Labrador 514,536 505,469 9,067 1.8 1.54
Prince Edward Island 140,204 135,851 4,353 3.2 0.42
Nova Scotia 921,727 913,462 8,265 0.9 2.75
New Brunswick 751,171 729,997 21,174 2.9 2.24
Quebec † 7,903,001 7,546,131 356,870 4.7 23.61
Ontario † 12,851,821 12,160,282 691,539 5.7 38.39
Manitoba † 1,208,268 1,148,401 59,867 5.2 3.61
Saskatchewan † 1,033,381 968,157 65,224 6.7 3.09
Alberta † 3,645,257 3,290,350 354,907 10.8 10.89
British Columbia † 4,400,057 4,113,487 286,570 7.0 13.14
Yukon 33,897 30,372 3,525 11.6 0.10
Northwest Territories 41,462 41,464 -2 0.0 0.12
Nunavut 31,906 29,474 2,432 8.3 0.10

New Brunswick – Census metropolitan areas (CMAs), census agglomerations (CAs) and regions outside CMAs and CAs

In 2011, 61.1% of the population of New Brunswick lived inside a census metropolitan area (CMA) or census agglomeration (CA). That represents 458,695 persons.


The number of persons living outside a census metropolitan area (CMA) and a census agglomeration (CA) was 292,476 which accounts for 38.9% of the provincial population.

Chart B: New Brunswick - population living inside a CMA or CA compared to population living outside a CMA or CA

Chart B description: New Brunswick - population living inside a CMA or CA compared to population living outside a CMA or CA

Table 2 New Brunswick - Metropolitan areas, population rank and population change, 2006 to 2011
CMA or CA name Type Population Rank
2011 2006 % change Nat. Prov.
Moncton CMA 138,644 126,424 9.7 29 1
Saint John CMA 127,761 122,389 4.4 31 2
Fredericton CA 94,268 86,226 A 9.3 39 3
Bathurst CA 33,484 34,106 A -1.8 82 4
Miramichi CA 28,115 28,773 A -2.3 90 5
Edmundston CA 21,903 22,471 A -2.5 105 6
Campbellton CA 17,842 17,878 A -0.2 113 ···
Campbellton (New Brunswick part / partie du Nouveau-Brunswick)   14,520 14,816 A -2.0 ··· 7
Campbellton (partie du Québec / Quebec part)   3,322 3,062 8.5 ··· 30

New Brunswick – Census subdivisions, with 5,000-plus population with the highest population growth

Table 3 New Brunswick – Census subdivisions, with 5,000-plus population with the highest population growth, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name CSD type Population
2011 2006 % change
Dieppe C 23,310 18,565 25.6
Quispamsis TV 17,886 15,239 17.4
Lincoln P 6,458 5,764 12.0
Fredericton CY 56,224 50,535 11.3
Kingsclear P 7,391 6,689 10.5

New Brunswick – Census subdivisions, with 5,000-plus population with the lowest population growth

Table 4 New Brunswick – Census subdivisions, with 5,000-plus population with the lowest population growth, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name CSD type Population
2011 2006 % change
Shippagan P 5,032 5,370 -6.3
Edmundston C 16,032 16,643 -3.7
Alnwick P 5,922 6,152 -3.7
Beaubassin East / Beaubassin-est RCR 6,200 6,429 -3.6
Bathurst CY 12,275 12,714 -3.5

Age and sex

New Brunswick – Age distribution

Chart C: New Brunswick - Population by broad age groups

Chart C description: New Brunswick - Population by broad age groups

Table 5 New Brunswick – Age distributions by broad age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
0 to 14 15.1% 15.8% 14.5%
15 to 64 68.4% 69.1% 67.8%
65 and over 16.5% 15.1% 17.8%

In 2011, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over in New Brunswick was 16.5%, compared with a national percentage of 14.8%. The percentage of the working age population (15 to 64) was 68.4% and the percentage of children aged 0 to 14 was 15.1%. In comparison, the national percentages were 68.5% for the population aged 15 to 64 and 16.7% for the population aged 0 to 14.

New Brunswick – Population by broad age groups and sex

Table 6 New Brunswick – Population by broad age groups, sex and population change between 2006 and 2011, 2006 and 2011 censuses
Broad age groups by sex Population
2011 2006 change % change
Both sexes
Total 751,170 730,000 21,170 2.9
0 to 14 113,575 118,255 -4,680 -4.0
15 to 64 513,960 504,105 9,855 2.0
65 and over 123,630 107,635 15,995 14.9
Males
Total 366,440 355,495 10,945 3.1
0 to 14 57,950 60,655 -2,705 -4.5
15 to 64 253,220 248,350 4,870 2.0
65 and over 55,270 46,490 8,780 18.9
Females
Total 384,735 374,495 10,240 2.7
0 to 14 55,625 57,595 -1,970 -3.4
15 to 64 260,740 255,755 4,985 1.9
65 and over 68,365 61,145 7,220 11.8

New Brunswick – Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D: New Brunswick - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D description: New Brunswick - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Table 7 New Brunswick – Population by five-year age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
Total - Age groups 751,170 366,440 384,735
0 to 4 years 36,525 18,570 17,955
5 to 9 years 36,660 18,600 18,060
10 to 14 years 40,390 20,780 19,615
15 to 19 years 45,845 23,580 22,260
20 to 24 years 44,585 22,735 21,850
25 to 29 years 41,725 20,540 21,190
30 to 34 years 43,700 21,160 22,540
35 to 39 years 48,120 23,380 24,740
40 to 44 years 51,275 25,010 26,265
45 to 49 years 61,900 30,250 31,650
50 to 54 years 62,795 30,680 32,115
55 to 59 years 59,340 28,940 30,400
60 to 64 years 54,670 26,940 27,725
65 to 69 years 39,105 19,415 19,695
70 to 74 years 29,255 14,060 15,190
75 to 79 years 22,480 10,025 12,460
80 to 84 years 16,330 6,535 9,800
85 to 89 years 10,645 3,715 6,930
90 to 94 years 4,515 1,265 3,245
95 to 99 years 1,125 235 890
100 years and over 185 25 155
Median age 43.7 42.8 44.6

New Brunswick – Median age1 of the population in the last 90 years

The median age in New Brunswick was 43.7 years. In comparison, the median age of Canada was 40.6 years.

Chart E: New Brunswick - Median age of the population in the last 90 years

Chart E description: New Brunswick - Median age of the population in the last 90 years

Table 8 New Brunswick and Canada – Median age of the population, 1921 to 2011 censuses
Median age Census year
1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011
Canada 23.9 24.7 27.0 27.7 26.3 26.2 29.6 33.5 37.6 40.6
New Brunswick 22.2 22.2 24.0 24.2 22.3 23.9 28.1 33.2 38.6 43.7

Families and households

In 2011, the number of census families2 in New Brunswick was 224,590, which represents a change of 3.1% from 2006. This compares to a growth rate for Canada of 5.5% over the same period.


In New Brunswick, 67.9% of census families were married couples in 2011, while 16.0% were common-law-couples and 16.1% were lone-parent families.

Chart F: New Brunswick - Census families by family structure

Chart F description: New Brunswick - Census families by family structure

Family structure

Table 9 Canada, provinces and territories – Distribution of census families by family structure, 2011 Census
Geographic name Total families Married-couple families Common-law-couple families Lone-parent families % change, census families, 2006 to 2011
number % number % number %
Canada † 9,389,695 6,293,950 67.0 1,567,905 16.7 1,527,840 16.3 5.5
Newfoundland and Labrador 159,385 114,335 71.7 20,630 12.9 24,420 15.3 2.3
Prince Edward Island 40,850 29,695 72.7 4,570 11.2 6,580 16.1 4.2
Nova Scotia 270,065 184,870 68.5 38,460 14.2 46,735 17.3 1.0
New Brunswick 224,590 152,455 67.9 35,945 16.0 36,190 16.1 3.1
Quebec † 2,203,625 1,143,370 51.9 694,750 31.5 365,515 16.6 3.9
Ontario † 3,612,205 2,612,890 72.3 394,670 10.9 604,645 16.7 5.5
Manitoba † 327,875 232,635 71.0 39,060 11.9 56,185 17.1 4.8
Saskatchewan † 285,375 202,770 71.1 35,785 12.5 46,825 16.4 6.7
Alberta † 999,525 719,355 72.0 135,660 13.6 144,510 14.5 10.5
British Columbia † 1,238,155 887,990 71.7 160,360 13.0 189,805 15.3 6.6
Yukon 9,330 5,080 54.4 2,340 25.1 1,915 20.5 11.9
Northwest Territories 10,930 5,465 50.0 3,135 28.7 2,330 21.3 0.5
Nunavut 7,780 3,035 39.0 2,545 32.7 2,195 28.2 10.5

New Brunswick – Presence of children within couple families

Among couples (married and common-law) in New Brunswick, 40.5% were couples with children aged 24 and under at home. In comparison, as a whole, 46.9% of couples in Canada had children aged 24 and under at home.

Among couples with children aged 24 and under at home in the province of New Brunswick, 85.3% were intact families, that is, in which all children were the biological or adopted children of both parents, while 14.7% were stepfamilies, in which at least one child was the biological or adopted child of only one married spouse or common-law partner. For Canada as a whole in 2011, 12.6% of couples with children aged 24 and under at home were stepfamilies.

Chart G: New Brunswick - Presence of children within couple families

Chart G description: New Brunswick - Presence of children within couple families



New Brunswick – Marital status

Chart H: New Brunswick - Marital status Chart H description: New Brunswick - Marital status

In New Brunswick, 60.0% of the total population aged 15 and over were either married (48.7%) or living with a common-law partner (11.3%).


The remaining 40.0% were not married and not living with a common-law partner, including those who were single (never-married), separated, divorced or widowed.


Note: Percentages may not total 100 percent due to random rounding.

Table 10 Canada, New Brunswick – Population 15 years and older by marital status, 2011 Census
Marital status New Brunswick Canada
number % number %
Total - Population 15 years and over 637,595 100.0 27,869,345 100.0
Married or living with a common-law partner 382,310 60.0 16,084,490 57.7
Married (and not separated) 310,310 48.7 12,941,965 46.4
Living common-law 72,000 11.3 3,142,525 11.3
Not married and not living with a common-law partner 255,285 40.0 11,784,855 42.3
Single (never legally married) 159,760 25.1 7,816,045 28.0
Separated 21,035 3.3 698,245 2.5
Divorced 32,930 5.2 1,686,035 6.0
Widowed 41,565 6.5 1,584,525 5.7

New Brunswick – Types of private households

There were 314,010 private households3 in New Brunswick in 2011, a change of 6.1% from 2006. Of these, 23.8% of households were comprised of couples with children aged 24 and under at home, a change of -6.1% compared with five years earlier.

Table 11 Canada, New Brunswick – Distribution of households by household type, 2011 Census
Household type4 New Brunswick Canada
number % number %
Total - Private households 314,010 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Couple-family households with children5 74,710 23.8 3,524,915 26.5
Couple-family households without children6 108,040 34.4 3,935,540 29.5
Lone-parent family households7 32,940 10.5 1,375,450 10.3
One-person households 81,705 26.0 3,673,310 27.6
Multiple-family households8 4,415 1.4 268,060 2.0
Other households9 12,200 3.9 543,340 4.1

New Brunswick – Size of private households

The average household size in New Brunswick was 2.3 persons in 2011, compared to the Canadian average household size of 2.5 persons.

In New Brunswick, the proportion of total private households with only one person has increased over time, while the proportion of larger households (five or more persons) has decreased.

Chart I: New Brunswick – Size of private households, 1961 to 2011 Chart I description: New Brunswick – Size of private households
Table 12 New Brunswick – Proportion of total private households with one person and five or more persons, 1961 to 2011 censuses
Private household size 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 2011
One person 7.4 8.7 10.3 12.6 15.3 16.5 18.6 20.1 22.4 24.3 26.0
Five or more persons 40.1 38.2 33.3 25.4 19.5 15.4 11.2 9.3 7.3 6.1 5.4

New Brunswick – Structural type of dwelling

In New Brunswick, 70.1% of private households lived in single-detached houses and 1.3% lived in apartments in buildings that have five or more storeys. The rest lived in other types of dwelling structures.

Table 13 Canada, New Brunswick – Distribution of private households by structural type of dwelling, 2011 Census
Structural type of dwelling New Brunswick Canada
number % number %
Total - Structural type of dwelling 314,005 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Single-detached house 220,175 70.1 7,329,150 55.0
Semi-detached house 10,815 3.4 646,240 4.9
Row house 7,830 2.5 791,600 5.9
Apartment, building that has five or more storeys 3,990 1.3 1,234,770 9.3
Apartment, building that has fewer than five storeys 42,040 13.4 2,397,555 18.0
Apartment, duplex 14,110 4.5 704,485 5.3
Other single-attached house10 1,050 0.3 33,310 0.3
Movable dwelling11 14,000 4.5 183,510 1.4

Language

New Brunswick – Mother tongue

Chart J: New Brunswick - Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home

Chart J description: New Brunswick - Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home

Note: Counts for mother tongue as well as those for language spoken most often at home include single responses only.

In New Brunswick, 64.9% of the population reported English only as mother tongue, 31.6% reported French only, and 2.5% reported only a non-official language, in 2011. In comparison, the national percentages were 56.9% for English only, 21.3% for French only and 19.8% for non-official languages only.

In 2011, 69.2% of the population spoke English only most often at home, 28.4% spoke only French, and 1.3% spoke only a non-official language. In comparison, the national percentages were 64.8% for English only, 20.6% for French only and 11.1% for only a non-official language.

Table 14 New Brunswick – Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home, 2011 Census
Selected language Mother tongue Language spoken most often at home
number % number %
Total 739,900 100.0 739,900 100.0
English 479,935 64.9 512,115 69.2
French 233,530 31.6 209,885 28.4
Non-official language 18,395 2.5 9,310 1.3
Aboriginal language 2,545 0.3 1,130 0.2
Non-Aboriginal language 15,850 2.1 8,180 1.1
Multiple responses 8,045 1.1 8,585 1.2
Table 15 New Brunswick – Mother-tongue retention, 2011 Census
Mother tongue Mother-tongue retention12
(in percentage)
Total retention; language spoken at home at least on a regular basis Complete retention; language spoken most often at home Partial retention; language spoken at home on a regular basis
Note: Counts for mother tongue and home language include single response of a language as well as multiple responses of a language with English and/or French.
English 99.4 98.6 0.8
French 93.6 87.3 6.3
Non-official language 77.5 53.4 24.1
Aboriginal language 75.1 42.3 32.8
Non-Aboriginal language 77.9 55.2 22.7

New Brunswick – Non-official languages

In New Brunswick, the three most common mother tongues were Mi'kmaq (0.3%), German (0.3%) and Korean (0.3%), in 2011. In comparison, the most common mother tongues at the national level were Panjabi (Punjabi) (1.4%), Chinese, n.o.s. (1.3%) and Spanish (1.3%).

Table 16 New Brunswick – The most common non-official language mother tongues, 2011 Census
Mother tongue Number Percentage of non-official language mother-tongue population Percentage of total population
Note: Counts for mother tongue and home language include single response of a language as well as multiple responses of a language with English and/or French.
Mi'kmaq 2,215 11.2 0.3
German 1,900 9.6 0.3
Korean 1,860 9.4 0.3
Arabic 1,460 7.4 0.2
Spanish 1,240 6.2 0.2
Chinese, n.o.s. 1,235 6.2 0.2
Dutch 965 4.9 0.1
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) 690 3.5 0.1
Italian 475 2.4 0.1
Persian (Farsi) 460 2.3 0.1

New Brunswick – Bilingualism

Table 17 New Brunswick – Rate of English-French bilingualism by mother tongue and age groups, 2011 Census
Age groups Mother tongue
Total English French Non-official language
Note: Counts for mother tongue include single responses only. Consequently, the total excludes multiple responses.
Total 32.7 14.9 71.0 14.4
0 to 19 28.8 21.2 50.5 17.4
20 to 44 39.3 20.6 82.0 14.1
45 to 64 31.9 8.8 74.2 14.1
65 and over 26.9 5.6 66.3 12.1
Table 18 New Brunswick – Knowledge of official languages, 2011 Census
Knowledge of official languages Number Percentage
Total 739,900 100.0
English only 426,675 57.7
French only 66,380 9.0
English and French 245,885 33.2
Neither English nor French 955 0.1

Symbols:

···
not applicable
†
excludes census data for one or more incompletely enumerated Indian reserves or Indian settlements. For further information, refer to Notes.
incompletely enumerated Indian reserve or Indian settlement. For further information, refer to Notes.
A
adjusted figure due to boundary change. For further information, refer to Content considerations.
E
use with caution. For further information, refer to Cautionary note.


Source:

Statistics Canada. 2012. Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-310-XWE2011004. Ottawa, Ontario. Analytical products, 2011 Census. Last updated October 24, 2012.
 

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