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Nova Scotia

Province 12 · Population 1,093,245
15 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
1.1M ▲
Population
$71,500 ▲
Median Income (CAD)
$84,000 national
6.5% ▲
Unemployment
$65.3B
Provincial GDP (CAD)
625,000
Total Employment
23% ▲
Bachelor's+
25% national
Community Data / Canada / Nova Scotia

Census Division Map

Geographic subdivisions of Nova Scotia

Demographics & Population

Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population

Household Income

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
Median Household Income
$71,500
Poverty Rate (LIM-AT) ⓘ
16%
Low Income Measure, after tax · Nova Scotia 2024 · Canada: 12.5%
Median Income Comparison (CAD)
Nova Scotia$71,500
National$84,000

Community Snapshot

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
1,093,245
Population
476,007
Total Dwellings
Total Employment
625,000
Unemployment Rate StatCan LFS 2024 annual
6.5% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Industry Sectors
10
Age Distribution
0-14: 13.4% (146,205 residents) 15-54: 50.4% (551,105 residents) 55-64 (near retirement): 13.6% (149,183 residents) 65+: 22.6% (246,752 residents) 43.3 Avg Age
0-14: 146,205
15-54: 551,105
55-64: 149,183
65+: 246,752
Visible Minority Composition
Black 2.8%
South Asian 2.2%
Chinese 1.2%
Arab 1.1%
Filipino 0.7%
Multiple visible minorities 0.3%
Not a visible minority(complement) 90.6%
"Visible minority" is a Statistics Canada classification defined by the Employment Equity Act and refers to "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." "Not a visible minority" is the complement to the total visible minority population. Top 6 groups shown; smaller groups are included in totals but not charted.
Indigenous Identity
5.5% identify as Indigenous
First Nations 2.9%
Métis 2.2%
Indigenous responses, n.i.e. 0.1%
Multiple Indigenous responses 0.1%
Indigenous identity per Statistics Canada Census 2021 (Table 98-10-0293): First Nations (North American Indian), Métis, and Inuk (Inuit), plus multiple and other Indigenous responses. Counts use census random rounding, so categories may not sum exactly to the total.
Nova Scotia's median household income sits 15% below the Canadian national median, with 1,093,245 residents and a senior-skewed population structure (65+: 22.6%, 0-14: 13.4%). Bachelor's-or-higher attainment of 23%.
Source: Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Population via CensusMapper.ca
Key Takeaways
  • Aging population: Seniors (65+) outnumber youth (0-14); plan for succession and senior-services demand.

Educational Attainment

Source: Statistics Canada · Table 37-10-0130 · Nova Scotia province-wide (ages 25-64)
93%
High School+
Canada: 93%
▲ +0.0 pts
23%
Bachelor's+
Canada: 25%
▼ 2.0 pts
14%
Graduate+
Canada: 14%
▲ +0.0 pts

Economy & Industry

Statistics Canada · Labour Force Survey · Provincial GDP

$65.3B
Provincial Gross Domestic Product (CAD)
Source: Statistics Canada · Provincial Economic Accounts
625,000
Total Employment
$71,500
Median Income
625,000
Total Employment
Source: StatCan Labour Force Survey
$71,500
Median Income (CAD)
Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Statistics Canada · Labour Force Survey
IndustryEmployment% of Top Sectors
1Health care and social assistance		 86,000 18.6%
2Wholesale and retail trade		 78,400 16.9%
3Construction		 43,700 9.4%
4Educational services		 41,500 9%
5Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers		 40,600 8.8%
6Public administration		 38,600 8.3%
7Professional, scientific and technical services		 37,100 8%
8Manufacturing		 34,800 7.5%
9Accommodation and food services		 32,500 7%
10Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing		 30,100 6.5%
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Health care and social assistance employs 86,000 workers (13.8% of total employment).
  • Economic scale: Provincial GDP of $65.3B CAD.
  • Diversified base: Top 5 sectors are Health care and social assistance, Wholesale and retail trade, Construction, Educational services, and Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey + Provincial Economic Accounts.
Industry Employment Composition
Nova Scotia's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of the top sectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey · NAICS supersectors

Housing & Rental Market

Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0133 (Rents) - Table 34-10-0127 (Vacancy) - Reference year 2025 - Provincial average across CMHC-surveyed centres

Note: figures are single-year vintages. StatCan and CMHC do not publish ACS-style rolling 5-year housing averages, the long-form Census of Population every 5 years (2016, 2021) plays the equivalent precision role.

CMHC Average Rents by Bedroom

Source: Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0133 - 2025
21.6%
Annual Rent (2BR) as % of Median Household Income - Affordable
30% threshold = "cost-burdened" (CMHC / HUD convention). Computed from $1,287 average 2BR rent × 12 / $71,500 household income.
Bachelor
$914/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,055/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,287/mo
3+ Bedroom
$1,572/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,788/mo), rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.

Vacancy & Housing Stock

Source: Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0127 - 2021 Census Dwellings
2.5%
CMHC Vacancy Rate (apartment structures of 6+ units)
Near the 3% balanced-market benchmark.
Total Dwellings
476,007
Avg 2BR Rent
$1,287/mo
Vacancy Rate
2.5%
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable rental market: Annual 2BR rent eats 21.6% of median household income, well below the 30% threshold.
Source: CMHC RMS rent data and StatCan median household income.

Industry Concentration

Location Quotient: industries where Nova Scotia over- or under-indexes vs. the Canadian national average

Concentrated Industries
Source: Statistics Canada Table 33-10-0222-01 · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector, establishment basis, LQ computed vs. national share. Note: LFS-based or SEPH-based employment LQ may differ, StatCan publishes household and payroll employment series with different methodologies.
Fishing, hunting and trapping
16.25x
2,058
Monetary authorities - central bank
6.71x
1
Heritage institutions
3.22x
115
Federal government public administration
2.74x
38
Water transportation
2.27x
18
Beverage and tobacco product manufacturing
1.95x
81
Scenic and sightseeing transportation
1.86x
17
Transportation equipment manufacturing
1.61x
80

Attraction Opportunities - Below Average Industries

LQ < 0.5, below-average sub-sector representation vs. national. Source: Statistics Canada Table 33-10-0222-01 (NAICS-3 establishments)
0.12x
Oil and gas extraction
4 establishments
0.21x
Primary metal manufacturing
3 establishments
0.25x
Clothing manufacturing
8 establishments
0.33x
Machinery manufacturing
38 establishments
0.36x
Support activities for mining, and oil and gas extraction
55 establishments
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Fishing, hunting and trapping concentrates at 16.25x the national norm, signature-sector territory.
  • Cluster depth: 8 sectors register LQ >= 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base.
  • Attraction whitespace: 5 sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification.
Source: StatCan Table 33-10-0222-01 (NAICS-3 sub-sector establishment counts).

Workforce & Labour

Labour force composition from Statistics Canada population estimates and employment data

Source: StatCan Table 17-10-0137
700,288
Working Age (15-64)
Employment rate: 89% of working-age population (15-64) 89% Employment Rate

Labour Summary

Source: StatCan LFS + Population Estimates
Total Employment
625,000
Working Age Pop
700,288
Youth (0-14)
146,205
Seniors (65+)
246,752

Dependency & Aging

Source: StatCan population estimates
23%
Seniors (65+) Share
Senior population exceeds youth, aging workforce risk. Succession planning and talent attraction recommended.
Youth / Senior Ratio
59:100

Aging Workforce

Source: StatCan 17-10-0150 · Population estimates by age
21.3%
55+ of working-age (15-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0416 NOC 2021 broad categories (2025)
Management / Professional
56.2%
Sales & Service
22.6%
Trades / Transport
15.3%
Natural Resources
2.6%
Manufacturing
3.4%
Bars scaled 2x for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 523,500 employed workers.

Commute

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0457
Mean Commute 3.1 min below national avg
20.6 min

Work From Home

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0455
Worked At Home vs 24.3% national
20.7%
Census 2021 long-form: percent of employed labour force aged 15+ whose place of work is "at home".
Key Takeaways
  • Working-age base: 700,288 residents aged 15-64 (64.1% of total population) form the labour pool.
  • Employment rate: 89% of working-age residents are employed (625,000 workers).
  • Succession risk: Seniors (65+) outnumber youth (0-14); plan for retirements and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 + Labour Force Survey.

Economic Regions

5 economic regions in Nova Scotia

Annapolis Valley ER 1230 Cape Breton ER 1210 Halifax ER 1250 North Shore ER 1220 Southern ER 1240

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 15 Canadian data sources

Sample AI Insight

Nova Scotia's industrial base is anchored by Health care and social assistance with 86,000 workers, followed by Wholesale and retail trade and Construction. The province skews older: seniors outnumber youth, which has implications for succession planning and workforce transition strategy.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official Canadian government data.

Statistics Canada Census 20212021
StatCan Labour Force Survey2025
StatCan LFS Unemployment Rate (14-10-0393)2024
StatCan GDP Tables2024
CMHC Rental Market2025
CRTC Broadband Data2025
StatCan Education (37-10-0130)2025
StatCan Population (17-10-0150)2025
StatCan Postsecondary Enrolments (37-10-0277)2024
StatCan Top Occupations (14-10-0416)2025
StatCan Commute (98-10-0457)2021
StatCan Place of Work (98-10-0455)2021
StatCan Low Income (11-10-0135)2024
StatCan Visible Minority (98-10-0351)2021
StatCan Indigenous Identity (98-10-0293)2021

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Nova Scotia, from Statistics Canada and federal sources.

What is the population of Nova Scotia?

1,093,245 (Statistics Canada, Population Estimates 17-10-0150).

What is the median household income in Nova Scotia?

$71,500 (Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population).

What is the unemployment rate in Nova Scotia?

6.5% (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey 14-10-0393).

What is the GDP of Nova Scotia?

$65.3B CAD (Statistics Canada, Table 36-10-0222).