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Official Canadian Data

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

NS Economic Region 1210 · Population 147,946
16 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
147,946 ▲
Population
$62,746 ▲
Median Income (CAD)
$84,000 national
9.7% ▼
Unemployment
$65.3B
Provincial GDP (CAD)
53,500
Total Employment
23% ▲
Bachelor's+
25% national
Community Data / Canada / Nova Scotia / Cape Breton

Demographics & Population

Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population

Household Income

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
Median Household Income
$62,746
Poverty Rate (LIM-AT) ⓘ
16%
Low Income Measure, after tax · Nova Scotia 2024 · Canada: 12.5%
Median Income Comparison (CAD)
Cape Breton$62,746
National$84,000

Community Snapshot

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
147,946
Population
67,740
Total Dwellings
Total Employment
53,500
Unemployment Rate StatCan LFS 2024 annual
9.7% ▼ 1.6 pts YoY
Industry Sectors
10
Age Distribution
0-14: 12.9% (19,152 residents) 15-54: 46.6% (68,977 residents) 55-64 (near retirement): 14.1% (20,884 residents) 65+: 26.3% (38,933 residents) 46.0 Avg Age
0-14: 19,152
15-54: 68,977
55-64: 20,884
65+: 38,933
Visible Minority Composition
South Asian 1.6%
Black 1.1%
Chinese 0.6%
Filipino 0.3%
Arab 0.2%
Multiple visible minorities 0.1%
Not a visible minority(complement) 95.7%
"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
8.6% identify as Indigenous
First Nations 6.4%
Métis 1.9%
Indigenous responses, n.i.e. 0.2%
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.
Cape Breton's median household income sits 25% below the Canadian national median across 147,946 residents with a senior-skewed age structure (65+: 26.3%, 0-14: 12.9%).
Source: Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Population via CensusMapper.ca
Key Takeaways
  • Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the Canadian median, affecting consumer market depth.
  • Aging population: Seniors (65+) outnumber youth (0-14); 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
53,500
Total Employment
$62,746
Median Income
53,500
Total Employment
Source: StatCan Labour Force Survey
$62,746
Median Income (CAD)
Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Statistics Canada · Labour Force Survey
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top Sectors
1Health care and social assistance		 11,100 20.7%
2Wholesale and retail trade		 9,000 16.8%
3Construction		 6,100 11.4%
4Educational services		 5,900 11%
5Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers		 5,400 10.1%
6Accommodation and food services		 4,200 7.9%
7Public administration		 4,100 7.7%
8Transportation and warehousing		 2,900 5.4%
9General trades		 2,400 4.5%
10Other services (except public administration)		 2,400 4.5%
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Health care and social assistance employs 11,100 workers (20.7% of total employment).
  • 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.
Cape Breton'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

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
21.7%
Annual Rent (2BR) as % of Median Household Income - Affordable
30% threshold = "cost-burdened" (CMHC / HUD convention). Computed from $1,134 average 2BR rent × 12 / $62,746 household income.
Bachelor
$830/mo
1 Bedroom
$840/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,134/mo
3+ Bedroom
$1,432/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,569/mo), rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Note: CMHC Rental Market Survey figures cover the metropolitan area (CMA/CA) within this economic region, not the full region. CMHC surveys urban centres only.

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
67,740
Avg 2BR Rent
$1,134/mo
Vacancy Rate
2.5%
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable rental market: Annual 2BR rent eats 21.7% of median household income, well below the 30% cost-burdened threshold; supports talent attraction.
Source: CMHC RMS rent data and StatCan median household income.

Industry Concentration

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

Provincial NAICS-3 sub-sector basis (no ER-level NAICS-3 data is published by StatCan; provincial figures inherit to Cape Breton).

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.
Educational services
1.66x
5,900
Construction
1.63x
6,100
Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers
1.55x
5,400
Health care and social assistance
1.51x
11,100
Accommodation and food services
1.51x
4,200
Transportation and warehousing
1.49x
2,900
Other services (except public administration)
1.39x
2,400
Wholesale and retail trade
1.34x
9,000
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Educational services concentrates at 1.66x the national norm.
  • Cluster depth: 8 sectors register LQ >= 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single sector.
Source: StatCan Table 33-10-0222-01 (NAICS-3 sub-sector establishment counts), provincial inheritance.

Workforce & Labour

Labour force composition from Statistics Canada population estimates and employment data

Source: StatCan Table 17-10-0137
89,861
Working Age (15-64)
Employment rate: 60% of working-age population (15-64) 60% Employment Rate

Labour Summary

Source: StatCan LFS + Population Estimates
Total Employment
53,500
Working Age Pop
89,861
Youth (0-14)
19,152
Seniors (65+)
38,933

Dependency & Aging

Source: StatCan population estimates
26%
Seniors (65+) Share
Senior population exceeds youth, aging workforce risk. Succession planning and talent attraction recommended.
Youth / Senior Ratio
49:100

Aging Workforce

Source: StatCan 17-10-0150 · Population estimates by economic region, age
23.2%
55-64 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 - province-level)
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 across Nova Scotia. Economic Region-level occupation data is not published by StatCan; this provincial breakdown is the closest available proxy.

Commute

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0457
Mean Commute 6.0 min below national avg
17.7 min

Work From Home

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0455
Worked At Home vs 24.3% national
12.3%
Census 2021 long-form: percent of employed labour force aged 15+ whose place of work is "at home".
Key Takeaways
  • Working-age base: 89,861 residents aged 15-64 (60.7% of population) form the labour pool.
  • Employment rate: 60% of working-age residents are employed (53,500 workers).
  • Succession risk: Seniors (65+) outnumber youth (0-14); plan for retirements alongside attraction strategy.
  • Succession risk is real: 23.2% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 + Labour Force Survey.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 16 Canadian data sources

Sample AI Insight

Cape Breton's industrial base is anchored by Health care and social assistance with 11,100 workers, followed by Wholesale and retail trade and Construction. The region skews older: seniors outnumber youth, which has implications for succession planning and workforce transition strategy.

Illustrative example

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Data Sources

All data from official Canadian government APIs. 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
CensusMapper.ca2021
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 (98-10-0457/0458)2021
StatCan Place of Work (98-10-0455/0456)2021
StatCan Low Income (11-10-0135)2024
StatCan Visible Minority (98-10-0352)2021
StatCan Indigenous Identity (98-10-0293)2021

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, from Statistics Canada.

What is the population of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia?

147,946 (Statistics Canada, Population Estimates, Table 17-10-0150).

What is the median household income in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia?

$62,746 (Statistics Canada, Census 2021).

What is the unemployment rate in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia?

9.7% (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0393).