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Official Canadian Data

Southern, Nova Scotia

NS Economic Region 1240 · Population 121,917
16 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
121,917 ▲
Population
$62,192 ▲
Median Income (CAD)
$84,000 national
9% ▲
Unemployment
$65.3B
Provincial GDP (CAD)
48,300
Total Employment
23% ▲
Bachelor's+
25% national
Community Data / Canada / Nova Scotia / Southern

Demographics & Population

Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population

Household Income

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
Median Household Income
$62,192
Poverty Rate (LIM-AT) ⓘ
16%
Low Income Measure, after tax · Nova Scotia 2024 · Canada: 12.5%
Median Income Comparison (CAD)
Southern$62,192
National$84,000

Community Snapshot

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
121,917
Population
63,911
Total Dwellings
Total Employment
48,300
Unemployment Rate StatCan LFS 2024 annual
9% ▲ +2.0 pts YoY
Industry Sectors
10
Age Distribution
0-14: 11.9% (14,517 residents) 15-54: 40.4% (49,213 residents) 55-64 (near retirement): 16.8% (20,507 residents) 65+: 30.9% (37,680 residents) 53.4 Avg Age
0-14: 14,517
15-54: 49,213
55-64: 20,507
65+: 37,680
Visible Minority Composition
Black 1.3%
South Asian 0.6%
Arab 0.2%
Filipino 0.2%
Chinese 0.2%
Multiple visible minorities 0.1%
Not a visible minority(complement) 97%
"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
9.6% identify as Indigenous
Métis 6.5%
First Nations 2.8%
Indigenous responses, n.i.e. 0.2%
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.
Southern's median household income sits 26% below the Canadian national median across 121,917 residents with a senior-skewed age structure (65+: 30.9%, 0-14: 11.9%).
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
48,300
Total Employment
$62,192
Median Income
48,300
Total Employment
Source: StatCan Labour Force Survey
$62,192
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		 9,500 19.7%
2Wholesale and retail trade		 7,400 15.3%
3Manufacturing		 5,900 12.2%
4Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers		 4,800 9.9%
5Construction		 4,300 8.9%
6Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas		 4,100 8.5%
7Educational services		 3,900 8.1%
8Accommodation and food services		 3,000 6.2%
9Public administration		 2,900 6%
10Machine operators, assemblers and inspectors in processing, manufacturing and printing		 2,500 5.2%
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Health care and social assistance employs 9,500 workers (19.7% of total employment).
  • Diversified base: Top 5 sectors are Health care and social assistance, Wholesale and retail trade, Manufacturing, Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers, and Construction.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey.
Southern'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
24.8%
Annual Rent (2BR) as % of Median Household Income - Affordable
30% threshold = "cost-burdened" (CMHC / HUD convention). Computed from $1,287 average 2BR rent × 12 / $62,192 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 (~$1,555/mo), rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Note: this region has no Census Metropolitan Area or Census Agglomeration covered by the CMHC Rental Market Survey. Values shown are the unweighted average across all CMHC-surveyed centres in Nova Scotia.

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
63,911
Avg 2BR Rent
$1,287/mo
Vacancy Rate
2.5%
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable rental market: Annual 2BR rent eats 24.8% 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 Southern 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 Southern).

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.
Machine operators, assemblers and inspectors in processing, manufacturing and printing
7.29x
2,500
Manufacturing
3.94x
5,900
Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas
1.57x
4,100
Construction
1.38x
4,300
Accommodation and food services
1.32x
3,000
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Machine operators, assemblers and inspectors in processing, manufacturing and printing concentrates at 7.29x the national norm, signature-sector territory.
  • Cluster depth: 5 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
69,720
Working Age (15-64)
Employment rate: 69% of working-age population (15-64) 69% Employment Rate

Labour Summary

Source: StatCan LFS + Population Estimates
Total Employment
48,300
Working Age Pop
69,720
Youth (0-14)
14,517
Seniors (65+)
37,680

Dependency & Aging

Source: StatCan population estimates
31%
Seniors (65+) Share
Senior population exceeds youth, aging workforce risk. Succession planning and talent attraction recommended.
Youth / Senior Ratio
39:100

Aging Workforce

Source: StatCan 17-10-0150 · Population estimates by economic region, age
29.4%
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 2.0 min below national avg
21.7 min

Work From Home

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0455
Worked At Home vs 24.3% national
16.3%
Census 2021 long-form: percent of employed labour force aged 15+ whose place of work is "at home".
Key Takeaways
  • Working-age base: 69,720 residents aged 15-64 (57.2% of population) form the labour pool.
  • Employment rate: 69% of working-age residents are employed (48,300 workers).
  • Succession risk: Seniors (65+) outnumber youth (0-14); plan for retirements alongside attraction strategy.
  • Succession risk is real: 29.4% 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

Southern's industrial base is anchored by Health care and social assistance with 9,500 workers, followed by Wholesale and retail trade and Manufacturing. 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 Southern, Nova Scotia, from Statistics Canada.

What is the population of Southern, Nova Scotia?

121,917 (Statistics Canada, Population Estimates, Table 17-10-0150).

What is the median household income in Southern, Nova Scotia?

$62,192 (Statistics Canada, Census 2021).

What is the unemployment rate in Southern, Nova Scotia?

9% (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0393).