List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada

Census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and census agglomerations (CAs) are geographic units defined by Statistics Canada to encompass an urban core and environs. This list is arranged by population, using data from the 2021 and 2016 Canadian censuses.

A city's metropolitan area in colloquial or administrative terms may be different from its CMA as defined by Statistics Canada, resulting in differing populations. Such is the case with the Greater Toronto Area, where its metro population is notably higher than its CMA population due to its inclusion of the neighbouring Oshawa CMA to the east and the Burlington portion of the neighbouring Hamilton CMA to the west.

In 2021, 27,465,137 people (71.9% of Canada's population) lived in a CMA, while 4,596,279 (12.0%) lived in a CA.

Recent growth Between 2016 and 2021, the five CMAs with the highest percentage growth were located in British Columbia and Southern Ontario. The five CMAs with the lowest percentage growth were in Quebec, Alberta, Northern Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador. There were no CMAs for which negative growth was recorded in the 2021 census. The five CAs that grew the fastest were in British Columbia, Southern Ontario, and Alberta, while the five CAs whose population declined the most were in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Northern British Columbia, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Between 2011 and 2016, the six fastest-growing CMAs by percentage growth were located in Western Canada, with Alberta's two CMAs, Calgary and Edmonton, leading the country. Saskatoon, Regina, and Lethbridge rounded out the top five in the country and each grew by at least 10%. Of the remaining 30 CMAs, population growth was recorded in all but two of them. Those that experienced population decline were Brantford and Saint John. Ten of the fifteen fastest-growing CAs in Canada between the two most recent censuses were located in Alberta. The other five were located in British Columbia with two, and Manitoba, Ontario and Yukon each with one.

Between 2006 and 2011, twenty-four CAs experienced population decline. The fifteen CAs that experienced the greatest population decline were located in British Columbia (two), Manitoba (one), New Brunswick (one), Nova Scotia (three), Ontario (four) and Quebec (four). Okotoks experienced the greatest increase while Thompson experienced the greatest decline.

List

Canada had 41 CMAs and 111 CAs at the 2021 census. The number of CMAs increased from 35 in 2016 with the promotion of the Nanaimo, Kamloops, Chilliwack, Fredericton, Drummondville and Red Deer CAs. Overall, between promotion to CMA, absorption, and dissolution, the number of CAs decreased by seven. Amos was reinstated as a CA and Ladysmith, Trail and Essa were added as new CAs. The Carleton Place and Arnprior CAs were dissolved as they were added to the Ottawa–Gatineau CMA, the Leamington CA was dissolved as it was added to the Windsor CMA, and the Cold Lake and Bay Roberts CAs were dissolved as their urban population decreased below 10,000. 2016 rankings in the chart below are based on 2021 boundaries and exclude the five CAs dissolved in 2021 but include the four new/reinstated CAs.

Canada had 35 CMAs and 117 CAs at the 2016 census. The number of CMAs increased from 33 in 2011 with the promotion of the Belleville and Lethbridge CAs. The number of CAs increased from 113 through the creation of eight new CAs – Arnprior, Carleton Place, Gander, Nelson, Sainte-Marie, Wasaga Beach, Weyburn and Winkler – the demotion of two CAs – Amos and Temiskaming Shores – and the promotion of Belleville and Lethbridge to CMAs.

Rank (2021)Rank (2016) Geographic name Province Type Population Land area (km2) density (/km2)(2021)(2016) 1 1 Toronto Ontario CMA 5902.75 2 2 Montreal Quebec CMA 4670.10 3 3 Vancouver British Columbia CMA 2878.93 4 5 Ottawa–Gatineau Ontario/Quebec CMA 8046.99 5 4 Calgary Alberta CMA 5098.68 6 6 Edmonton Alberta CMA 9416.19 7 7 Quebec City Quebec CMA 3499.46 8 8 Winnipeg Manitoba CMA 5285.46 9 9 Hamilton Ontario CMA 1373.15 10 10 Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo Ontario CMA 1092.33 11 11 London Ontario CMA 2661.48 12 12 Halifax Nova Scotia CMA 7276.22 13 13 St. Catharines–Niagara Ontario CMA 1397.09 14 14 Windsor Ontario CMA 1803.17 15 15 Oshawa Ontario CMA 903.25 16 16 Victoria British Columbia CMA 695.29 17 17 Saskatoon Saskatchewan CMA 5864.48 18 18 Regina Saskatchewan CMA 4323.66 19 19 Sherbrooke Quebec CMA 1458.10 20 22 Kelowna British Columbia CMA 2902.45 21 21 Barrie Ontario CMA 897.26 22 20 St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador CMA 931.56 23 23 Abbotsford–Mission British Columbia CMA 606.72 24 26 Kingston Ontario CMA 1919.17 25 24 Greater Sudbury Ontario CMA 4187.40 26 28 Guelph Ontario CMA 595.08 27 25 Saguenay Quebec CMA 3133.53 28 27 Trois-Rivières Quebec CMA 1038.64 29 29 Moncton New Brunswick CMA 2562.47 30 30 Brantford Ontario CMA 1074.00 31 31 Saint John New Brunswick CMA 3505.66 32 32 Peterborough Ontario CMA 1508.44 33 34 Lethbridge Alberta CMA 2958.96 34 33 Thunder Bay Ontario CMA 2550.79 35 35 Nanaimo British Columbia CMA 1279.28 36 36 Kamloops British Columbia CMA 5654.08 37 40 Chilliwack British Columbia CMA 1444.02 38 37 Belleville–Quinte West Ontario CMA 1337.50 39 38 Fredericton New Brunswick CMA 6014.66 40 39 Chatham-Kent Ontario CA 2464.52 41 43 Drummondville Quebec CMA 1094.36 42 41 Red Deer Alberta CMA 104.34 43 42 Cape Breton Nova Scotia CA 2457.21 44 44 Sarnia Ontario CA 1117.20 45 46 Granby Quebec CA 494.10 46 45 Prince George British Columbia CA 17650.99 47 49 Kawartha Lakes Ontario CA 3033.66 48 51 Charlottetown Prince Edward Island CA 1112.43 49 47 Sault Ste. Marie Ontario CA 802.58 50 48 Medicine Hat Alberta CA 13106.11 51 50 Wood Buffalo Alberta CA 60957.21 52 52 North Bay Ontario CA 5314.85 53 53 Norfolk Ontario CA 1597.68 54 55 Vernon British Columbia CA 1041.09 55 54 Grande Prairie Alberta CA 132.71 56 58 Courtenay British Columbia CA 624.33 57 56 Cornwall Ontario CA 509.21 58 57 Saint-Hyacinthe Quebec CA 259.38 59 60 Brandon Manitoba CA 1232.81 60 59 Rimouski Quebec CA 772.93 61 61 Victoriaville Quebec CA 378.10 62 62 Joliette Quebec CA 108.66 63 63 Shawinigan Quebec CA 729.98 64 65 Duncan British Columbia CA 373.22 65 67 Penticton British Columbia CA 1734.72 66 71 Woodstock Ontario CA 56.46 67 64 Truro Nova Scotia CA 2732.53 68 66 Prince Albert Saskatchewan CA 2537.68 69 72 Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Quebec CA 108.56 70 68 Rouyn-Noranda Quebec CA 5963.57 71 70 Sorel-Tracy Quebec CA 170.31 72 69 Timmins Ontario CA 2955.33 73 73 Campbell River British Columbia CA 1734.05 74 74 Lloydminster Alberta/Saskatchewan CA 1984.24 75 75 Moose Jaw Saskatchewan CA 843.44 76 77 Saint-Georges Quebec CA 365.21 77 76 New Glasgow Nova Scotia CA 2066.47 78 78 Val-d'Or Quebec CA 3539.98 79 82 Orillia Ontario CA 28.53 80 80 Stratford Ontario CA 30.02 81 79 Owen Sound Ontario CA 624.18 82 86 Winkler Manitoba CA 872.19 83 92 Whitehorse Yukon CA 8465.21 84 81 Brockville Ontario CA 576.87 85 83 Bathurst New Brunswick CA 2100.05 86 93 Centre Wellington Ontario CA 409.41 87 88 Parksville British Columbia CA 81.81 88 87 Okotoks Alberta CA 38.55 89 85 Alma Quebec CA 194.92 90 89 Rivière-du-Loup Quebec CA 543.02 91 84 Corner Brook Newfoundland and Labrador CA 1122.58 92 91 Fort St. John British Columbia CA 617.73 93 95 Thetford Mines Quebec CA 405.92 94 99 Midland Ontario CA 60.75 95 90 Sept-Îles Quebec CA 1750.44 96 96 Miramichi New Brunswick CA 7564.06 97 98 Cranbrook British Columbia CA 4563.87 98 97 Kentville Nova Scotia CA 607.05 99 94 Baie-Comeau Quebec CA 682.89 100 100 Port Alberni British Columbia CA 1633.13 101 107 Wasaga Beach Ontario CA 57.42 102 105 Collingwood Ontario CA 33.15 103 110 Squamish British Columbia CA 105.43 104 101 Pembroke Ontario CA 553.40 105 103 Williams Lake British Columbia CA 12422.14 106 102 Quesnel British Columbia CA 21708.62 107 106 Essa Ontario CA 279.92 108 104 Edmundston New Brunswick CA 1582.36 109 112 Cobourg Ontario CA 22.41 110 111 Yellowknife Northwest Territories CA 103.37 111 120 Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts Quebec CA 210.96 112 109 Yorkton Saskatchewan CA 1623.32 113 121 Salmon Arm British Columbia CA 165.42 114 113 Terrace British Columbia CA 9721.84 115 108 North Battleford Saskatchewan CA 1118.54 116 119 Nelson British Columbia CA 1224.30 117 116 Amos Quebec CA 2298.16 118 117 Camrose Alberta CA 41.67 119 118 Swift Current Saskatchewan CA 1129.78 120 127 Tillsonburg Ontario CA 22.20 121 114 Matane Quebec CA 865.87 122 122 Petawawa Ontario CA 164.70 123 123 Summerside Prince Edward Island CA 125.12 124 115 Dawson Creek British Columbia CA 11716.80 125 124 Powell River British Columbia CA 799.80 126 126 Steinbach Manitoba CA 37.56 127 125 Port Hope Ontario CA 278.80 128 129 Sylvan Lake Alberta CA 24.25 129 136 Canmore Alberta CA 68.47 130 132 Ladysmith British Columbia CA 412.01 131 128 Dolbeau-Mistassini Quebec CA 647.75 132 139 Cowansville Quebec CA 46.87 133 130 Kenora Ontario CA 211.65 134 133 Brooks Alberta CA 18.21 135 137 Strathmore Alberta CA 26.98 136 141 High River Alberta CA 22.19 137 134 Trail British Columbia CA 279.13 138 147 Lachute Quebec CA 108.66 139 135 Grand Falls-Windsor Newfoundland and Labrador CA 54.84 140 148 Ingersoll Ontario CA 12.73 141 143 Prince Rupert British Columbia CA 3303.63 142 145 Gander Newfoundland and Labrador CA 2412.67 143 146 Lacombe Alberta CA 20.59 144 131 Campbellton New Brunswick CA 1525.45 145 144 Portage la Prairie Manitoba CA 24.72 146 142 Sainte-Marie Quebec CA 107.55 147 138 Thompson Manitoba CA 16.62 148 140 Estevan Saskatchewan CA 793.36 149 149 Wetaskiwin Alberta CA 18.75 150 150 Weyburn Saskatchewan CA 828.28 151 151 Hawkesbury Ontario/Quebec CA 12.91 152 152 Elliot Lake Ontario CA 696.06

See also

List of Canadian census agglomerations by province or territory List of census agglomerations in Canada List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population List of the largest population centres in Canada Population of Canada by year

References

External links Population estimates of census metropolitan areas, Statistics Canada