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Sault Ste. Marie

Sault Ste. Marie is a city in Canada. In 2021, Sault Ste. Marie had a population of 73,368. The city covered 221.7 km² in 2021. Population density was 324.6 people per km² in 2021. The unemployment rate was 13% in May 2021. Monthly mean temperatures were −9.8°C in January and 17.9°C in July.

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Higher unemployment than 87% of Canadian cities that publish it and cleaner air than 71% of Canadian cities that publish it.

Foreign residents2,095 peoplecity · Verified 2026-07-15Official source · Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status.
Population73,368 peoplecity · Verified 2026-06-12Official source · Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Sault Ste. Marie, CSD 3557007)
Unemployment rate13 %city · Verified 2026-07-26Official source · Statistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grain
NO₂ — annual mean3.949 µg/m³city · Verified 2026-07-15Official source · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met.
PM10 — annual mean5 µg/m³city · Verified 2026-07-15Official source · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.
PM2.5 — annual mean3.17 µg/m³city · Verified 2026-07-15Official source · Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-07-26

Who Sault Ste. Marie may suit

Relative profile scores use comparable published values. They are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker65%strong on work, weak on safety · range 51–79% from published values
Skilled employee56%strong on work, weak on safety · range 42–70% from published values
Student60%strong on cost, weak on healthcare · range 46–74% from published values
Family47%strong on safety, weak on cost · range 33–61% from published values
Retirement63%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 49–77% from published values

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Sault Ste. Marie residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport97.1%Foreign residents 2.9%

Derived from the published population and foreign-resident counts.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
City area221.7 km22026-06-122021Official sourceStatistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Sault Ste. Marie, CSD 3557007) Source-backed value
Foreign residents2,095 people2026-07-152021Official sourceStatistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status. Source-backed value
Population density324.6 people/km²2026-07-152021Official sourceStatistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 6: population density per square kilometre at CSD grain. This is the exact CSD value; it is not a CMA or province observation. Source-backed value
Population73,368 people2026-06-122021Official sourceStatistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Sault Ste. Marie, CSD 3557007) Source-backed value
Population over time22 published observations, 2001–2022
Population in Sault Ste. Marie by year, residents73,03374,65276,27277,89120012003200520072009201120132015201720192021202275,673residents

Population fell 2.2% between 2001 and 2022, from 77,370 to 75,673.

Each point keeps the source and period it was published with.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in CanadaWhere Sault Ste. Marie lands among 166 measured cities
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Canada per band224–6336–8358–103810–122912–14Sault Ste. Marie 13.0%614–16218–20122–24unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Canada per band

Published unemployment rates for cities in the same country.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Unemployment rate13 %country median 9.4% — 38% above2026-07-262021Official sourceStatistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grain Source-backed value

Climate and air quality

Monthly precipitation was 65.1 mm in January and 76.9 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 3.17 µg/m³ in 2024.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Sault Ste. Marie average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C-20°-10°0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND24°-15°Daytime highNight-time low

Published monthly climate normals for this city.

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sault Ste. Marie average monthly precipitation, mm030609012065465271697977781091118970JFMAMJJASONDmm

Published monthly climate normals for this city.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Sault Ste. Marie annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5253.2PM2.515405.0PM1010403.9NO₂µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in CanadaWhere Sault Ste. Marie lands among 137 measured cities
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Canada per band31–2312–3533–4Sault Ste. Marie 3.2164–5185–617–818–929–10310–11113–14215–16316–17117–18120–21140–41annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Canada per band

Published annual means from the same national measurement network.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
NO₂ — annual mean3.949 µg/m³country median 6.6 — 40% below2026-07-152024Official sourceOfficial ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met. Source-backed value
PM10 — annual mean5 µg/m³country median 10.5 — 52% below2026-07-152024Official sourceOfficial ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. Source-backed value
PM2.5 — annual mean3.17 µg/m³country median 3.6 — 11% below2026-07-152024Official sourceOfficial ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate. Source-backed value
Average daytime high by monthJan -5 · Feb -4 · Mar 1.4 · Apr 8.7 · May 16.2 · Jun 21.8 · Jul 24.2 · Aug 23.7 · Sep 19.4 · Oct 11.7 · Nov 4.8 · Dec -1 °C2026-07-262020Official sourceCanadian Climate Normals — SAULT STE MARIE A, 1991-2020 Source-backed value
Average night-time low by monthJan -14.5 · Feb -14.7 · Mar -9.6 · Apr -2 · May 3.5 · Jun 8.5 · Jul 11.6 · Aug 11.5 · Sep 8 · Oct 2.7 · Nov -2.5 · Dec -8.6 °C2026-07-262020Official sourceCanadian Climate Normals — SAULT STE MARIE A, 1991-2020 Source-backed value
Average temperature by monthJan -9.8 · Feb -9.4 · Mar -4.1 · Apr 3.4 · May 9.9 · Jun 15.2 · Jul 17.9 · Aug 17.7 · Sep 13.7 · Oct 7.2 · Nov 1.2 · Dec -4.8 °C2026-07-262020Official sourceCanadian Climate Normals — SAULT STE MARIE A, 1991-2020 Source-backed value
Average precipitation by monthJan 65.1 · Feb 45.6 · Mar 52.3 · Apr 71 · May 68.6 · Jun 79.3 · Jul 76.9 · Aug 77.9 · Sep 108.6 · Oct 110.5 · Nov 89 · Dec 69.9 mm2026-07-262020Official sourceCanadian Climate Normals — SAULT STE MARIE A, 1991-2020 Source-backed value

Mobility and administration

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Destinations from nearest airport4 count2026-06-13FreshOfficial sourceOpenFlights — routes.dat Source-backed value
Nearest airportYAM code2026-06-13FreshOfficial sourceOurAirports — airports.csv Source-backed value
Distance to nearest airport15 km2026-06-13FreshOfficial sourceOurAirports — airports.csv Source-backed value

Worked out from these numbers

Arithmetic on the published values above. Each one names what it assumed.

How international is the population?

2.9% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 2,095 people of 73,368 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Sault Ste. Marie?

The unemployment rate is 13 %. Source: Statistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grain, checked 2026-07-26.

Is the air quality good in Sault Ste. Marie?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 3.17 µg/m³. The WHO 2021 guideline is 5 µg/m³ and the EU limit value is 25 µg/m³, so this reading is within the WHO guideline. Source: Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate., checked 2026-07-15.

How many people live in Sault Ste. Marie?

The published population is 73,368 people. Source: Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Sault Ste. Marie, CSD 3557007), checked 2026-06-12.

How many foreign residents live in Sault Ste. Marie?

2,095 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status., checked 2026-07-15.

Cities of a similar size in Canada

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Canada cities
Airdrie74,100 residentsSarnia72,574 residentsCaledon76,581 residentsPrince George76,708 residentsSaint John69,891 residentsSaint-Jérôme77,862 residents

Sources

Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign_population_total; it is not immigrant status.Official source · Checked 2021-05-11Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Sault Ste. Marie, CSD 3557007)Official source · Checked 2026-07-14Statistics Canada — 2021 Census Profile, unemployment rate at CSD grainOfficial source · Checked 2026-07-26Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 station DMean observation retained at source grain; no place value is asserted because the approved 25 km observation condition is not met.Official source · Checked 2026-07-15Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.Official source · Checked 2026-07-15Official ECCC/NAPS 2024 annual daily-mean station observations, reproducibly aggregated as an arithmetic mean for eligible stations within 25 km of the target city coordinate. This is a derived place observation, not an asserted municipal monitor aggregate.Official source · Checked 2026-07-15

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