Largest & Smallest Cities & Towns in Prince Edward Island (2026)

Data source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population — View the official Prince Edward Island dataset on Statistics Canada

14 of Prince Edward Island's 14 largest municipalities grew between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, while 0 shrank. Cornwall grew fastest, at +22.9%. The Charlottetown metro area alone holds 78,858 of the province's roughly 154,331 residents — 51% of the total.

Prince Edward Island Boundary

The boundary shown below is sourced from OpenStreetMap contributors, not Statistics Canada, and may be incomplete depending on how thoroughly the area has been mapped.

Largest

Largest by Metro Area

Here, Prince Edward Island is ranked by metro area population — StatCan's CMA/CA boundary, which folds in every commuting-connected suburb and satellite community around a core city, not just that city's own legal limits. Areas under 1,000 residents are left off.

#NamePopulation
(2016)
Population
(2021)
2016-2021
Change
2026
(Projected)
Land area (km²)Density (per km²)
1 Charlottetown (CA)71,82178,858 +7,037 (+9.8%)86,5841,112.4370.9
2 Summerside (CA)16,83118,157 +1,326 (+7.9%)19,587125.12145.1

CMA = Census Metropolitan Area (urban core plus commuting-integrated suburbs, total population 100,000+).
CA = Census Agglomeration (the same idea, at a smaller scale — urban core population of at least 10,000).

Largest by Municipality

Here, Prince Edward Island is ranked using each place's legal municipal boundary — the same limits its own city, town, or township council governs. Municipal boundaries vary widely in how tightly they're drawn, so this basis doesn't always match popular perception of a city's size. Municipalities under 1,000 people, along with villages, rural municipalities, unorganized "Subd." county subdivisions, and Indian reserves, are left off this list.

#NameTypePopulation
(2016)
Population
(2021)
2016-2021
Change
2026
(Projected)
Land area (km²)Density (per km²)
1 CharlottetownCity36,09438,809 +2,715 (+7.5%)41,72844.27876.6
2 SummersideCity14,83916,001 +1,162 (+7.8%)17,25428.21567.2
3 StratfordTown9,71110,927 +1,216 (+12.5%)12,29522.67482.0
4 Three RiversTown7,1697,883 +714 (+10.0%)8,668431.4718.3
5 CornwallTown5,3486,574 +1,226 (+22.9%)8,08128.21233.0
6 West RiverTownship3,1103,473 +363 (+11.7%)3,878121.6228.6
7 North ShoreTownship2,1522,500 +348 (+16.2%)2,90471.1335.1
8 KensingtonTown1,6191,812 +193 (+11.9%)2,0283.17571.6
9 BelfastTownship1,6361,687 +51 (+3.1%)1,740229.277.4
10 AlbertonTown1,1451,301 +156 (+13.6%)1,4784.70277.0
11 Miltonvale ParkTownship1,1581,196 +38 (+3.3%)1,23535.1334.0
12 Malpeque BayTownship1,0301,191 +161 (+15.6%)1,37798.9712.0
13 Central PrinceTownship1,0541,129 +75 (+7.1%)1,209133.788.4
14 KingstonTownship1,0471,111 +64 (+6.1%)1,17948.3823.0

Smallest

Smallest by Metro Area

Smallest here means smallest CMA/CA in Prince Edward Island by Statistics Canada's definition — a core city plus its economically integrated surrounding communities, not a standalone municipality.

#NamePopulation
(2016)
Population
(2021)
2016-2021
Change
2026
(Projected)
Land area (km²)Density (per km²)
1 Summerside (CA)16,83118,157 +1,326 (+7.9%)19,587125.12145.1
2 Charlottetown (CA)71,82178,858 +7,037 (+9.8%)86,5841,112.4370.9

CMA = Census Metropolitan Area (urban core plus commuting-integrated suburbs, total population 100,000+).
CA = Census Agglomeration (the same idea, at a smaller scale — urban core population of at least 10,000).

Smallest by Municipality

Smallest here means smallest incorporated city, town, or township in Prince Edward Island — the legal boundary set by the province, not a metro area, village, rural municipality, unorganized "Subd." subdivision, or Indian reserve.

#NameTypePopulation
(2016)
Population
(2021)
2016-2021
Change
2026
(Projected)
Land area (km²)Density (per km²)
1 VictoriaTownship74139 +65 (+87.8%)2611.4496.5
2 MiminegashTownship148148 +0 (+0.0%)—1.8878.5
3 NorthportTownship186157 -29 (-15.6%)—1.7390.9
4 BreadalbaneTownship167170 +3 (+1.8%)17312.6713.4
5 North WiltshireTownship202176 -26 (-12.9%)—12.4314.2
6 SherbrookeTownship159178 +19 (+11.9%)1998.9419.9
7 Union RoadTownship204213 +9 (+4.4%)22210.3320.6
8 St. NicholasTownship213218 +5 (+2.3%)22320.7310.5
9 HazelbrookTownship193220 +27 (+14.0%)2518.0927.2
10 Annandale - Little Pond - Howe BayTownship207223 +16 (+7.7%)24031.877.0
11 Mount StewartTownship209226 +17 (+8.1%)2441.52148.7
12 Tyne ValleyTownship249229 -20 (-8.0%)—1.94118.1
13 St. Peters BayTownship237231 -6 (-2.5%)—4.4452.0
14 AlexandraTownship204252 +48 (+23.5%)31110.3524.3
15 Greenmount-MontroseTownship292262 -30 (-10.3%)—26.0310.1
16 Murray HarbourTownship258282 +24 (+9.3%)3083.9072.3
17 Bedeque and AreaTownship302311 +9 (+3.0%)3202.26137.5
18 St. FelixTownship325314 -11 (-3.4%)—11.5427.2
19 LinkletterTownship300315 +15 (+5.0%)3317.8840.0
20 Murray RiverTownship304337 +33 (+10.9%)3741.54218.5
21 HampshireTownship359339 -20 (-5.6%)—13.5225.1
22 Stanley Bridge, Hope River, Bayview, Cavendish and North RusticoTownship318359 +41 (+12.9%)40536.109.9
23 CrapaudTownship319361 +42 (+13.2%)4092.10172.3
24 Warren GroveTownship346374 +28 (+8.1%)40410.1636.8
25 Souris WestTownship361379 +18 (+5.0%)3987.7349.0
26 YorkTownship414387 -27 (-6.5%)—12.2731.5
27 KinkoraTownship336388 +52 (+15.5%)4483.9797.8
28 Hunter RiverTownship356390 +34 (+9.6%)4276.0464.5
29 BrackleyTownship596586 -10 (-1.7%)—18.7531.3
30 Clyde RiverTownship653614 -39 (-6.0%)—15.9338.5
31 Lot 11 and AreaTownship639617 -22 (-3.4%)—102.616.0
32 North RusticoTown617648 +31 (+5.0%)6812.64245.7
33 Eastern KingsTownship698687 -11 (-1.6%)—141.124.9
34 TignishTown719744 +25 (+3.5%)7705.87126.7
35 Borden-CarletonTown724788 +64 (+8.8%)85812.9460.9
36 O'LearyTown815876 +61 (+7.5%)9421.83479.0
37 KingstonTownship1,0471,111 +64 (+6.1%)1,17948.3823.0
38 Central PrinceTownship1,0541,129 +75 (+7.1%)1,209133.788.4
39 Malpeque BayTownship1,0301,191 +161 (+15.6%)1,37798.9712.0
40 Miltonvale ParkTownship1,1581,196 +38 (+3.3%)1,23535.1334.0
41 AlbertonTown1,1451,301 +156 (+13.6%)1,4784.70277.0
42 BelfastTownship1,6361,687 +51 (+3.1%)1,740229.277.4
43 KensingtonTown1,6191,812 +193 (+11.9%)2,0283.17571.6
44 North ShoreTownship2,1522,500 +348 (+16.2%)2,90471.1335.1
45 West RiverTownship3,1103,473 +363 (+11.7%)3,878121.6228.6
46 CornwallTown5,3486,574 +1,226 (+22.9%)8,08128.21233.0
47 Three RiversTown7,1697,883 +714 (+10.0%)8,668431.4718.3
48 StratfordTown9,71110,927 +1,216 (+12.5%)12,29522.67482.0
49 SummersideCity14,83916,001 +1,162 (+7.8%)17,25428.21567.2
50 CharlottetownCity36,09438,809 +2,715 (+7.5%)41,72844.27876.6

Population (2021)

Population Change, 2016–2021

Frequently Asked Questions

As of the 2021 Census, Prince Edward Island has 2 legally designated cities under Statistics Canada's "city" area type. Towns and townships are a separate legal designation and aren't included in this count.

Charlottetown is Prince Edward Island's largest city, with a population of 38,809 as of the 2021 Census.

A municipality is a legal city, town, or township boundary set by the province and governed by its own local council. A CMA (Census Metropolitan Area) is a Statistics Canada geographic boundary that groups a core municipality together with every surrounding community that's economically and socially integrated with it through commuting — so a CMA's population is usually larger than its core municipality's alone, sometimes considerably so.