Ranking Nova Scotia
Largest & Smallest Cities & Towns in Nova Scotia (2026)
12 of Nova Scotia's 21 largest municipalities grew between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, while 9 shrank. Wolfville grew fastest, at +20.5%. The Halifax metro area alone holds 465,703 of the province's roughly 969,383 residents — 48% of the total.
Data source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population — View the official Nova Scotia dataset on Statistics Canada
Nova Scotia 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, Nova Scotia 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.
| # | Name | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Halifax (CMA) | 426,932 | 465,703 | +38,771 (+9.1%) | 507,995 | 7,276.22 | 64.0 |
| 2 | Cape Breton (CA) | 98,722 | 98,318 | -404 (-0.4%) | — | 2,457.21 | 40.0 |
| 3 | Truro (CA) | 45,753 | 46,157 | +404 (+0.9%) | 46,565 | 2,732.53 | 16.9 |
| 4 | New Glasgow (CA) | 34,487 | 34,397 | -90 (-0.3%) | — | 2,066.47 | 16.6 |
| 5 | Kentville (CA) | 26,222 | 26,929 | +707 (+2.7%) | 27,655 | 607.05 | 44.4 |
No places match .
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, Nova Scotia 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.
21 of 21 places
| # | Name | Type | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Halifax | Township | 403,131 | 439,819 | +36,688 (+9.1%) | 479,846 | 5,475.57 | 80.3 |
| 2 | Cape Breton | Township | 94,285 | 93,694 | -591 (-0.6%) | — | 2,419.70 | 38.7 |
| 3 | West Hants | Township | 19,016 | 19,509 | +493 (+2.6%) | 20,015 | 1,250.50 | 15.6 |
| 4 | Truro | Town | 12,261 | 12,954 | +693 (+5.7%) | 13,686 | 37.52 | 345.3 |
| 5 | Queens | Township | 10,302 | 10,422 | +120 (+1.2%) | 10,543 | 2,387.52 | 4.4 |
| 6 | New Glasgow | Town | 9,075 | 9,471 | +396 (+4.4%) | 9,884 | 9.96 | 951.3 |
| 7 | Amherst | Town | 9,413 | 9,404 | -9 (-0.1%) | — | 12.07 | 779.4 |
| 8 | Bridgewater | Town | 8,532 | 8,790 | +258 (+3.0%) | 9,056 | 13.63 | 644.9 |
| 9 | Kentville | Town | 6,271 | 6,630 | +359 (+5.7%) | 7,010 | 17.08 | 388.2 |
| 10 | Wolfville | Town | 4,195 | 5,057 | +862 (+20.5%) | 6,096 | 6.46 | 783.3 |
| 11 | Antigonish | Town | 4,364 | 4,656 | +292 (+6.7%) | 4,968 | 4.98 | 934.5 |
| 12 | Stellarton | Town | 4,208 | 4,007 | -201 (-4.8%) | — | 8.99 | 445.6 |
| 13 | Westville | Town | 3,628 | 3,540 | -88 (-2.4%) | — | 14.24 | 248.6 |
| 14 | Port Hawkesbury | Town | 3,214 | 3,210 | -4 (-0.1%) | — | 8.10 | 396.3 |
| 15 | Pictou | Town | 3,186 | 3,107 | -79 (-2.5%) | — | 7.99 | 388.7 |
| 16 | Berwick | Town | 2,509 | 2,455 | -54 (-2.2%) | — | 6.53 | 375.8 |
| 17 | Trenton | Town | 2,474 | 2,407 | -67 (-2.7%) | — | 6.07 | 396.7 |
| 18 | Middleton | Town | 1,832 | 1,873 | +41 (+2.2%) | 1,915 | 5.55 | 337.3 |
| 19 | Stewiacke | Town | 1,373 | 1,557 | +184 (+13.4%) | 1,766 | 17.62 | 88.4 |
| 20 | Oxford | Town | 1,190 | 1,170 | -20 (-1.7%) | — | 10.68 | 109.6 |
| 21 | Mahone Bay | Town | 1,036 | 1,064 | +28 (+2.7%) | 1,093 | 3.12 | 341.4 |
No places match .
Smallest
Smallest by Metro Area
Smallest here means smallest CMA/CA in Nova Scotia by Statistics Canada's definition — a core city plus its economically integrated surrounding communities, not a standalone municipality.
| # | Name | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentville (CA) | 26,222 | 26,929 | +707 (+2.7%) | 27,655 | 607.05 | 44.4 |
| 2 | New Glasgow (CA) | 34,487 | 34,397 | -90 (-0.3%) | — | 2,066.47 | 16.6 |
| 3 | Truro (CA) | 45,753 | 46,157 | +404 (+0.9%) | 46,565 | 2,732.53 | 16.9 |
| 4 | Cape Breton (CA) | 98,722 | 98,318 | -404 (-0.4%) | — | 2,457.21 | 40.0 |
| 5 | Halifax (CMA) | 426,932 | 465,703 | +38,771 (+9.1%) | 507,995 | 7,276.22 | 64.0 |
No places match .
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 Nova Scotia — the legal boundary set by the province, not a metro area, village, rural municipality, unorganized "Subd." subdivision, or Indian reserve.
25 of 25 places
| # | Name | Type | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lockeport | Town | 531 | 476 | -55 (-10.4%) | — | 2.32 | 205.4 |
| 2 | Annapolis Royal | Town | 491 | 530 | +39 (+7.9%) | 572 | 1.98 | 268.3 |
| 3 | Mulgrave | Town | 722 | 627 | -95 (-13.2%) | — | 17.83 | 35.2 |
| 4 | Clark's Harbour | Town | 758 | 725 | -33 (-4.4%) | — | 2.82 | 257.3 |
| 5 | Mahone Bay | Town | 1,036 | 1,064 | +28 (+2.7%) | 1,093 | 3.12 | 341.4 |
| 6 | Oxford | Town | 1,190 | 1,170 | -20 (-1.7%) | — | 10.68 | 109.6 |
| 7 | Stewiacke | Town | 1,373 | 1,557 | +184 (+13.4%) | 1,766 | 17.62 | 88.4 |
| 8 | Middleton | Town | 1,832 | 1,873 | +41 (+2.2%) | 1,915 | 5.55 | 337.3 |
| 9 | Trenton | Town | 2,474 | 2,407 | -67 (-2.7%) | — | 6.07 | 396.7 |
| 10 | Berwick | Town | 2,509 | 2,455 | -54 (-2.2%) | — | 6.53 | 375.8 |
| 11 | Pictou | Town | 3,186 | 3,107 | -79 (-2.5%) | — | 7.99 | 388.7 |
| 12 | Port Hawkesbury | Town | 3,214 | 3,210 | -4 (-0.1%) | — | 8.10 | 396.3 |
| 13 | Westville | Town | 3,628 | 3,540 | -88 (-2.4%) | — | 14.24 | 248.6 |
| 14 | Stellarton | Town | 4,208 | 4,007 | -201 (-4.8%) | — | 8.99 | 445.6 |
| 15 | Antigonish | Town | 4,364 | 4,656 | +292 (+6.7%) | 4,968 | 4.98 | 934.5 |
| 16 | Wolfville | Town | 4,195 | 5,057 | +862 (+20.5%) | 6,096 | 6.46 | 783.3 |
| 17 | Kentville | Town | 6,271 | 6,630 | +359 (+5.7%) | 7,010 | 17.08 | 388.2 |
| 18 | Bridgewater | Town | 8,532 | 8,790 | +258 (+3.0%) | 9,056 | 13.63 | 644.9 |
| 19 | Amherst | Town | 9,413 | 9,404 | -9 (-0.1%) | — | 12.07 | 779.4 |
| 20 | New Glasgow | Town | 9,075 | 9,471 | +396 (+4.4%) | 9,884 | 9.96 | 951.3 |
| 21 | Queens | Township | 10,302 | 10,422 | +120 (+1.2%) | 10,543 | 2,387.52 | 4.4 |
| 22 | Truro | Town | 12,261 | 12,954 | +693 (+5.7%) | 13,686 | 37.52 | 345.3 |
| 23 | West Hants | Township | 19,016 | 19,509 | +493 (+2.6%) | 20,015 | 1,250.50 | 15.6 |
| 24 | Cape Breton | Township | 94,285 | 93,694 | -591 (-0.6%) | — | 2,419.70 | 38.7 |
| 25 | Halifax | Township | 403,131 | 439,819 | +36,688 (+9.1%) | 479,846 | 5,475.57 | 80.3 |
No places match .
Population (2021)
Population Change, 2016–2021
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cities does Nova Scotia have?
Nova Scotia has zero municipalities carrying Statistics Canada's legal "city" designation as of the 2021 Census. Nova Scotia hasn't had a municipality legally designated as a "city" since 1996, when Halifax, Dartmouth, and Sydney were folded into regional municipalities.
What is the largest city in Nova Scotia?
Halifax is Nova Scotia's largest urban centre — 439,819 within its own municipal boundary, and 465,703 across the wider metro area, as of the 2021 Census. Nova Scotia hasn't had a municipality legally designated as a "city" since 1996, when Halifax, Dartmouth, and Sydney were folded into regional municipalities. So in everyday usage, Halifax is the province's largest city.
What's the difference between a CMA and a municipality?
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.