Demographics
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1871 | 1,110 | — |
| 1881 | 1,870 | +68.5% |
| 1891 | 2,035 | +8.8% |
| 1901 | 1,863 | −8.5% |
| 1911 | 5,318 | +185.5% |
| 1921 | 8,654 | +62.7% |
| 1931 | 10,709 | +23.7% |
| 1941 | 12,421 | +16.0% |
| 1951 | 15,382 | +23.8% |
| 1961 | 36,079 | +134.6% |
| 1971 | 44,397 | +23.1% |
| 1981 | 45,448 | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 47,914 | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 48,402 | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 50,331 | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 50,631 | +0.6% |
During the 2011 Census, the population of Welland was determined to be 50,631, making Welland the 96th largest city in Canada. The population rose from 50,331 in the 2011 Census.
According to the 2001 census, 95.5% of the population is Caucasian, 1.7% Aboriginal, 1.1% Black, 0.2% Korean, and 0.3% of other Asian descent. 17.7% of inhabitants are under the age of 14, while those over 65 account for 16.9%.
In 1914, a local business called Empire Cotton Mills was bought by a Quebec-based company. They brought in twenty francophone families to work in the mill, giving a start to a French-speaking community still very alive in the city today. Presently, Welland is one of only three communities in southern Ontario (excluding eastern Ontario) where Franco-Ontarians, as a percentage of the community's population, exceed the provincial average of 4.8%. (The other two are Penetanguishene and Lakeshore.)
Another significant cultural group was established with the opening of the Plymouth Cordage plant. Many workers relocated to Welland from the company's operations in Plymouth, Massachusetts were of Italian origin. To minimise the potential effects of cultural and language barriers, Plymouth Cordage sent four foremen to Welland: one was Italian, one French, one German and one English. The neighbourhood that the company built for its employees (now Plymouth Cordage Heritage District ) became the first Italian ethnic neighbourhood in Welland.
The Top 5 largest ethnic groups include: English: 24.9%, French: 23.3%, Scottish: 14.4%, Italian: 13.3%, and Irish: 13.1%. There are also many people of eastern European origin from countries like Croatia, Hungary, and Poland, as well as a growing Hispanic community.
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