The Kitimat population has seen a small increase since the 2016 census. According to the 2021 census, the population in Kitimat is 8,236, a jump from 8,131 in 2016.
According to data from the 2021 census released by Statistics Canada (StatCan) today (April 27), the average age of Kitimat residents is 41.7 years compared to 41.4 in 2016.
This minor change in demographic makeup is almost entirely accounted for by an increase in the distribution of residents who are now over the age of 65. In 2016, only 15.9 per cent of the population had reached the traditional retirement age. That was up to 17.2 per cent in 2021.
The increase lines up with a corresponding drop in the number of people in the 15-64 age range from 67.8 per cent to 66.5 per cent.
There was no change in the distribution of Kitimat’s youngest citizens. Those aged 0-14 years made up 16.3 per cent of the 2016 and 2021 counts. Similarly, those over 85 now make up 1.6 per cent of the population compared to 1.4 per cent five years prior.
The ratio of males to females remained relatively steady with males making up 51.9 per cent of the population compared to 51.7 per cent during the previous census.
While StatCan for the first time in the 2021 census asked people to report whether they identified as transgender or non-binary, that information was not presented in the local data. National data indicates 0.33 per cent of the Canadian population (one in 300) identifies as transgender or non-binary.
The latest data release also revealed what kinds of dwellings residents live in. Since the last census, the biggest change has been in the number of movable homes.
In 2016, that number was 80 and is now down to 65, a decrease of 18.75 per cent.
There has also been a significant increase of 16.5 per cent in the number of apartments occupied in town. In 2016, apartments numbered 410. Now, there are 485.
The population increased in 2021 and so did the number of occupied dwellings from 3,500 in 2016 to 3,605 in 2021.
The average household size in 2021 is 2.3, no change from the previous census.
editor@interior-news.com
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