The 2011 census data below reveals both shocking trends and fantastic opportunities for area communities.
In Mackenzie, there are 38 per cent fewer children 14 and under and 24 per cent fewer working age residents (15-64) than there were in 2006. Yet Mackenzie's senior population more than doubled in the last five years, growing by 110.3 per cent. Mackenzie still has the fewest number of seniors per capita of any area community at 8.7 per cent.
Contrast that with 100 Mile House, where 23.6 per cent of the population is 65-plus. If 100 Mile House had more than 10,000 people in it, it would be the eighth greyest town in Canada.
Despite 715 fewer children than 2006, Prince George still has a higher percentage of children and working adults and a lower percentage of seniors than the provincial and national averages. The median age of a Prince George resident was 38, compared to 40 nationally and 42 provincially. Working families speak to the overall health of the community and to the future prospects for continued development.
There are more 2011 Census results to come in the Citizen. On Sept. 19, the Citizen will feature census data on families, households, marital status and the types of homes we live in, followed on Oct. 24 by the language makeup of area residents.
