Campbell River’s population is getting older on average, according to new data released by Statistics Canada from their 2021 census.
According to the release, the average age in Campbell River is 45.8 years old, up from 44.0 in the 2016 census. The median age is a bit higher at 48 years old.
Broken down, the biggest shift was from people aged 15-64 to those aged 65 and up. Back in 2016, 63.3 per cent of people were between 15 and 64, and now that figure is 59.4 per cent. People older than 65 now make up more than a quarter of the population of Campbell River (26.1 per cent). That number is likely to grow as well, with 3,025 of the 21,080 people aged 15-64 at the higher end of that range (60-64 years old). In fact, that portion of the population is Campbell River’s biggest, with the next nearest being 2,985 people aged 65-59.
In the Strathcona Regional District as a whole the trends were similar. In the previous census, 63.2 per cent of people were between 15-64, and only 59.1 per cent are in that bracket for 2021. Those older than 65 years old make up 26.7 per cent of the SRD’s population, and 4,385 people are within five years of making the jump between 60-64 and 65-69. People in their late sixties are also the SRD’s largest proportion (4,395), with only ten fewer reporting being in their early 60s.
The region also counts 10 centenarians, five males and five females.
The new release also includes data on housing. In Campbell River single detached homes still reign supreme, at 14,115 of the total 21,225. Apartments in buildings smaller than five storeys make up the next-largest proportion, with 2,940 people in these kinds of dwellings. Movable dwellings are next at 1,245, then row houses at 1,205. The other kinds of homes are 905 for semi-detached homes, 800 for apartments in duplexes, 15 in other single-attached homes, and then five in apartments with five or more storeys.
Most people live in homes with two people, with 8,860 reporting sharing their home with one other person. However, 6,340 people report living alone in Campbell River. The average home in the city houses 2.2 people.
Single detached homes also dominate the housing picture in the Strathcona Regional District, at 10,285 of a total 16,560. Apartments with fewer than five storeys provide housing for 2,835 people, followed by row houses (1,060), movable dwellings (830), semi-detached homes (825), apartments or flats in duplexes are 720, and other single-attached homes at five. In the SRD there are no apartments in buildings taller than five storeys.
Most people also live with one roommate — 6,895. After that those who live alone make up 4,760 people. The average home size in the regional district is a bit bigger than in Campbell River at 2.3.
The full census data released to date can be found online at the Statistics Canada website.
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