Demographics

Population Structure

The structure of a local population influences the lifestyle of, and opportunities available to residents. Age, population, gender and immigration all contribute to the formation of a community and the services accessible.

Age Distribution

What does this measure?

Population measures provide insight into the changing size and face of communities, and an area’s needs and assets. The population is divided into 5-year age groups.  The age structure of different populations can vary greatly.  Areas with large or growing populations of seniors or children may face challenges in providing the necessary services. Differences in age structure are often the result of different fertility patterns (e.g. the baby boom) and immigration patterns.

Why is this important?

The age composition of a population, especially the proportions of children and older persons, affects how public money is spent.  Populations with higher proportions of children tend to invest in:

  • schools
  • childcare
  • immunization, and
  • reproductive health.

In older populations, the focus for limited public expenditures is often on:

  • old-age social security systems, and
  • health care for chronic and degenerative diseases.

Seniors now make up the fastest growing age group. This trend affects family structure (e.g. more families without children at home and more people living on their own, as widows and widowers).  We can expect this pattern to continue for the next few decades largely due to the below replacement fertility rate (i.e. average number of children per woman), an increase in life expectancy, and the aging of the baby boom generation.

How are Hastings & Prince Edward Counties doing?

From 2006 to 2016, people 85 years of age and older are the fastest growing age group in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties (HPEC), with an increase from 2.1% of the population in 2006 to 2.9% of the population in 2016. The proportion of all residents over 65 increased similarly from 17.8% to 23.0%. However, the population of children 0 to 19 decreased during this same period by 15%. The population of young adults aged 20 – 39 years remained similar from 21.4% in 2006 to 21.1% in 2016 and adults aged 40-64 decreased from 37.3% to 36.0%.  Compared to Ontario, HPEC’s population has fewer children and young adults, and proportionately more people over the age of 50.

See Demographics Interactive Data for more information and further breakdown.