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.
Urban and Rural Distribution
Urban and Rural Distribution
What does this measure?
This section uses census data from Statistics Canada. According to Statistics Canada, a population centre has a population of at least 1,000 and a population density of 400 persons or more per square kilometre, based on the current census population count. All areas outside population centres are classified as rural areas. Taken together, population centres and rural areas cover all of Canada, or all of smaller jurisdictions, such as Hastings and Prince Edward counties.
Population centres are classified into three groups by Statistics Canada, depending on the size of their population:
- small population centres, with a population between 1,000 and 29,999;
- medium population centres, with a population between 30,000 and 99,999
- large urban population centres, consisting of a population of 100,000 and over.
Why is this important?
The smaller the size of a community is the more positive social behaviours (such as formal volunteering, working on public projects and informal help to friends and strangers). It has been suggested that people who reside in large communities spend less time socializing with each other. As a result, people living in large cities have on average fewer friends, resulting in less social support. Nevertheless, health services, cultural events and specialized products are more available in large population centres.
How are Hastings and Prince Edward Counties doing?
In Hastings and Prince Edward Counties (HPEC), there are no large population centres. In 2016, there were 2 “medium population centres”: Belleville and Quinte West constituting 41% of the total HPE population. The percentage of people who lived in rural areas remained consistent at about 3.5 times greater than the proportion of all Ontarians living in rural areas.