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Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census

Census subdivision of Smithers, T - British Columbia 1

Map of Smithers, T (shaded in green), British Columbia

Map of Smithers, T

Interactive version of map

Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Chart A: Smithers, T - Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Chart A description: Smithers, T - Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Prov. rank
89
Nat. rank
668

In 2011, Smithers (Town) had a population of 5,404, representing a percentage change of 3.6% from 2006. This compares to the national average growth of 5.9%.

Land area is 15.27 square kilometres with a population density of 353.8 persons per square kilometre. This compares to the provincial land area of 922,509.29 square kilometres with a population density of 4.8 persons per square kilometre.

In 2011, Smithers (Town) had 2,192 private dwellings occupied by usual residents. The change in private dwellings occupied by usual residents from 2006 was 5.4%. For Canada as a whole, the number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents increased 7.1%.

Population and dwelling counts

Smithers (Town) – Neighbouring census subdivisions

Table 1 Smithers (Town) – Neighbouring census subdivisions, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name CSD type Population
2011 2006 % change
Bulkley-Nechako A, B.C. RDA 5,391 5,290 1.9

British Columbia – Census subdivisions with 5,000-plus population with the highest population growth

Table 2 British Columbia – Census subdivisions with 5,000-plus population with the highest population growth, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name CSD type Population
2011 2006 % change
Langford CY 29,228 22,459 30.1
Lake Country DM 11,708 9,606 21.9
Port Moody CY 32,975 27,512 19.9
Kent DM 5,664 4,738 E 19.5
Surrey CY 468,251 394,976 18.6

British Columbia – Census subdivisions with 5,000-plus population with the lowest population growth

Table 3 British Columbia – Census subdivisions with 5,000-plus population with the lowest population growth, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name CSD type Population
2011 2006 % change
Kitimat DM 8,335 8,987 -7.3
Peace River D RDA 5,479 5,749 -4.7
Esquimalt DM 16,209 16,840 -3.7
Hope DM 5,969 6,185 -3.5
Okanagan-Similkameen D RDA 5,717 5,913 -3.3

Age and sex

Smithers, T – Age distribution

Chart C: Smithers, T - Population by broad age groups

Chart C description: Smithers, T - Population by broad age groups

Table 4 Smithers, T – Age distributions by broad age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
0 to 14 20.6% 21.1% 20.1%
15 to 64 66.3% 67.4% 65.3%
65 and over 13.0% 11.4% 14.4%

In 2011, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Smithers, T was 13.0%, compared with a national percentage of 14.8%. The percentage of the working age population (15 to 64) was 66.3% and the percentage of children aged 0 to 14 was 20.6%. In comparison, the national percentages were 68.5% for the population aged 15 to 64 and 16.7% for the population aged 0 to 14.

Smithers, T – Population by broad age groups and sex

Table 5 Smithers, T – Population by broad age groups, sex and population change between 2006 and 2011, 2006 to 2011 censuses
Broad age groups by sex Population
2011 2006 change % change
Both sexes
Total 5,405 5,220 185 3.5
0 to 14 1,115 1,170 -55 -4.7
15 to 64 3,585 3,470 115 3.3
65 and over 705 580 125 21.6
Males
Total 2,625 2,530 95 3.8
0 to 14 555 605 -50 -8.3
15 to 64 1,770 1,685 85 5.0
65 and over 300 240 60 25.0
Females
Total 2,780 2,685 95 3.5
0 to 14 560 560 0 0.0
15 to 64 1,815 1,790 25 1.4
65 and over 400 335 65 19.4

Smithers, T – Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D: Smithers, T - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D description: Smithers, T - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Table 6 Smithers, T – Population by five-year age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
Total - Age groups 5,405 2,625 2,780
0 to 4 years 365 185 180
5 to 9 years 370 170 200
10 to 14 years 385 200 180
15 to 19 years 435 235 200
20 to 24 years 345 185 160
25 to 29 years 305 135 170
30 to 34 years 320 155 160
35 to 39 years 385 185 195
40 to 44 years 365 175 190
45 to 49 years 420 205 210
50 to 54 years 410 195 215
55 to 59 years 320 155 165
60 to 64 years 280 140 140
65 to 69 years 210 90 120
70 to 74 years 145 70 80
75 to 79 years 130 65 75
80 to 84 years 105 40 65
85 years and over 105 30 70
Median age 37.2 36.2 38.3

Smithers, T – Median age2 of the population

Chart E: Canada, British Columbia and Smithers, T - Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses

Chart E description: Canada, British Columbia and Smithers, T - Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses

In 2011, the median age in Smithers, T was 37.2 years. In comparison, the median age of British Columbia was 41.9 years.

Table 7 Canada, British Columbia and Smithers, T – Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses
  Median age
2006 2011
Canada 39.5 40.6
British Columbia 40.8 41.9
Smithers, T 36.1 37.2

Families and households

In 2011, the number of census families3 in Smithers was 1,440, which represents a change of 3.6% from 2006. This compares to a growth rate for Canada of 5.5% over the same period.


In Smithers, 66.0% of census families were married couples in 2011, while 16.3% were common-law-couples and 17.7% were lone-parent families.

Chart F: Smithers - Census families by family structure

Chart F description: Smithers - Census families by family structure

Smithers – Family structure

Table 8 Canada, British Columbia, CSD of Smithers, T and neighbouring census subdivisions – Distribution of census families by family structure, 2011 Census
Geographic name Total families Married-couple families Common-law-couple families Lone-parent families % change, census families, 2006 to 2011
number % number % number %
Canada † 9,389,695 6,293,950 67.0 1,567,905 16.7 1,527,840 16.3 5.5
British Columbia † 1,238,155 887,990 71.7 160,360 13.0 189,805 15.3 6.6
Smithers, T 1,440 950 66.0 235 16.3 255 17.7 3.6
Bulkley-Nechako A, RDA 1,595 1,240 77.7 240 15.0 120 7.5 6.7

Smithers – Presence of children within couple families

Among couples (married and common-law) in the census subdivision of Smithers, 50.2% were couples with children aged 24 and under at home. In comparison, as a whole, 46.9% of couples in Canada had children aged 24 and under at home.

Presence of children within couple families
* Children aged 24 and under at home
Married couples with children * 485
Married couples without children * 470
Common-law-couples with children * 115
Common-law-couples without children * 120

Smithers – Marital status

Chart H: Smithers - Marital status

Chart H description: Smithers - Marital status

In Smithers, 56.2% of the total population aged 15 and over were either married (45.2%) or living with a common-law partner (11.0%).

The remaining 43.8% were not married and not living with a common-law partner, including those who were single (never-married), separated, divorced or widowed.

Note: Percentages may not total 100 percent due to random rounding.

Table 9 Canada, British Columbia, Smithers, T – Population 15 years and older by marital status, 2011 Census
Marital status Smithers, T British Columbia Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Population 15 years and over 4,290 100.0 3,722,690 100.0 27,869,345 100.0
Married or living with a common-law partner 2,410 56.2 2,154,575 57.9 16,084,490 57.7
Married (and not separated) 1,940 45.2 1,832,605 49.2 12,941,965 46.4
Living common-law 470 11.0 321,965 8.6 3,142,525 11.3
Not married and not living with a common-law partner 1,880 43.8 1,568,120 42.1 11,784,855 42.3
Single (never legally married) 1,200 28.0 1,014,270 27.2 7,816,045 28.0
Separated 140 3.3 102,035 2.7 698,245 2.5
Divorced 265 6.2 246,515 6.6 1,686,035 6.0
Widowed 270 6.3 205,300 5.5 1,584,525 5.7

Smithers – Types of private households

There were 2,190 private households4 in Smithers in 2011, a change of 5.3% from 2006. Of these, 26.9% of households were comprised of couples with children aged 24 and under at home, a change of -4.8% compared with five years earlier.

Table 10 Canada, British Columbia, Smithers, T – Distribution of households by household type, 2011 Census
Household type5 Smithers, T British Columbia Canada
number % number % number %
Total private households 2,190 100.0 1,764,635 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Couple-family households with children
aged 24 and under at home6		 590 26.9 431,135 24.4 3,524,915 26.5
Couple-family households without children
aged 24 and under at home7		 570 26.0 532,995 30.2 3,935,540 29.5
Lone-parent family households8 245 11.2 168,530 9.6 1,375,450 10.3
One-person households 680 31.1 498,925 28.3 3,673,310 27.6
Multiple family households9 15 0.7 50,410 2.9 268,060 2.0
Other households10 90 4.1 82,640 4.7 543,340 4.1

Smithers – Structural type of dwelling

In Smithers, 64.4% of private households lived in single-detached houses and 0.0% lived in apartments in buildings that have five or more storeys. The rest lived in other types of dwelling structures.

Table 11 Canada, British Columbia, Smithers, T – Distribution of private households by structural type of dwelling, 2011 Census
Structural type of dwelling Smithers, T British Columbia Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Structural type of dwelling 2,190 100.0 1,764,640 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Single-detached house 1,410 64.4 842,120 47.7 7,329,150 55.0
Semi-detached house 100 4.6 52,825 3.0 646,240 4.9
Row house 115 5.3 130,370 7.4 791,600 5.9
Apartment, building that has five or more storeys 0 0.0 143,970 8.2 1,234,770 9.3
Apartment, building that has fewer than five storeys 345 15.8 361,150 20.5 2,397,555 18.0
Apartment, duplex 35 1.6 184,355 10.4 704,485 5.3
Other single-attached house11 20 0.9 2,885 0.2 33,310 0.3
Movable dwelling12 165 7.5 46,960 2.7 183,510 1.4

Language

Smithers, T – Mother tongue

Chart J: Smithers, T - Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home

Chart J description: Smithers, T - Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home

Note: Counts for mother tongue as well as those for language spoken most often at home include single responses only.

In Smithers, 89.1% of the population reported English only as mother tongue, 1.2% reported French only, and 8.6% reported a non-official language only, in 2011. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 70.3% for English only, 1.3% for French only and 26.5% for only non-official languages.

In 2011, 96.1% of the population spoke only English most often at home, 0.4% spoke only French and 2.2% spoke only a non-official language. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 80.5% for only English, 0.4% for only French and 15.4% for only a non-official language.

Table 12 Smithers, T – Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home, 2011 Census
Selected languages Mother tongue Language spoken most often at home
number % number %
Total 5,345 100.0 5,350 100.0
English 4,760 89.1 5,140 96.1
French 65 1.2 20 0.4
Non-official language 460 8.6 120 2.2
Multiple responses 60 1.1 70 1.3
Table 13 Smithers, T – Mother-tongue retention, 2011 Census
Mother tongue Mother-tongue retention13
(in percentage)
Total retention; language spoken at home at least on a regular basis Complete retention; language spoken most often at home Partial retention; language spoken at home on a regular basis
Note: Counts for mother tongue and home language include single response of a language as well as multiple responses of a language with English and/or French.
English 99.7 99.6 0.1
French 47.1 17.6 29.4
Non-official language 55.3 32.0 23.3

Smithers, T – Non-official languages

In Smithers, the three most common mother tongues were Dutch (2.2%), German (1.7%) and Italian (0.6%), in 2011. In comparison, the most common mother tongues at the provincial / territorial level were Panjabi (Punjabi) (4.5%), Cantonese (3.2%) and Chinese, n.o.s. (2.9%).

Table 14 Smithers, T – The most common non-official-language mother tongues, 2011 Census
Mother tongue Number Percentage of non-official language mother-tongue population Percentage of total population
Note: Counts for mother tongue and home language include single response of a language as well as multiple responses of a language with English and/or French.
Dutch 120 23.3 2.2
German 90 17.5 1.7
Italian 30 5.8 0.6
Vietnamese 30 5.8 0.6
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) 25 4.9 0.5

Smithers, T – Bilingualism

Table 15 Smithers, T – Rate of English-French bilingualism by mother tongue and age groups, 2011 Census
Age groups Mother tongue
Total English French Non-official language
Note: Counts for mother tongue include single responses only. Consequently, the total excludes multiple responses.
Total 5.5 4.7 71.4 3.2
0 to 19 6.5 6.4 50.0 0.0
20 to 44 6.7 6.1 100.0 4.5
45 to 64 4.6 2.8 80.0 7.7
65 and over 2.3 0.0 66.7 0.0
Table 16 Smithers, T – Knowledge of official languages, 2011 Census
Knowledge of official languages Number Percentage
Total 5,350 100.0
English only 5,035 94.1
French only 0 0.0
English and French 300 5.6
Neither English nor French 10 0.2

Symbols:

···
not applicable
†
excludes census data for one or more incompletely enumerated Indian reserves or Indian settlements. For further information, refer to Notes.
incompletely enumerated Indian reserve or Indian settlement. For further information, refer to Notes.
A
adjusted figure due to boundary change. For further information, refer to Content considerations.
E
use with caution. For further information, refer to Cautionary note.


Source:

Statistics Canada. 2012. Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-310-XWE2011004. Ottawa, Ontario. Analytical products, 2011 Census. Last updated October 24, 2012.
 

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