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Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census

Census subdivision of Sault Ste. Marie, CY - Ontario

Map of Sault Ste. Marie, CY (shaded in green), Ontario

Map of Sault Ste. Marie, CY

Interactive version of map

Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Chart A: Sault Ste. Marie, CY - Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Chart A description: Sault Ste. Marie, CY - Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Prov. rank
33
Nat. rank
73

In 2011, Sault Ste. Marie (City) had a population of 75,141, representing a percentage change of 0.3% from 2006. This compares to the national average growth of 5.9%.

Land area is 223.26 square kilometres with a population density of 336.6 persons per square kilometre. This compares to the provincial land area of 908,607.67 square kilometres with a population density of 14.1 persons per square kilometre.

In 2011, Sault Ste. Marie (City) had 32,517 private dwellings occupied by usual residents. The change in private dwellings occupied by usual residents from 2006 was 2.4%. For Canada as a whole, the number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents increased 7.1%.

Sault Ste. Marie (City) is part of the census agglomeration of Sault Ste. Marie.

Population and dwelling counts

Sault Ste. Marie (City) – Neighbouring census subdivisions

Table 1 Sault Ste. Marie (City) – Neighbouring census subdivisions, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name CSD type Population
2011 2006 % change
Prince, Ont. TP 1,031 971 6.2
Garden River 14, Ont. IRI 1,107 985 12.4
Rankin Location 15D, Ont.  IRI 566
Algoma, Unorganized, North Part, Ont. NO 5,518 5,717 -3.5

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

Table 2 Ontario – 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
Milton T 84,362 53,889 A 56.5
Whitchurch-Stouffville T 37,628 24,390 54.3
Ajax T 109,600 90,167 21.6
Brampton CY 523,911 433,806 20.8
Vaughan CY 288,301 238,866 20.7

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

Table 3 Ontario – 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
Thunder Bay, Unorganized NO 5,909 6,585 -10.3
Hearst T 5,090 5,620 -9.4
Dryden CY 7,617 8,195 -7.1
The Blue Mountains T 6,453 6,825 -5.5

Age and sex

Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Age distribution

Chart C: Sault Ste. Marie, CY - Population by broad age groups

Chart C description: Sault Ste. Marie, CY - Population by broad age groups

Table 4 Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Age distributions by broad age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
0 to 14 14.2% 15.2% 13.3%
15 to 64 66.1% 66.8% 65.4%
65 and over 19.7% 18.0% 21.3%

In 2011, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Sault Ste. Marie, CY was 19.7%, compared with a national percentage of 14.8%. The percentage of the working age population (15 to 64) was 66.1% and the percentage of children aged 0 to 14 was 14.2%. 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.

Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Population by broad age groups and sex

Table 5 Sault Ste. Marie, CY – 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 75,145 74,945 200 0.3
0 to 14 10,670 11,430 -760 -6.6
15 to 64 49,645 49,640 5 0.0
65 and over 14,830 13,875 955 6.9
Males
Total 36,115 35,930 185 0.5
0 to 14 5,490 5,905 -415 -7.0
15 to 64 24,115 23,995 120 0.5
65 and over 6,510 6,030 480 8.0
Females
Total 39,025 39,020 5 0.0
0 to 14 5,180 5,530 -350 -6.3
15 to 64 25,525 25,645 -120 -0.5
65 and over 8,320 7,845 475 6.1

Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D: Sault Ste. Marie, CY - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D description: Sault Ste. Marie, CY - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Table 6 Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Population by five-year age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
Total - Age groups 75,145 36,115 39,025
0 to 4 years 3,455 1,805 1,650
5 to 9 years 3,450 1,715 1,740
10 to 14 years 3,765 1,970 1,800
15 to 19 years 4,705 2,405 2,300
20 to 24 years 4,750 2,380 2,365
25 to 29 years 4,220 2,050 2,170
30 to 34 years 4,070 1,945 2,125
35 to 39 years 4,000 1,910 2,085
40 to 44 years 4,470 2,200 2,270
45 to 49 years 5,830 2,735 3,095
50 to 54 years 6,515 3,065 3,450
55 to 59 years 5,815 2,855 2,960
60 to 64 years 5,275 2,575 2,700
65 to 69 years 4,005 1,880 2,125
70 to 74 years 3,445 1,580 1,865
75 to 79 years 2,990 1,370 1,620
80 to 84 years 2,420 1,020 1,400
85 years and over 1,970 655 1,310
Median age 45.7 44.3 46.7

Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Median age1 of the population

Chart E: Canada, Ontario and Sault Ste. Marie, CY - Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses

Chart E description: Canada, Ontario and Sault Ste. Marie, CY - Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses

In 2011, the median age in Sault Ste. Marie, CY was 45.7 years. In comparison, the median age of Ontario was 40.4 years.

Table 7 Canada, Ontario and Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses
  Median age
2006 2011
Canada 39.5 40.6
Ontario 39.0 40.4
Sault Ste. Marie, CY 43.9 45.7

Families and households

In 2011, the number of census families2 in Sault Ste. Marie was 21,975, which represents a change of -0.1% from 2006. This compares to a growth rate for Canada of 5.5% over the same period.


In Sault Ste. Marie, 68.1% of census families were married couples in 2011, while 13.0% were common-law-couples and 18.9% were lone-parent families.

Chart F: Sault Ste. Marie - Census families by family structure

Chart F description: Sault Ste. Marie - Census families by family structure

Sault Ste. Marie – Family structure

Table 8 Canada, Ontario, CSD of Sault Ste. Marie, CY 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
Ontario † 3,612,205 2,612,890 72.3 394,670 10.9 604,645 16.7 5.5
Sault Ste. Marie, CY 21,975 14,965 68.1 2,850 13.0 4,160 18.9 -0.1
Prince, TP 345 270 78.3 45 13.0 35 10.1 16.9
Garden River 14, IRI 315 125 39.7 70 22.2 120 38.1 18.9
Algoma, Unorganized, North Part, NO 1,810 1,325 73.2 290 16.0 185 10.2 -2.7

Sault Ste. Marie – Presence of children within couple families

Among couples (married and common-law) in the census subdivision of Sault Ste. Marie, 41.0% 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 * 6,015
Married couples without children * 8,950
Common-law-couples with children * 1,285
Common-law-couples without children * 1,560

Sault Ste. Marie – Marital status

Chart H: Sault Ste. Marie - Marital status

Chart H description: Sault Ste. Marie - Marital status

In Sault Ste. Marie, 56.1% of the total population aged 15 and over were either married (47.3%) or living with a common-law partner (8.8%).

The remaining 43.9% 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, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Population 15 years and older by marital status, 2011 Census
Marital status Sault Ste. Marie, CY Ontario Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Population 15 years and over 64,470 100.0 10,671,050 100.0 27,869,345 100.0
Married or living with a common-law partner 36,190 56.1 6,158,605 57.7 16,084,490 57.7
Married (and not separated) 30,490 47.3 5,367,400 50.3 12,941,965 46.4
Living common-law 5,700 8.8 791,210 7.4 3,142,525 11.3
Not married and not living with a common-law partner 28,280 43.9 4,512,440 42.3 11,784,855 42.3
Single (never legally married) 16,570 25.7 2,985,020 28.0 7,816,045 28.0
Separated 2,240 3.5 319,805 3.0 698,245 2.5
Divorced 4,350 6.7 593,730 5.6 1,686,035 6.0
Widowed 5,115 7.9 613,880 5.8 1,584,525 5.7

Sault Ste. Marie – Types of private households

There were 32,520 private households3 in Sault Ste. Marie in 2011, a change of 2.4% from 2006. Of these, 22.1% of households were comprised of couples with children aged 24 and under at home, a change of -8.8% compared with five years earlier.

Table 10 Canada, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Distribution of households by household type, 2011 Census
Household type4 Sault Ste. Marie, CY Ontario Canada
number % number % number %
Total private households 32,520 100.0 4,887,505 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Couple-family households with children
aged 24 and under at home5		 7,180 22.1 1,402,420 28.7 3,524,915 26.5
Couple-family households without children
aged 24 and under at home6		 10,210 31.4 1,408,120 28.8 3,935,540 29.5
Lone-parent family households7 3,910 12.0 535,825 11.0 1,375,450 10.3
One-person households 9,940 30.6 1,230,980 25.2 3,673,310 27.6
Multiple family households8 335 1.0 128,660 2.6 268,060 2.0
Other households9 940 2.9 181,500 3.7 543,340 4.1

Sault Ste. Marie – Structural type of dwelling

In Sault Ste. Marie, 65.3% of private households lived in single-detached houses and 6.5% lived in apartments in buildings that have five or more storeys. The rest lived in other types of dwelling structures.

Table 11 Canada, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Distribution of private households by structural type of dwelling, 2011 Census
Structural type of dwelling Sault Ste. Marie, CY Ontario Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Structural type of dwelling 32,515 100.0 4,887,510 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Single-detached house 21,240 65.3 2,718,880 55.6 7,329,150 55.0
Semi-detached house 1,885 5.8 279,470 5.7 646,240 4.9
Row house 945 2.9 415,230 8.5 791,600 5.9
Apartment, building that has five or more storeys 2,110 6.5 789,975 16.2 1,234,770 9.3
Apartment, building that has fewer than five storeys 4,725 14.5 498,160 10.2 2,397,555 18.0
Apartment, duplex 1,510 4.6 160,460 3.3 704,485 5.3
Other single-attached house10 85 0.3 9,535 0.2 33,310 0.3
Movable dwelling11 5 0.0 15,795 0.3 183,510 1.4

Language

Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Mother tongue

Chart J: Sault Ste. Marie, CY - Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home

Chart J description: Sault Ste. Marie, CY - 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 Sault Ste. Marie, 86.0% of the population reported English only as mother tongue, 3.6% reported French only, and 9.3% reported a non-official language only, in 2011. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 68.2% for English only, 3.9% for French only and 25.7% for only non-official languages.

In 2011, 95.1% of the population spoke only English most often at home, 0.8% spoke only French and 3.0% spoke only a non-official language. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 79.0% for only English, 2.2% for only French and 14.4% for only a non-official language.

Table 12 Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home, 2011 Census
Selected languages Mother tongue Language spoken most often at home
number % number %
Total 74,005 100.0 74,005 100.0
English 63,665 86.0 70,360 95.1
French 2,655 3.6 615 0.8
Non-official language 6,910 9.3 2,190 3.0
Multiple responses 780 1.1 845 1.1
Table 13 Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Mother-tongue retention, 2011 Census
Mother tongue Mother-tongue retention12
(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 99.8 99.8 0.1
French 51.2 24.0 27.2
Non-official language 63.3 36.0 27.3

Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Non-official languages

In Sault Ste. Marie, the three most common mother tongues were Italian (5.2%), Finnish (0.9%) and German (0.7%), in 2011. In comparison, the most common mother tongues at the provincial / territorial level were Italian (2.1%), Chinese, n.o.s. (1.6%) and Cantonese (1.5%).

Table 14 Sault Ste. Marie, CY – 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.
Italian 3,855 52.3 5.2
Finnish 630 8.5 0.9
German 520 7.1 0.7
Polish 325 4.4 0.4
Ukrainian 220 3.0 0.3

Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Bilingualism

Table 15 Sault Ste. Marie, CY – 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 9.0 6.2 88.9 3.8
0 to 19 12.1 11.1 90.0 13.3
20 to 44 10.0 7.8 93.9 6.2
45 to 64 7.2 2.9 90.4 4.6
65 and over 6.9 2.4 83.0 1.7
Table 16 Sault Ste. Marie, CY – Knowledge of official languages, 2011 Census
Knowledge of official languages Number Percentage
Total 74,005 100.0
English only 66,765 90.2
French only 50 0.1
English and French 6,860 9.3
Neither English nor French 330 0.4

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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