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Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census

Census metropolitan area of Hamilton, Ontario

Map of Hamilton, CMA (shaded in green), Ontario

Map of Hamilton

Interactive version of map

Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Chart A: Hamilton, CMA - Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Chart A description: Hamilton, CMA - Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Prov. rank
3
Nat. rank
9

In 2011, the population of Hamilton census metropolitan area (CMA) was 721,053, representing a percentage change of 4.1% from 2006. This compares to the national growth of 5.9% and to the average growth among all CMAs of 7.4%.

In Hamilton, the land area is 1,371.85 square kilometres with a population density of 525.6 persons per square kilometre. This compares to the national land area of 8,965,121.42 square kilometres with a population density of 3.7 persons per square kilometre. The land area of all CMAs is 92,648.98 square kilometres with 249.58 persons per square kilometre.

In total, there were 282,186 private dwellings occupied by usual residents in Hamilton in 2011. The change in private dwellings occupied by usual residents from 2006 was 5.9%. For Canada as a whole, the number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents increased 7.1%.

Population and dwelling counts

Census subdivisions in the Hamilton CMA

Table 1 Hamilton CMA – Census subdivisions, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name Type Population
2011 2006 % change
Hamilton C 519,949 504,559 3.1
Burlington CY 175,779 164,415 6.9
Grimsby T 25,325 23,937 5.8

Census metropolitan areas (CMAs) or census agglomerations (CAs) in Ontario

Table 2 Ontario – Metropolitan areas, population rank and population change, 2006 to 2011
CMA or CA name Type Population Rank
2011 2006 % change Nat. Prov.
Toronto CMA 5,583,064 5,113,149 9.2 1 1
Ottawa - Gatineau CMA 1,236,324 1,133,633 A 9.1 4 ···
Ottawa - Gatineau (partie du Québec / Quebec part)   314,501 286,831 A 9.6 ··· 3
Ottawa - Gatineau (Ontario part / partie de l'Ontario)   921,823 846,802 8.9 ··· 2
Hamilton CMA 721,053 692,911 4.1 9 3
Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo CMA 477,160 451,235 5.7 10 4
London CMA 474,786 457,720 3.7 11 5
St. Catharines - Niagara CMA 392,184 390,317 0.5 12 6
Oshawa CMA 356,177 330,594 7.7 14 7
Windsor CMA 319,246 323,342 -1.3 16 8
Barrie CMA 187,013 177,061 5.6 21 9
Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury CMA 160,770 158,258 1.6 24 10
Kingston CMA 159,561 152,358 4.7 25 11
Guelph CMA 141,097 133,698 A 5.5 28 12
Brantford CMA 135,501 124,607 8.7 30 13
Thunder Bay CMA 121,596 122,907 -1.1 32 14
Peterborough CMA 118,975 116,570 2.1 33 15
Chatham-Kent CA 104,075 108,589 -4.2 35 16
Belleville CA 92,540 91,518 1.1 40 17
Sarnia CA 89,555 88,793 0.9 44 18
Sault Ste. Marie † CA 79,800 80,098 -0.4 47 19
Kawartha Lakes CA 73,214 74,561 -1.8 49 20
North Bay CA 64,043 63,424 1.0 53 21
Norfolk CA 63,175 62,563 1.0 54 22
Cornwall CA 58,957 58,485 0.8 55 23
Leamington CA 49,765 49,741 0.0 63 24
Timmins CA 43,165 42,997 0.4 69 25
Orillia CA 40,731 40,532 0.5 73 26
Brockville CA 39,024 39,668 -1.6 75 27
Woodstock CA 37,754 35,822 A 5.4 76 28
Midland CA 35,419 35,432 A 0.0 79 29
Owen Sound CA 32,092 32,259 -0.5 85 30
Stratford CA 30,886 30,516 A 1.2 86 31
Centre Wellington CA 26,693 26,049 2.5 95 32
Pembroke CA 24,017 23,195 3.5 102 33
Collingwood CA 19,241 17,290 11.3 106 34
Cobourg CA 18,519 18,210 1.7 109 35
Port Hope CA 16,214 16,390 -1.1 121 36
Petawawa CA 15,988 14,651 9.1 123 37
Kenora CA 15,348 15,177 1.1 125 38
Tillsonburg CA 15,301 14,822 3.2 126 39
Temiskaming Shores CA 13,566 13,654 A -0.6 129 40
Ingersoll CA 12,146 11,760 3.3 142 41
Hawkesbury CA 12,128 12,267 -1.1 143 ···
Hawkesbury (partie du Québec / Quebec part)   1,577 1,398 12.8 ··· 31
Hawkesbury (Ontario part / partie de l'Ontario)   10,551 10,869 -2.9 ··· 43
Elliot Lake CA 11,348 11,549 -1.7 146 42

Age and sex

Hamilton – Age distribution

Chart C: Hamilton - Population by broad age groups

Chart C description: Hamilton - Population by broad age groups

Table 3 Hamilton – Age distributions by broad age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
0 to 14 16.6% 17.7% 15.7%
15 to 64 67.3% 68.0% 66.7%
65 and over 16.0% 14.4% 17.6%

In 2011, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Hamilton was 16.0%, compared with a national percentage of 14.8%. The percentage of the working age population (15 to 64) was 67.3% and the percentage of children aged 0 to 14 was 16.6%. 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.

Hamilton – Population by broad age groups and sex

Table 4 Hamilton – Population by broad age groups and 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 721,050 692,910 28,140 4.1
0 to 14 120,045 123,995 -3,950 -3.2
15 to 64 485,440 464,480 20,960 4.5
65 and over 115,560 104,435 11,125 10.7
Males
Total 350,650 336,335 14,315 4.3
0 to 14 61,890 63,565 -1,675 -2.6
15 to 64 238,415 228,105 10,310 4.5
65 and over 50,345 44,665 5,680 12.7
Females
Total 370,405 356,575 13,830 3.9
0 to 14 58,155 60,430 -2,275 -3.8
15 to 64 247,030 236,380 10,650 4.5
65 and over 65,220 59,770 5,450 9.1

Hamilton – Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D: Hamilton - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D description: Hamilton - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Table 5 Hamilton – Population by five-year age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
Total - Age groups 721,050 350,650 370,405
0 to 4 years 38,350 19,835 18,515
5 to 9 years 39,540 20,330 19,210
10 to 14 years 42,150 21,725 20,425
15 to 19 years 49,130 25,340 23,785
20 to 24 years 47,730 24,245 23,485
25 to 29 years 43,780 21,655 22,130
30 to 34 years 42,905 20,665 22,240
35 to 39 years 45,065 21,700 23,365
40 to 44 years 50,505 24,625 25,885
45 to 49 years 58,415 28,605 29,805
50 to 54 years 56,405 27,790 28,620
55 to 59 years 48,450 23,270 25,180
60 to 64 years 43,055 20,515 22,540
65 to 69 years 32,725 15,595 17,135
70 to 74 years 26,225 12,205 14,020
75 to 79 years 22,235 9,785 12,450
80 to 84 years 17,860 7,340 10,515
85 to 89 years 11,410 3,975 7,435
90 to 94 years 4,025 1,195 2,825
95 to 99 years 980 230 750
100 years and over 100 15 85
Median age 41.2 40.0 42.4

Hamilton – Median age1 of the population

Chart E: Canada, Ontario and Hamilton - Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses

Chart E description: Canada, Ontario and Hamilton - Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses

The median age in Hamilton was 41.2 years. In comparison, the median age of Ontario was 40.4 years.

Table 6 Canada, Ontario and Hamilton – Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses
  Median age
2006 2011
Canada 39.5 40.6
Ontario 39.0 40.4
Hamilton 39.9 41.2

Families and households

In 2011, the number of census families2 in Hamilton was 202,895, 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 Hamilton, 71.7% of census families were married couples in 2011, while 10.8% were common-law-couples and 17.5% were lone-parent families.

Chart F: Hamilton - Census families by family structure

Chart F description: Hamilton - Census families by family structure

Hamilton – Family structure

Table 7 Canada, Ontario, Hamilton – 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
Hamilton 202,895 145,480 71.7 21,980 10.8 35,430 17.5 3.6

Hamilton – Presence of children within couple families

Chart G: Hamilton - Presence of children within couple families
Married couples Common-law-couples
with children without children with children without children
72,540 (43.3%) 72,945 (43.6%) 8,395 ( 5.0%) 13,585 ( 8.1%)

Chart G description: Hamilton - Presence of children within couple families

Among couples (married and common-law) in the census metropolitan area of Hamilton, 48.3% 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.

Among couples with children aged 24 and under at home in the census metropolitan area of Hamilton, 88.6% were intact families, that is, in which all children were the biological or adopted children of both parents, while 11.4% were stepfamilies, in which there was at least one child was the biological or adopted child of only one married spouse or common-law partner. For Canada as a whole in 2011, 12.6% of couples with children aged 24 and under were stepfamilies.

Hamilton – Marital status

Chart H: Hamilton - Marital status

Chart H description: Hamilton - Marital status

In Hamilton, 56.7% of the total population aged 15 and over were either married (49.4%) or living with a common-law partner (7.3%).

The remaining 43.3% 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 8 Canada, Ontario, Hamilton – Population 15 years and older by marital status, 2011 Census
Marital status Hamilton Ontario Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Population 15 years and over 601,005 100.0 10,671,050 100.0 27,869,345 100.0
Married or living with a common-law partner 340,900 56.7 6,158,605 57.7 16,084,490 57.7
Married (and not separated) 296,865 49.4 5,367,400 50.3 12,941,965 46.4
Living common-law 44,040 7.3 791,210 7.4 3,142,525 11.3
Not married and not living with a common-law partner 260,110 43.3 4,512,440 42.3 11,784,855 42.3
Single (never legally married) 165,685 27.6 2,985,020 28.0 7,816,045 28.0
Separated 19,270 3.2 319,805 3.0 698,245 2.5
Divorced 36,690 6.1 593,730 5.6 1,686,035 6.0
Widowed 38,460 6.4 613,880 5.8 1,584,525 5.7

Hamilton – Types of private households

There were 282,185 private households3 in Hamilton in 2011, a change of 5.9% from 2006. Of these, 27.6% of households were comprised of couples with children aged 24 and under at home, a change of -3.1% compared with five years earlier.

Table 9 Canada, Ontario, Hamilton – Distribution of households by household type, 2011 Census
Household type4 Hamilton Ontario Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Private households 282,185 100.0 4,887,505 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Couple-family households with children
aged 24 and under at home5		 78,015 27.6 1,402,420 28.7 3,524,915 26.5
Couple-family households without children
aged 24 and under at home6		 81,790 29.0 1,408,120 28.8 3,935,540 29.5
Lone-parent family households7 32,375 11.5 535,825 11.0 1,375,450 10.3
One-person households 75,865 26.9 1,230,980 25.2 3,673,310 27.6
Multiple-family households8 5,245 1.9 128,660 2.6 268,060 2.0
Other households9 8,885 3.1 181,500 3.7 543,340 4.1

Hamilton – Structural type of dwelling

In Hamilton, 57.1% of private households lived in single-detached houses and 15.6% lived in apartments in buildings that have five or more storeys. The rest lived in other types of dwelling structures.

Table 10 Canada, Ontario, Hamilton – Distribution of private households by structural type of dwelling, 2011 Census
Structural type of dwelling Hamilton Ontario Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Structural type of dwelling 282,185 100.0 4,887,510 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Single-detached house 161,020 57.1 2,718,880 55.6 7,329,150 55.0
Semi-detached house 9,665 3.4 279,470 5.7 646,240 4.9
Row house 35,800 12.7 415,230 8.5 791,600 5.9
Apartment, building that has five or more storeys 44,000 15.6 789,975 16.2 1,234,770 9.3
Apartment, building that has fewer than five storeys 23,480 8.3 498,160 10.2 2,397,555 18.0
Apartment, duplex 7,315 2.6 160,460 3.3 704,485 5.3
Other single-attached house10 530 0.2 9,535 0.2 33,310 0.3
Movable dwelling11 385 0.1 15,795 0.3 183,510 1.4

Language

Hamilton – Mother tongue

Chart J: Hamilton - Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home

Chart J description: Hamilton - 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 Hamilton, 75.9% of the population reported English only as mother tongue, 1.4% reported French only, and 21.0% reported only a non-official language, 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, 86.1% of the population spoke only English most often at home, 0.5% spoke only French and 10.1% spoke only a non-official language. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 79.0% for English only, 2.2% for French only and 14.4% for only a non-official language.

Table 11 Hamilton – Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home, 2011 Census
Selected languages Mother tongue Language spoken most often at home
number % number %
Total 712,580 100.0 712,580 100.0
English 540,875 75.9 613,375 86.1
French 10,155 1.4 3,355 0.5
Non-official language 149,370 21.0 71,875 10.1
Multiple responses 12,180 1.7 23,975 3.4
Table 12 Hamilton – 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 99.5 99.2 0.3
French 55.0 30.6 24.4
Non-official language 76.8 53.8 23.0

Hamilton – Non-official languages

In Hamilton, the three most common mother tongues were Italian (2.9%), Polish (1.5%) and Spanish (1.4%), 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 13 Hamilton – 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 20,535 12.8 2.9
Polish 10,795 6.7 1.5
Spanish 10,045 6.3 1.4
Portuguese 9,400 5.9 1.3
Arabic 8,425 5.3 1.2
German 6,960 4.3 1.0
Serbian 6,660 4.2 0.9
Croatian 6,335 4.0 0.9
Panjabi (Punjabi) 6,170 3.9 0.9
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) 5,330 3.3 0.7

Hamilton – Bilingualism

Table 14 Hamilton – 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 6.1 5.0 86.9 4.7
0 to 19 6.5 5.7 83.6 7.2
20 to 44 7.3 6.4 90.7 5.5
45 to 64 5.5 3.8 88.1 4.5
65 and over 4.3 2.7 82.4 2.4
Table 15 Hamilton – Knowledge of official languages, 2011 Census
Knowledge of official languages Number Percentage
Total 712,580 100.0
English only 656,790 92.2
French only 480 0.1
English and French 45,060 6.3
Neither English nor French 10,250 1.4

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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