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Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census

Census agglomeration of Fort St. John, British Columbia

Map of Fort St. John, CA (shaded in green), British Columbia

Map of Fort St. John

Interactive version of map

Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Chart A: Fort St. John, CA - Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Chart A description: Fort St. John, CA - Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Prov. rank
15
Nat. rank
96

In 2011, the population of Fort St. John census agglomeration (CA) was 26,380, representing a percentage change of 4.9% from 2006. This compares to the national growth of 5.9% and to the average growth among all CAs of 4.2%.

In Fort St. John, the land area is 620.80 square kilometres with a population density of 42.5 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 CAs is 232,264.62 square kilometres with 18.56 persons per square kilometre.

In total, there were 10,351 private dwellings occupied by usual residents in Fort St. John in 2011. The change in private dwellings occupied by usual residents from 2006 was 6.6%. 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 Fort St. John CA

Table 1 Fort St. John CA – Census subdivisions, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name Type Population
2011 2006 % change
Fort St. John CY 18,609 17,402 6.9
Peace River C RDA 6,398 6,350 0.8
Taylor DM 1,373 1,384 -0.8

Census metropolitan areas (CMAs) or census agglomerations (CAs) in British Columbia

Table 2 British Columbia – Metropolitan areas, population rank and population change, 2006 to 2011
CMA or CA name Type Population Rank
2011 2006 % change Nat. Prov.
Vancouver CMA 2,313,328 2,116,581 9.3 3 1
Victoria  CMA 344,615 330,088 4.4 15 2
Kelowna CMA 179,839 162,276 10.8 22 3
Abbotsford - Mission CMA 170,191 159,020 7.0 23 4
Kamloops CA 98,754 92,797 A 6.4 37 5
Nanaimo CA 98,021 92,361 6.1 38 6
Chilliwack CA 92,308 82,465 A 11.9 42 7
Prince George CA 84,232 83,225 1.2 46 8
Vernon CA 58,584 55,418 5.7 56 9
Courtenay CA 55,213 51,383 A 7.5 58 10
Duncan CA 43,252 41,387 4.5 68 11
Penticton CA 42,361 41,303 A 2.6 71 12
Campbell River CA 36,096 34,707 A 4.0 77 13
Parksville CA 27,822 26,518 4.9 92 14
Fort St. John CA 26,380 25,136 4.9 96 15
Port Alberni CA 25,465 25,343 A 0.5 99 16
Cranbrook CA 25,037 24,138 3.7 100 17
Quesnel CA 22,096 21,049 A 5.0 104 18
Williams Lake CA 18,490 18,760 -1.4 110 19
Salmon Arm CA 17,683 16,205 9.1 114 20
Squamish CA 17,479 15,256 14.6 116 21
Powell River CA 16,689 16,537 0.9 119 22
Terrace CA 15,569 15,420 A 1.0 124 23
Prince Rupert CA 13,052 13,392 -2.5 131 24
Dawson Creek CA 11,583 10,994 5.4 145 25

Age and sex

Fort St. John – Age distribution

Table 3 Fort St. John – Age distributions by broad age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
0 to 14 21.1% 20.9% 21.4%
15 to 64 71.9% 72.9% 70.9%
65 and over 6.9% 6.2% 7.7%

In 2011, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Fort St. John was 6.9%, compared with a national percentage of 14.8%. The percentage of the working age population (15 to 64) was 71.9% and the percentage of children aged 0 to 14 was 21.1%. 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.

Fort St. John – Population by broad age groups and sex

Table 4 Fort St. John – 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 26,385 25,135 1,250 5.0
0 to 14 5,575 5,470 105 1.9
15 to 64 18,980 18,080 900 5.0
65 and over 1,830 1,590 240 15.1
Males
Total 13,610 12,975 635 4.9
0 to 14 2,840 2,725 115 4.2
15 to 64 9,920 9,510 410 4.3
65 and over 845 735 110 15.0
Females
Total 12,775 12,165 610 5.0
0 to 14 2,735 2,745 -10 -0.4
15 to 64 9,055 8,565 490 5.7
65 and over 985 855 130 15.2

Fort St. John – Population by five-year age groups and sex

Table 5 Fort St. John – Population by five-year age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
Total - Age groups 26,385 13,610 12,775
0 to 4 years 2,225 1,130 1,095
5 to 9 years 1,685 865 820
10 to 14 years 1,670 845 820
15 to 19 years 1,800 905 905
20 to 24 years 2,160 1,125 1,035
25 to 29 years 2,720 1,450 1,270
30 to 34 years 2,260 1,200 1,055
35 to 39 years 1,950 1,020 930
40 to 44 years 1,890 995 895
45 to 49 years 1,950 995 955
50 to 54 years 1,790 940 845
55 to 59 years 1,420 735 685
60 to 64 years 1,035 555 480
65 to 69 years 660 340 320
70 to 74 years 420 210 210
75 to 79 years 330 140 190
80 to 84 years 225 85 135
85 to 89 years 130 50 80
90 to 94 years 55 15 40
95 to 99 years 10 5 10
100 years and over 0 0 0
Median age 32.0 32.0 32.1

Fort St. John – Median age1 of the population

The median age in Fort St. John was 32 years. In comparison, the median age of British Columbia was 41.9 years.

Table 6 Canada, British Columbia and Fort St. John – Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses
  Median age
2006 2011
Canada 39.5 40.6
British Columbia 40.8 41.9
Fort St. John 31.5 32.0

Families and households

In 2011, the number of census families2 in Fort St. John was 7,245, which represents a change of 3.9% from 2006. This compares to a growth rate for Canada of 5.5% over the same period.


In Fort St. John, 64.6% of census families were married couples in 2011, while 21.9% were common-law-couples and 13.4% were lone-parent families.

Fort St. John – Family structure

Table 7 Canada, British Columbia, Fort St. John – 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
Fort St. John 7,245 4,680 64.6 1,590 21.9 970 13.4 3.9

Fort St. John – Presence of children within couple families

Chart G: Fort St. John - Presence of children within couple families
Married couples Common-law-couples
with children without children with children without children
2,525 (40.2%) 2,160 (34.4%) 710 (11.3%) 880 (14.0%)

Chart G description: Fort St. John - Presence of children within couple families

Among couples (married and common-law) in the census agglomeration of Fort St. John, 51.5% 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 agglomeration of Fort St. John, 84.4% were intact families, that is, in which all children were the biological or adopted children of both parents, while 15.8% 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.

Fort St. John – Marital status

In Fort St. John, 61.1% of the total population aged 15 and over were either married (45.8%) or living with a common-law partner (15.3%).

The remaining 38.9% 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 8 Canada, British Columbia, Fort St. John – Population 15 years and older by marital status, 2011 Census
Marital status Fort St. John British Columbia Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Population 15 years and over 20,805 100.0 3,722,690 100.0 27,869,345 100.0
Married or living with a common-law partner 12,720 61.1 2,154,575 57.9 16,084,490 57.7
Married (and not separated) 9,535 45.8 1,832,605 49.2 12,941,965 46.4
Living common-law 3,180 15.3 321,965 8.6 3,142,525 11.3
Not married and not living with a common-law partner 8,085 38.9 1,568,120 42.1 11,784,855 42.3
Single (never legally married) 5,740 27.6 1,014,270 27.2 7,816,045 28.0
Separated 605 2.9 102,035 2.7 698,245 2.5
Divorced 1,085 5.2 246,515 6.6 1,686,035 6.0
Widowed 650 3.1 205,300 5.5 1,584,525 5.7

Fort St. John – Types of private households

There were 10,350 private households3 in Fort St. John in 2011, a change of 6.6% from 2006. Of these, 30.6% of households were comprised of couples with children aged 24 and under at home, a change of -0.2% compared with five years earlier.

Table 9 Canada, British Columbia, Fort St. John – Distribution of households by household type, 2011 Census
Household type4 Fort St. John British Columbia Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Private households 10,350 100.0 1,764,635 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Couple-family households with children
aged 24 and under at home5
3,170 30.6 431,135 24.4 3,524,915 26.5
Couple-family households without children
aged 24 and under at home6
2,935 28.4 532,995 30.2 3,935,540 29.5
Lone-parent family households7 870 8.4 168,530 9.6 1,375,450 10.3
One-person households 2,585 25.0 498,925 28.3 3,673,310 27.6
Multiple-family households8 130 1.3 50,410 2.9 268,060 2.0
Other households9 655 6.3 82,640 4.7 543,340 4.1

Fort St. John – Structural type of dwelling

In Fort St. John, 59.0% of private households lived in single-detached houses and 0.9% lived in apartments in buildings that have five or more storeys. The rest lived in other types of dwelling structures.

Table 10 Canada, British Columbia, Fort St. John – Distribution of private households by structural type of dwelling, 2011 Census
Structural type of dwelling Fort St. John British Columbia Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Structural type of dwelling 10,355 100.0 1,764,640 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Single-detached house 6,110 59.0 842,120 47.7 7,329,150 55.0
Semi-detached house 555 5.4 52,825 3.0 646,240 4.9
Row house 805 7.8 130,370 7.4 791,600 5.9
Apartment, building that has five or more storeys 90 0.9 143,970 8.2 1,234,770 9.3
Apartment, building that has fewer than five storeys 1,435 13.9 361,150 20.5 2,397,555 18.0
Apartment, duplex 140 1.4 184,355 10.4 704,485 5.3
Other single-attached house10 5 0.0 2,885 0.2 33,310 0.3
Movable dwelling11 1,210 11.7 46,960 2.7 183,510 1.4

Language

Fort St. John – Mother tongue

Chart J: Fort St. John - Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home

Chart J description: Fort St. John - 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 Fort St. John, 91.6% of the population reported English only as mother tongue, 1.1% reported French only, and 6.7% reported only a non-official language, 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, 96.7% of the population spoke only English most often at home, 0.2% spoke only French and 2.2% spoke only a non-official language. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 80.5% for English only, 0.4% for French only and 15.4% for only a non-official language.

Table 11 Fort St. John – Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home, 2011 Census
Selected languages Mother tongue Language spoken most often at home
number % number %
Total 26,275 100.0 26,275 100.0
English 24,065 91.6 25,420 96.7
French 285 1.1 55 0.2
Non-official language 1,750 6.7 580 2.2
Multiple responses 175 0.7 215 0.8
Table 12 Fort St. John – 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 99.9 99.8 0.1
French 40.9 18.2 22.7
Non-official language 64.2 36.6 27.6

Fort St. John – Non-official languages

In Fort St. John, the three most common mother tongues were German (2.3%), Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) (0.7%) and Russian (0.5%), 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 13 Fort St. John – 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.
German 610 32.3 2.3
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) 195 10.3 0.7
Russian 130 6.9 0.5
Spanish 75 4.0 0.3

Fort St. John – Bilingualism

Table 14 Fort St. John – 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 4.7 3.9 86.0 3.1
0 to 19 6.0 5.8 100.0 2.2
20 to 44 4.8 4.1 94.4 3.4
45 to 64 3.4 1.5 84.6 2.8
65 and over 3.2 1.0 77.8 2.0
Table 15 Fort St. John – Knowledge of official languages, 2011 Census
Knowledge of official languages Number Percentage
Total 26,270 100.0
English only 24,945 95.0
French only 0 0.0
English and French 1,270 4.8
Neither English nor French 60 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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