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Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census

Census metropolitan area of Québec, Quebec 1

Map of Québec, CMA (shaded in green), Quebec

Map of Québec

Interactive version of map

Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

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

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

Prov. rank
2
Nat. rank
7

In 2011, the population of Québec census metropolitan area (CMA) was 765,706, representing a percentage change of 6.5% from 2006. This compares to the national growth of 5.9% and to the average growth among all CMAs of 7.4%.

In Québec, the land area is 3,349.12 square kilometres with a population density of 228.6 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 345,892 private dwellings occupied by usual residents in Québec in 2011. The change in private dwellings occupied by usual residents from 2006 was 8.8%. 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 Québec CMA

Table 1 Québec CMA – Census subdivisions, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name Type Population
2011 2006 % change
Québec V 516,622 491,142 5.2
Lévis V 138,769 130,006 6.7
Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures V 18,141 17,281 5.0
L'Ancienne-Lorette V 16,745 16,516 1.4
Lac-Beauport MÉ 7,281 6,081 19.7
Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury CU 7,106 5,866 21.1
Boischatel MÉ 6,465 5,287 22.3
Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier V 6,319 5,021 25.9
Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon PE 6,177 5,401 14.4
Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval MÉ 5,696 3,790 50.3
Shannon MÉ 5,086 3,825 33.0
Saint-Henri MÉ 5,023 4,094 22.7
Neuville V 3,888 3,638 6.9
Château-Richer V 3,834 3,563 7.6
L'Ange-Gardien MÉ 3,634 3,008 20.8
Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier MÉ 2,933 2,827 3.7
Beaumont MÉ 2,420 2,180 11.0
Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans MÉ 1,789 1,816 -1.5
Fossambault-sur-le-Lac V 1,613 1,532 5.3
Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans MÉ 1,580 1,601 -1.3
Sainte-Pétronille VL 1,041 1,060 -1.8
Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans MÉ 923 968 -4.6
Sainte-Famille PE 851 844 0.8
Lac-Delage V 598 530 12.8
Saint-François-de-l'Île-d'Orléans MÉ 527 573 -8.0
Notre-Dame-des-Anges PE 394 437 -9.8
Lac-Saint-Joseph V 251 266 -5.6
Wendake  IRI

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

Table 2 Quebec – Metropolitan areas, population rank and population change, 2006 to 2011
CMA or CA name Type Population Rank
2011 2006 % change Nat. Prov.
Montréal † CMA 3,824,221 3,635,556 A 5.2 2 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
Québec † CMA 765,706 719,153 A 6.5 7 2
Sherbrooke CMA 201,890 191,410 A 5.5 19 4
Saguenay CMA 157,790 156,305 A 1.0 26 5
Trois-Rivières CMA 151,773 144,713 A 4.9 27 6
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu CA 92,394 87,492 5.6 41 7
Drummondville CA 88,480 82,949 A 6.7 45 8
Granby CA 77,077 71,176 A 8.3 48 9
Saint-Hyacinthe CA 56,794 54,976 A 3.3 57 10
Shawinigan CA 55,009 56,408 A -2.5 60 11
Rimouski CA 50,912 48,918 A 4.1 62 12
Sorel-Tracy CA 47,772 46,595 A 2.5 64 13
Joliette CA 46,932 43,306 A 8.4 65 14
Victoriaville CA 46,354 43,195 A 7.3 66 15
Rouyn-Noranda CA 41,798 40,650 A 2.8 72 16
Salaberry-de-Valleyfield CA 40,077 39,672 1.0 74 17
Saint-Georges CA 34,642 32,902 A 5.3 80 18
Val-d'Or CA 33,265 32,288 3.0 83 19
Alma CA 33,018 31,864 A 3.6 84 20
Baie-Comeau CA 28,789 29,674 A -3.0 88 21
Sept-Îles CA 28,487 27,827 2.4 89 22
Thetford Mines CA 27,968 28,110 A -0.5 91 23
Rivière-du-Loup CA 27,734 26,423 A 5.0 93 24
Matane CA 18,368 18,709 A -1.8 111 25
Campbellton CA 17,842 17,878 A -0.2 113 ···
Campbellton (New Brunswick part / partie du Nouveau-Brunswick)   14,520 14,816 A -2.0 ··· 7
Campbellton (partie du Québec / Quebec part)   3,322 3,062 8.5 ··· 30
Amos CA 17,090 17,176 A -0.5 118 26
Dolbeau-Mistassini CA 16,019 16,257 A -1.5 122 27
Lachute CA 12,551 11,832 6.1 137 28
Cowansville CA 12,489 12,182 A 2.5 139 29
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

Age and sex

Québec – Age distribution

Chart C: Québec - Population by broad age groups

Chart C description: Québec - Population by broad age groups

Table 3 Québec – Age distributions by broad age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
0 to 14 14.7% 15.4% 14.0%
15 to 64 68.8% 70.4% 67.4%
65 and over 16.5% 14.2% 18.7%

In 2011, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Québec was 16.5%, compared with a national percentage of 14.8%. The percentage of the working age population (15 to 64) was 68.8% and the percentage of children aged 0 to 14 was 14.7%. 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.

Québec – Population by broad age groups and sex

Table 4 Québec – 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 765,705 719,155 46,550 6.5
0 to 14 112,325 108,985 3,340 3.1
15 to 64 527,155 506,700 20,455 4.0
65 and over 126,220 103,465 22,755 22.0
Males
Total 371,860 346,910 24,950 7.2
0 to 14 57,230 55,395 1,835 3.3
15 to 64 261,885 249,950 11,935 4.8
65 and over 52,750 41,560 11,190 26.9
Females
Total 393,845 372,245 21,600 5.8
0 to 14 55,095 53,590 1,505 2.8
15 to 64 265,275 256,745 8,530 3.3
65 and over 73,470 61,905 11,565 18.7

Québec – Population by five-year age groups and sex

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

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

Table 5 Québec – Population by five-year age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
Total - Age groups 765,705 371,860 393,845
0 to 4 years 40,775 20,755 20,025
5 to 9 years 35,195 17,900 17,290
10 to 14 years 36,355 18,580 17,775
15 to 19 years 44,240 22,280 21,960
20 to 24 years 51,130 25,275 25,855
25 to 29 years 52,385 26,835 25,555
30 to 34 years 54,330 27,605 26,720
35 to 39 years 46,910 24,010 22,895
40 to 44 years 47,205 23,705 23,505
45 to 49 years 57,970 28,735 29,235
50 to 54 years 62,275 30,390 31,885
55 to 59 years 58,035 27,755 30,275
60 to 64 years 52,685 25,290 27,400
65 to 69 years 41,380 19,455 21,925
70 to 74 years 28,495 12,935 15,565
75 to 79 years 22,615 9,525 13,090
80 to 84 years 17,340 6,385 10,960
85 to 89 years 10,805 3,280 7,530
90 to 94 years 4,395 1,005 3,390
95 to 99 years 1,060 160 895
100 years and over 145 15 130
Median age 42.3 40.6 44.1

Québec – Median age2 of the population

Chart E: Canada, Quebec and Québec - Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses

Chart E description: Canada, Quebec and Québec - Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses

The median age in Québec was 42.3 years. In comparison, the median age of Quebec was 41.9 years.

Table 6 Canada, Quebec and Québec – Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses
  Median age
2006 2011
Canada 39.5 40.6
Quebec 41.0 41.9
Québec 41.7 42.3

Families and households

In 2011, the number of census families3 in Québec was 213,530, which represents a change of 5.7% from 2006. This compares to a growth rate for Canada of 5.5% over the same period.


In Québec, 46.2% of census families were married couples in 2011, while 39.0% were common-law-couples and 14.7% were lone-parent families.

Chart F: Québec - Census families by family structure

Chart F description: Québec - Census families by family structure

Québec – Family structure

Table 7 Canada, Quebec, Québec – 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
Quebec † 2,203,625 1,143,370 51.9 694,750 31.5 365,515 16.6 3.9
Québec † 213,530 98,755 46.2 83,380 39.0 31,390 14.7 5.7

Québec – Presence of children within couple families

Chart G: Québec - Presence of children within couple families
Married couples Common-law-couples
with children without children with children without children
36,400 (20.0%) 62,355 (34.2%) 40,795 (22.4%) 42,590 (23.4%)

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

Among couples (married and common-law) in the census metropolitan area of Québec, 42.4% 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 Québec, 83.9% were intact families, that is, in which all children were the biological or adopted children of both parents, while 16.1% 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.

Québec – Marital status

Chart H: Québec - Marital status

Chart H description: Québec - Marital status

In Québec, 56.5% of the total population aged 15 and over were either married (31.0%) or living with a common-law partner (25.6%).

The remaining 43.5% 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, Quebec, Québec – Population 15 years and older by marital status, 2011 Census
Marital status Québec Quebec Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Population 15 years and over 653,385 100.0 6,644,380 100.0 27,869,345 100.0
Married or living with a common-law partner 369,400 56.5 3,745,315 56.4 16,084,490 57.7
Married (and not separated) 202,450 31.0 2,353,775 35.4 12,941,965 46.4
Living common-law 166,945 25.6 1,391,545 20.9 3,142,525 11.3
Not married and not living with a common-law partner 283,985 43.5 2,899,060 43.6 11,784,855 42.3
Single (never legally married) 194,370 29.7 1,942,090 29.2 7,816,045 28.0
Separated 9,320 1.4 105,190 1.6 698,245 2.5
Divorced 43,880 6.7 463,830 7.0 1,686,035 6.0
Widowed 36,410 5.6 387,950 5.8 1,584,525 5.7

Québec – Types of private households

There were 345,890 private households4 in Québec in 2011, a change of 8.7% from 2006. Of these, 22.2% of households were comprised of couples with children aged 24 and under at home, a change of 1.7% compared with five years earlier.

Table 9 Canada, Quebec, Québec – Distribution of households by household type, 2011 Census
Household type5 Québec Quebec Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Private households 345,890 100.0 3,395,345 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Couple-family households with children
aged 24 and under at home6		 76,665 22.2 811,120 23.9 3,524,915 26.5
Couple-family households without children
aged 24 and under at home7		 103,540 29.9 988,410 29.1 3,935,540 29.5
Lone-parent family households8 30,570 8.8 346,305 10.2 1,375,450 10.3
One-person households 119,640 34.6 1,094,410 32.2 3,673,310 27.6
Multiple-family households9 1,370 0.4 28,420 0.8 268,060 2.0
Other households10 14,105 4.1 126,680 3.7 543,340 4.1

Québec – Structural type of dwelling

In Québec, 41.5% of private households lived in single-detached houses and 6.0% lived in apartments in buildings that have five or more storeys. The rest lived in other types of dwelling structures.

Table 10 Canada, Quebec, Québec – Distribution of private households by structural type of dwelling, 2011 Census
Structural type of dwelling Québec Quebec Canada
number % number % number %
Total - Structural type of dwelling 345,890 100.0 3,395,345 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Single-detached house 143,650 41.5 1,560,405 46.0 7,329,150 55.0
Semi-detached house 18,660 5.4 171,435 5.0 646,240 4.9
Row house 7,985 2.3 86,040 2.5 791,600 5.9
Apartment, building that has five or more storeys 20,685 6.0 171,110 5.0 1,234,770 9.3
Apartment, building that has fewer than five storeys 128,210 37.1 1,103,845 32.5 2,397,555 18.0
Apartment, duplex 22,520 6.5 263,860 7.8 704,485 5.3
Other single-attached house11 1,575 0.5 15,650 0.5 33,310 0.3
Movable dwelling12 2,610 0.8 23,000 0.7 183,510 1.4

Language

Québec – Mother tongue

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

Chart J description: Québec - 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 Québec, 1.4% of the population reported English only as mother tongue, 94.9% reported French only, and 2.9% reported only a non-official language, in 2011. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 7.7% for English only, 78.1% for French only and 12.3% for only non-official languages.

In 2011, 1.0% of the population spoke only English most often at home, 96.5% spoke only French and 1.5% spoke only a non-official language. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 9.8% for English only, 80.0% for French only and 7.1% for only a non-official language.

Table 11 Québec – Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home, 2011 Census
Selected languages Mother tongue Language spoken most often at home
number % number %
Total 756,400 100.0 756,405 100.0
English 10,850 1.4 7,720 1.0
French 717,770 94.9 730,095 96.5
Non-official language 22,075 2.9 11,385 1.5
Multiple responses 5,710 0.8 7,195 1.0
Table 12 Québec – 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 71.4 46.6 24.8
French 99.9 99.6 0.2
Non-official language 79.8 57.3 22.5

Québec – Non-official languages

In Québec, the three most common mother tongues were Spanish (0.8%), Arabic (0.5%) and Portuguese (0.2%), in 2011. In comparison, the most common mother tongues at the provincial / territorial level were Arabic (2.1%), Spanish (1.8%) and Italian (1.6%).

Table 13 Québec – 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.
Spanish 6,140 25.1 0.8
Arabic 3,850 15.7 0.5
Portuguese 1,165 4.8 0.2
Vietnamese 845 3.5 0.1
Chinese, n.o.s. 725 3.0 0.1
Italian 700 2.9 0.1
Romanian 685 2.8 0.1
Bosnian 675 2.8 0.1
German 635 2.6 0.1
Nepali 530 2.2 0.1

Québec – Bilingualism

Table 14 Québec – 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 35.9 87.5 34.9 42.1
0 to 19 20.4 81.0 19.7 21.6
20 to 44 52.8 88.9 52.4 51.2
45 to 64 33.1 90.8 32.0 42.3
65 and over 25.6 84.3 24.5 35.2
Table 15 Québec – Knowledge of official languages, 2011 Census
Knowledge of official languages Number Percentage
Total 756,405 100.0
English only 1,550 0.2
French only 479,895 63.4
English and French 273,335 36.1
Neither English nor French 1,620 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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