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Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census

Province of Prince Edward Island

Map of Canada with the province of Prince Edward Island shaded in green

Map of Prince Edward Island

Interactive version of map

In 2011, the enumerated population of Prince Edward Island was 140,204 which represents a change of 3.2% from 2006. This compares to the national average of 5.9%.

The land area of Prince Edward Island is 5,685.73 square kilometres with a population density of 24.7 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.

In total, there were 56,462 private dwellings occupied by usual residents in Prince Edward Island in 2011. This represents an increase of 6.4% of the number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents from 2006. For Canada as a whole, the total number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents increased 7.1%.

Population and dwelling counts

Canada, provinces and territories – Population, percentage change between 2006 and 2011

Chart A: Canada, provinces and territories - Population, percentage change between 2006 and 2011

Chart A description: Canada, provinces and territories - Population, percentage change between 2006 and 2011

Table 1 Canada, provinces and territories – Population change, 2006 to 2011
Geographic name Population
2011 2006 Change % change % of nat. pop.
Canada † 33,476,688 31,612,897 1,863,791 5.9 100.00
Newfoundland and Labrador 514,536 505,469 9,067 1.8 1.54
Prince Edward Island 140,204 135,851 4,353 3.2 0.42
Nova Scotia 921,727 913,462 8,265 0.9 2.75
New Brunswick 751,171 729,997 21,174 2.9 2.24
Quebec † 7,903,001 7,546,131 356,870 4.7 23.61
Ontario † 12,851,821 12,160,282 691,539 5.7 38.39
Manitoba † 1,208,268 1,148,401 59,867 5.2 3.61
Saskatchewan † 1,033,381 968,157 65,224 6.7 3.09
Alberta † 3,645,257 3,290,350 354,907 10.8 10.89
British Columbia † 4,400,057 4,113,487 286,570 7.0 13.14
Yukon 33,897 30,372 3,525 11.6 0.10
Northwest Territories 41,462 41,464 -2 0.0 0.12
Nunavut 31,906 29,474 2,432 8.3 0.10

Prince Edward Island – Census metropolitan areas (CMAs), census agglomerations (CAs) and regions outside CMAs and CAs

In 2011, 57.8% of the population of Prince Edward Island lived inside a census metropolitan area (CMA) or census agglomeration (CA). That represents 80,975 persons.


The number of persons living outside a census metropolitan area (CMA) and a census agglomeration (CA) was 59,229 which accounts for 42.2% of the provincial population.

Chart B: Prince Edward Island - population living inside a CMA or CA compared to population living outside a CMA or CA

Chart B description: Prince Edward Island - population living inside a CMA or CA compared to population living outside a CMA or CA

Table 2 Prince Edward Island - Metropolitan areas, population rank and population change, 2006 to 2011
CMA or CA name Type Population Rank
2011 2006 % change Nat. Prov.
Charlottetown CA 64,487 59,325 A 8.7 52 1
Summerside CA 16,488 16,153 2.1 120 2

Prince Edward Island – Census subdivisions with population greater than 5000

Table 3 Prince Edward Island – Census subdivisions with population greater than 5000, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name Type Population
2011 2006 % change
Stratford T 8,574 7,083 21.1
Cornwall T 5,162 4,677 10.4
Charlottetown CY 34,562 32,174 7.4
Summerside CY 14,751 14,500 1.7

Age and sex

Prince Edward Island – Age distribution

Chart C: Prince Edward Island - Population by broad age groups

Chart C description: Prince Edward Island - Population by broad age groups

Table 4 Prince Edward Island – Age distributions by broad age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
0 to 14 16.4% 17.3% 15.6%
15 to 64 67.3% 67.7% 66.9%
65 and over 16.3% 15.0% 17.4%

In 2011, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Prince Edward Island was 16.3%, 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 16.4%. 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.

Prince Edward Island – Population by broad age groups and sex

Table 5 Prince Edward Island – Population by broad age groups, sex and population change between 2006 and 2011, 2006 and 2011 censuses
Broad age groups by sex Population
2011 2006 change % change
Both sexes
Total 140,205 135,855 4,350 3.2
0 to 14 23,060 23,985 -925 -3.9
15 to 64 94,360 91,685 2,675 2.9
65 and over 22,785 20,185 2,600 12.9
Males
Total 67,605 65,595 2,010 3.1
0 to 14 11,700 12,260 -560 -4.6
15 to 64 45,765 44,580 1,185 2.7
65 and over 10,135 8,755 1,380 15.8
Females
Total 72,600 70,255 2,345 3.3
0 to 14 11,360 11,725 -365 -3.1
15 to 64 48,595 47,100 1,495 3.2
65 and over 12,650 11,425 1,225 10.7

Prince Edward Island – Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D: Prince Edward Island - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D description: Prince Edward Island - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Table 6 Prince Edward Island – Population by five-year age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups Both sexes Males Females
Total - Age groups 140,205 67,605 72,600
0 to 4 years 7,270 3,680 3,590
5 to 9 years 7,390 3,700 3,685
10 to 14 years 8,395 4,320 4,075
15 to 19 years 9,650 4,930 4,720
20 to 24 years 8,765 4,325 4,440
25 to 29 years 7,300 3,540 3,765
30 to 34 years 7,585 3,560 4,025
35 to 39 years 8,435 4,015 4,420
40 to 44 years 9,485 4,530 4,955
45 to 49 years 11,230 5,430 5,800
50 to 54 years 11,150 5,320 5,830
55 to 59 years 10,545 5,140 5,400
60 to 64 years 10,205 4,970 5,235
65 to 69 years 7,165 3,500 3,670
70 to 74 years 5,395 2,610 2,790
75 to 79 years 4,295 1,925 2,365
80 to 84 years 2,930 1,215 1,720
85 to 89 years 1,895 640 1,260
90 to 94 years 845 210 635
95 to 99 years 220 40 185
100 years and over 25 0 30
Median age 42.8 41.9 43.6

Prince Edward Island – Median age1 of the population in the last 90 years

The median age in Prince Edward Island was 42.8 years. In comparison, the median age of Canada was 40.6 years.

Chart E: Prince Edward Island - Median age of the population in the last 90 years

Chart E description: Prince Edward Island - Median age of the population in the last 90 years

Table 7 Prince Edward Island and Canada – Median age of the population, 1921 to 2011 censuses
Median age Census year
1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011
Canada 23.9 24.7 27.0 27.7 26.3 26.2 29.6 33.5 37.6 40.6
Prince Edward Island 24.8 24.9 25.9 26.2 24.5 24.8 28.8 32.8 37.7 42.8

Families and households

In 2011, the number of census families2 in Prince Edward Island was 40,850, which represents a change of 4.2% from 2006. This compares to a growth rate for Canada of 5.5% over the same period.


In Prince Edward Island, 72.7% of census families were married couples in 2011, while 11.2% were common-law-couples and 16.1% were lone-parent families.

Chart F: Prince Edward Island - Census families by family structure

Chart F description: Prince Edward Island - Census families by family structure

Family structure

Table 8 Canada, provinces and territories – 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
Newfoundland and Labrador 159,385 114,335 71.7 20,630 12.9 24,420 15.3 2.3
Prince Edward Island 40,850 29,695 72.7 4,570 11.2 6,580 16.1 4.2
Nova Scotia 270,065 184,870 68.5 38,460 14.2 46,735 17.3 1.0
New Brunswick 224,590 152,455 67.9 35,945 16.0 36,190 16.1 3.1
Quebec † 2,203,625 1,143,370 51.9 694,750 31.5 365,515 16.6 3.9
Ontario † 3,612,205 2,612,890 72.3 394,670 10.9 604,645 16.7 5.5
Manitoba † 327,875 232,635 71.0 39,060 11.9 56,185 17.1 4.8
Saskatchewan † 285,375 202,770 71.1 35,785 12.5 46,825 16.4 6.7
Alberta † 999,525 719,355 72.0 135,660 13.6 144,510 14.5 10.5
British Columbia † 1,238,155 887,990 71.7 160,360 13.0 189,805 15.3 6.6
Yukon 9,330 5,080 54.4 2,340 25.1 1,915 20.5 11.9
Northwest Territories 10,930 5,465 50.0 3,135 28.7 2,330 21.3 0.5
Nunavut 7,780 3,035 39.0 2,545 32.7 2,195 28.2 10.5

Prince Edward Island – Presence of children within couple families

Among couples (married and common-law) in Prince Edward Island, 44.6% 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 province of Prince Edward Island, 86.3% were intact families, that is, in which all children were the biological or adopted children of both parents, while 13.7% were stepfamilies, in which 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 at home were stepfamilies.

Chart G: Prince Edward Island - Presence of children within couple families

Chart G description: Prince Edward Island - Presence of children within couple families



Prince Edward Island – Marital status

Chart H: Prince Edward Island - Marital status Chart H description: Prince Edward Island - Marital status

In Prince Edward Island, 59.6% of the total population aged 15 and over were either married (51.8%) or living with a common-law partner (7.8%).


The remaining 40.4% 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, Prince Edward Island – Population 15 years and older by marital status, 2011 Census
Marital status Prince Edward Island Canada
number % number %
Total - Population 15 years and over 117,145 100.0 27,869,345 100.0
Married or living with a common-law partner 69,800 59.6 16,084,490 57.7
Married (and not separated) 60,625 51.8 12,941,965 46.4
Living common-law 9,170 7.8 3,142,525 11.3
Not married and not living with a common-law partner 47,350 40.4 11,784,855 42.3
Single (never legally married) 30,495 26.0 7,816,045 28.0
Separated 3,285 2.8 698,245 2.5
Divorced 6,065 5.2 1,686,035 6.0
Widowed 7,505 6.4 1,584,525 5.7

Prince Edward Island – Types of private households

There were 56,460 private households3 in Prince Edward Island in 2011, a change of 6.3% from 2006. Of these, 26.6% of households were comprised of couples with children aged 24 and under at home, a change of -4.5% compared with five years earlier.

Table 10 Canada, Prince Edward Island – Distribution of households by household type, 2011 Census
Household type4 Prince Edward Island Canada
number % number %
Total - Private households 56,460 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Couple-family households with children5 15,000 26.6 3,524,915 26.5
Couple-family households without children6 18,425 32.6 3,935,540 29.5
Lone-parent family households7 6,040 10.7 1,375,450 10.3
One-person households 14,195 25.1 3,673,310 27.6
Multiple-family households8 690 1.2 268,060 2.0
Other households9 2,120 3.8 543,340 4.1

Prince Edward Island – Size of private households

The average household size in Prince Edward Island was 2.4 persons in 2011, compared to the Canadian average household size of 2.5 persons.

In Prince Edward Island, the proportion of total private households with only one person has increased over time, while the proportion of larger households (five or more persons) has decreased.

Chart I: Prince Edward Island – Size of private households, 1961 to 2011 Chart I description: Prince Edward Island – Size of private households
Table 11 Prince Edward Island – Proportion of total private households with one person and five or more persons, 1961 to 2011 censuses
Private household size 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 2011
One person 8.9 9.7 11.5 13.3 16.6 17.6 20.0 21.6 22.8 24.1 25.1
Five or more persons 38.8 38.0 33.4 26.2 20.8 17.7 14.3 12.6 10.3 8.5 7.4

Prince Edward Island – Structural type of dwelling

In Prince Edward Island, 71.4% of private households lived in single-detached houses and 0.1% lived in apartments in buildings that have five or more storeys. The rest lived in other types of dwelling structures.

Table 12 Canada, Prince Edward Island – Distribution of private households by structural type of dwelling, 2011 Census
Structural type of dwelling Prince Edward Island Canada
number % number %
Total - Structural type of dwelling 56,465 100.0 13,320,615 100.0
Single-detached house 40,330 71.4 7,329,150 55.0
Semi-detached house 3,005 5.3 646,240 4.9
Row house 1,805 3.2 791,600 5.9
Apartment, building that has five or more storeys 60 0.1 1,234,770 9.3
Apartment, building that has fewer than five storeys 7,635 13.5 2,397,555 18.0
Apartment, duplex 910 1.6 704,485 5.3
Other single-attached house10 135 0.2 33,310 0.3
Movable dwelling11 2,585 4.6 183,510 1.4

Language

Prince Edward Island – Mother tongue

Chart J: Prince Edward Island - Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home

Chart J description: Prince Edward Island - 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 Prince Edward Island, 92.2% of the population reported English only as mother tongue, 3.8% reported French only, and 3.5% reported only a non-official language, in 2011. In comparison, the national percentages were 56.9% for English only, 21.3% for French only and 19.8% for non-official languages only.

In 2011, 95.5% of the population spoke English only most often at home, 1.8% spoke only French, and 2.1% spoke only a non-official language. In comparison, the national percentages were 64.8% for English only, 20.6% for French only and 11.1% for only a non-official language.

Table 13 Prince Edward Island – Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home, 2011 Census
Selected language Mother tongue Language spoken most often at home
number % number %
Total 138,435 100.0 138,435 100.0
English 127,635 92.2 132,200 95.5
French 5,195 3.8 2,465 1.8
Non-official language 4,860 3.5 2,925 2.1
Aboriginal language 105 0.1 15 0.0
Non-Aboriginal language 4,755 3.4 2,910 2.1
Multiple responses 750 0.5 845 0.6
Table 14 Prince Edward Island – 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 99.7 0.1
French 62.2 43.4 18.8
Non-official language 80.3 62.1 18.1
Aboriginal language 62.5 16.7 45.8
Non-Aboriginal language 80.6 63.2 17.4

Prince Edward Island – Non-official languages

In Prince Edward Island, the three most common mother tongues were Chinese, n.o.s. (0.9%), Dutch (0.4%) and German (0.2%), in 2011. In comparison, the most common mother tongues at the national level were Panjabi (Punjabi) (1.4%), Chinese, n.o.s. (1.3%) and Spanish (1.3%).

Table 15 Prince Edward Island – 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.
Chinese, n.o.s. 1,205 23.3 0.9
Dutch 495 9.6 0.4
German 315 6.1 0.2
Arabic 300 5.8 0.2
Mandarin 300 5.8 0.2
Spanish 250 4.8 0.2
Persian (Farsi) 205 4.0 0.1
Korean 140 2.7 0.1
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) 120 2.3 0.1
Russian 110 2.1 0.1
Mi'kmaq 110 2.1 0.1

Prince Edward Island – Bilingualism

Table 16 Prince Edward Island – 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 12.1 9.2 87.4 6.6
0 to 19 17.5 16.4 84.8 8.1
20 to 44 14.3 12.3 92.5 5.4
45 to 64 8.0 3.9 87.4 6.8
65 and over 7.8 2.6 83.3 7.3
Table 17 Prince Edward Island – Knowledge of official languages, 2011 Census
Knowledge of official languages Number Percentage
Total 138,435 100.0
English only 120,590 87.1
French only 130 0.1
English and French 17,005 12.3
Neither English nor French 715 0.5

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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