Analysis series Canadian families and households

Sub-provincial

Private households increase in metropolitan areas, even when the population declines
Couples with children decrease in metropolitan areas whose population is down
In the majority of metropolitan areas, couples with children are concentrated in areas between the centre and the outskirts
Municipalities with the highest proportions of couples with children are in metropolitan areas

Private households increase in metropolitan areas, even when the population declines

The number of private households grew in almost all census metropolitan areas (CMAs) from 1996 to 2001, whether their populations increased or not. The rate of increase in private households was higher for CMAs than for Canada as a whole (8.0% compared with 6.9%).

Alberta’s two CMAs, Calgary and Edmonton, recorded the largest increases in private households. In Calgary, the number of private households was up 17%, and the population in private households grew 16%. The corresponding figures for Edmonton were 11% and 8.6%.

At the other end of the spectrum, Greater Sudbury suffered a 1.0% decline in the number of private households and a 6.0% drop in population. The CMAs with the lowest rate of increase in private households were Thunder Bay (0.7%), Saint John (2.6%) and Regina (2.6%), all three of which saw their populations decline.

	Increase (%) of private households and population living in private households, Census Metropolitan Areas, 1996 to 2001
	Number and increase (%) of private households, census metropolitan area (CMA), 1996 and 2001

Couples with children decrease in metropolitan areas whose population is down

There is a relationship between the decline in the population living in private households in metropolitan areas and the decrease in households consisting of couples with children. The number of households made up of a couple and children is falling in areas whose population is shrinking.

From 1996 to 2001, the proportion of all households consisting of a couple with children at home in St. John’s fell from 40% to 34%, while the population in private households decreased 0.5%. In Chicoutimi-Jonquière (now known as Saguenay) there was a drop in the proportion of couples with children from 38% to 32% combined with a 3.6% loss of population. The proportion of couples with children at home in Greater Sudbury was down from 34% in 1996 to 29% in 2001; the number of private households fell 6.0%.

Areas that had a loss of population and a gain in private households posted a sharp increase in one-person households and households consisting of couples with no children at home. St. John’s CMA is a good example of this phenomenon.The increase in couples without children from 1996 to 2001 was particularly large (21%). These are either childless couples, couples whose children have left home (the “empty nest” phenomenon) or couples where all children at home are 25 or older.

The number of one-person households in St. John’s jumped 32% from 1996 to 2001, a larger increase than in any other CMA in the country.

Other CMAs that lost population also recorded an increase in the number of one-person households and households composed of couples with no children at home. In Chicoutimi-Jonquière (now known as Saguenay) the proportion of one-person households rose from 22% in 1996 to 26% in 2001, and households consisting of a couple with no children from about 25% to 28%. The CMA with the largest proportion of one-person households in Canada in 2001 was Sherbrooke, with 34%; the 1996 figure was 31%. The proportion of couples with no children under 25 at home also increased, edging up from 25% to 27%.

Growth (%) of population in private households, and of private households by composition, census metropolitan area (CMA), 1996 to 2001

In the majority of metropolitan areas, couples with children are concentrated in areas between the centre and the outskirts

The proportion of all households composed of couples with children under 25 at home varies widely from CMA to CMA. In 2001, 22% of all private households in Victoria were couples with children; the corresponding figure for Oshawa was almost double at 38%.

There are also substantial differences within CMAs in the geographic concentration of households made up of a couple with children at home.

Maps of the 27 census metropolitan areas (CMA) showing households containing a couple with children, by 2001 census tract

In a majority of CMAs, the areas where more than 50% of the households consist of couples with children are halfway between the centre and the outskirts of the CMA. The Montréal and Vancouver CMAs are good examples of this phenomenon.

In other metropolitan areas, the households composed of couples with children at home are spread out fairly evenly. While roughly 30% of the households in Saint John, Chicoutimi-Jonquière (now known as Saguenay), Greater Sudbury and Thunder Bay were made up of couples with children in 2001, there were very few areas where those couples comprised over 50% of the households. The pattern was the same in the Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Victoria CMAs, which had the lowest proportion of households consisting of couples with children (25%, 25% and 22% respectively).

In some CMAs, the areas where the majority of households are couples with children form a circle around the centre of the CMA. This pattern is readily apparent in Toronto and Regina. In Toronto, the circle corresponds roughly to the areas that enjoyed rapid population growth between 1996 and 2001. In Regina, couples with children made up more than 50% of the households in all areas surrounding the centre of the CMA.

Despite these differences, all metropolitan areas had one thing in common: there were no areas in their centres where the proportion of households composed of couples with children exceeded 25%.

Proportion (%) of households containing a couple with children by census metropolitan area (CMA), 1996 and 2001

Municipalities with the highest proportions of couples with children are in metropolitan areas

The town of Stanley (located south of Winnipeg) has a larger proportion of couples with children under 25 at home than any other Canadian municipality with a population of 5,000 or more. In 2001, over 65% of its households were made up of couples with children.

Other municipalities that ranked high on the list of those with the largest proportion of couples with children at home are also in the suburban part of a CMA. Examples include Quispamsis (Saint John), Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures (Quebec City), Vaughan (Toronto), East St. Paul (Winnipeg) and Airdrie (Calgary).

In addition, some of the youngest municipalities in Canada in 2001, based on median age, had a high proportion of families with children: Wellesley, Mapleton, Hanover, Mackenzie No. 23 and Beaumont.

Quebec and British Columbia share almost all the municipalities with the smallest proportion of households consisting of couples with children.

Victoria is the municipality with the lowest proportion of couples with children. In 2001, just over 10% of its households were couples with children under 25 at home. The proportions were also low in the municipalities of Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières, which are part of the CMAs that had the highest proportions of one-person households.

Among the 25 municipalities that have the fewest households composed of couples with children is the resort town of Banff. Several municipalities have populations whose median age is among the highest in the country: Qualicum Beach, White Rock, Sidney, Shawinigan and Trail.

	Municipalities with 5,000 + population in private households having the highest proportion of households containing a couple with children, Canada, 2001
	Municipalities with 5,000 + population in private households having the lowest proportion of households containing a couple with children, Canada, 2001