NHS Focus on Geography Series – Northwest Territories

Demographic characteristics of Aboriginal people

In 2011, 51.9% (21,160) of the population of Northwest Territories had an Aboriginal identity.^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 1} Of those, 63.1% (13,345) reported a First Nations identity^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 2} only, 15.3% (3,245) reported a Métis identity only and 20.5% (4,340) reported an Inuit identity only. An additional 180, or 0.9%, reported other Aboriginal identities and 45, or 0.2%, reported more than one Aboriginal identity.

Table 1 – Population by Aboriginal identity, Northwest Territories, Canada

In Northwest Territories, the Aboriginal population is younger than the non-Aboriginal population. In 2011, the median age of the Aboriginal population was 26.4 years compared to 36.4 for the non-Aboriginal population. The median age is the age where exactly one-half of the population is older and the other half is younger.

The median age and age distribution of First Nations people, Métis and Inuit are shown in table 2.

Table 2 – Age distribution and median age by Aboriginal identity, Northwest Territories, Canada

Living arrangements of Aboriginal children

In Northwest Territories, 58.1% of Aboriginal children aged 14 and under lived in a family^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 3} with both their parents (biological or adoptive) and 27.0% lived in a lone-parent family.^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 4} Another 9.3% were stepchildren,^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 5} 2.2% were grandchildren living in a skip-generation family,^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 6} 2.5% were foster children^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 7} and 0.9% were children living with other relatives.

Living arrangements of First Nations, Métis and Inuit children aged 14 and under are illustrated in table 3.

Table 3 – Percentage distribution of the population aged 14 and under by living arrangement for selected Aboriginal identity categories, Northwest Territories

Language and Aboriginal peoples

In Northwest Territories, 6,780 Aboriginal people, or 32.0% of the population who had an Aboriginal identity, responded that they were able to conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language. In 2011, the Aboriginal languages most frequently reported by Aboriginal people were: Tlicho (Dogrib) (2,320), Slavey, n.o.s. (1,605) and Dene (590).

In 2011, 26.5% of the Aboriginal identity population reported an Aboriginal language as mother tongue, defined as the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood.

As well, 23.0% of Aboriginal people reported speaking an Aboriginal language at home: 10.1% spoke it most often while another 12.9% spoke it on a regular basis.

Linguistic characteristics of First Nations people, Métis and Inuit are shown in tables 4 to 6.

Table 4 – Number and proportion of Aboriginal identity population, First Nations people, Métis and Inuit for selected Aboriginal language indicators, Northwest Territories

In Northwest Territories, 96.6% of the Aboriginal identity population reported that they were able to conduct a conversation only in English or only in French. Additionally, 2.6% of Aboriginal people reported that they were able to conduct a conversation in both of Canada's official languages. The other 0.8%, or 160, reported that they were not able to conduct a conversation in either of these two languages.

Table 5 – Percentage distribution of the population by knowledge of official languages for selected Aboriginal identity categories, Northwest Territories

In Northwest Territories, among the 6,780 Aboriginal people who reported being able to conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language, 72.2% reported that same language as their mother tongue. The other 27.8% reported a different language, such as English or French, as mother tongue, which suggests these individuals have acquired an Aboriginal language as a second language.

On the other hand, among the 5,610 Aboriginal people who reported an Aboriginal language as mother tongue, 12.7% could no longer conduct a conversation in this language, despite the fact that they still understand it.

Table 6 – Population who reported an ability to conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language that is not their mother tongue and population who reported an Aboriginal mother tongue but who could not conduct a conversation in that language, for selected Aboriginal identity categories, Northwest Territories

Immigrant population

According to the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS), 2,880 (7.1%) of the population of Northwest Territories were foreign-born (immigrants), 37,585 (92.1%) were Canadian-born (non-immigrants) and 335 (0.8%) were non-permanent residents.^{Ethnocultural Footnote 1} In comparison, the proportion of the population of Canada who were immigrants was 20.6%, 78.3% were non-immigrants, and 1.1% were non-permanent residents.

Figure 1 Percentage of Canadian born (non-immigrants), foreign born (immigrants) and non permanent residents in Northwest Territories

Figure 1 Percentage of Canadian born (non-immigrants), foreign born (immigrants) and non permanent residents in Northwest Territories

Of the immigrants living in Northwest Territories in 2011, 785 came to Canada between 2006 and 2011. These recent immigrants made up 27.3% of the immigrants in the territory.

The three most common countries of birth of immigrants living in Northwest Territories were: Philippines (accounting for 21.9% of the immigrant population in Northwest Territories), United Kingdom (9.7%) and United States (7.6%). In comparison, the top three countries of birth of immigrants living in Canada were: India (accounting for 8.1% of the immigrant population in Canada), China (8.1%) and United Kingdom (7.9%).

Table 1 – Immigrants by country of birth, Northwest Territories, Canada

In 2011, among Northwest Territories's immigrant population, 65.8% spoke English and/or French most often at home. Meanwhile, the three most frequently reported non-official languages spoken most often at home by immigrants in Northwest Territories were Tagalog (Pilipino,Filipino), Shona and Arabic. This compared to the top three non-official languages in Canada, which were Cantonese, Panjabi (Punjabi) and Chinese, n.o.s..^{Ethnocultural Footnote 2}

Table 2 – Immigrants by non-official languages spoken most often at home, Northwest Territories, Canada

The median age of immigrants in Northwest Territories was 43.5 years in 2011, compared to 47.4 years for the immigrant population at the national level.

Visible minority population and ethnic origins

The 2011 NHS estimated that 2,725 individuals in Northwest Territories belonged to a visible minority group, accounting for 6.7% of its total population.^{Ethnocultural Footnote 1} In comparison, visible minorities comprised 19.1% of Canada's population.

The largest visible minority groups living in Northwest Territories were Filipino, Black and Chinese. In Canada, the three largest visible minority groups were South Asian, Chinese and Black.

The median age of the visible minority population in Northwest Territories was 33.9 years in 2011, compared to 33.4 years for the visible minority population at the national level.

Table 3 – Population showing visible minority groups, Northwest Territories, Canada

The most frequently reported ethnic origins in Northwest Territories, for people reporting either one or multiple ethnic origins, were First Nations (North American Indian), Scottish and English. This compared to the top three in Canada, which were Canadian, English and French.

Table 4 – Most frequently reported ethnic origins, Northwest Territories and Canada

Religion

According to the 2011 NHS, 69.5% of the population in Northwest Territories reported a religious affiliation, while 30.5% said they had no religious affiliation.^{Ethnocultural Footnote 1} At the national level, 76.1% of the population reported a religious affiliation, while 23.9% had no religious affiliation.

The most frequently reported religious affiliation in Northwest Territories was Roman Catholic, reported by 15,775 (38.7%) of the population. Other frequently reported religions included: Anglican (10.2%) and Christian, n.i.e. (6.3%). In comparison, the most frequently reported religions in Canada were: Roman Catholic (reported by 38.7% of the population of Canada), United Church (6.1%) and Anglican (5.0%).

Table 5 – Most frequently reported religions, Northwest Territories, Canada

Educational attainment ^{Education Footnote 1}

In 2011, 57.2% of the 25,180 adults aged 25 years and over in Northwest Territories had completed some form of postsecondary education, compared with 59.6% at the national level.

Of the population aged 25 years and over in Northwest Territories, 24.3% had a university certificate or degree. An additional 21.3% had a college diploma and 11.5% had a trades certificate.

The share of the adult population that had completed a high school diploma as their highest level of educational attainment was 18.3%, and 24.5% had completed neither high school nor any postsecondary certificates, diplomas or degrees.

Table 1 – Population aged 25 and over by highest level of educational attainment^{Education Footnote 1}, Northwest Territories, Canada

Overall, successive generations of Canadians have been completing high school and attaining postsecondary qualifications in increasing proportions. In 2011, 41.7% of Canadians aged 65 years and over had a postsecondary credential; this compares with 69.5% among adults between the ages of 25 and 44. As well, 35.7% of those aged 65 years and over had not completed any certificate, diploma or degree compared with 9.5% of individuals aged 25 to 44.

In Northwest Territories, 34.6% of those aged 65 years and over had a postsecondary credential, compared to 59.8% of adults aged 25 to 44; 55.4% of individuals aged 65 years and over had no certificate, diploma or degree, compared to 20.7% of 25 to 44 year-olds.

Northwest Territories – Proportion of the population aged 25 years and over by level of educational attainment and age groups

Northwest Territories – Proportion of the population aged 25 years and over by level of educational attainment and age groups

Major field of study

Table 2 – Most common fields of study^{Education Footnote 9} for the population aged 25 years and over with postsecondary qualifications by level of educational attainment^{Education Footnote 1}, Northwest Territories, Canada

Location of study^{Education Footnote 11}

In 2011, there were 14,395 residents of Northwest Territories aged 25 years and over with postsecondary credentials. Of these graduates, 24.8% had studied in Northwest Territories, 65.3% had studied in another province or territory and 9.9% had studied outside Canada. Nationally, 72.5% of graduates had studied in the same province/territory in which they lived in 2011, 10.4% had studied in another province or territory and 17.1% had studied outside Canada.

In all provinces, individuals with trades or college certificates were more likely than those with university credentials to have earned their highest certificate, diploma or degree in the province in which they lived in 2011.

Table 3 – Population aged 25 years and over with postsecondary qualifications by location of study and by level of educational attainment, Northwest Territories

Labour

In Northwest Territories, 21,200 people were employed and 2,730 were unemployed for a total labour force of 23,930 in May 2011. The employment rate was at 66.8% and the unemployment rate was at 11.4%.

Table 1 Total population aged 15 years and over by labour force status, Northwest Territories, Canada

Within Northwest Territories, 14.0% of the employed labour force was aged 15 to 24 and 13.1% was aged 55 to 64. This compares to 13.1% and 15.3% respectively for Canada.

Table 2 Employed labour force by age groups, Northwest Territories, Canada

Within Northwest Territories, the top occupations were: Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents; Elementary school and kindergarten teachers; Administrative officers. For Canada as a whole the top occupations were: Retail salespersons; Retail and wholesale trade managers; Administrative assistants.

Table 3 Top occupations for the employed labour force, Northwest Territories, Canada

Within Northwest Territories, the top industries were: Provincial and territorial public administration; Elementary and secondary schools; Other federal services. For Canada as a whole the top industries were: Elementary and secondary schools; Hospitals; Grocery stores.

Table 4 Top industries for the employed labour force, Northwest Territories, Canada

The number of self-employed in Northwest Territories amounted to 1,305 or 6.2% of all total employed workers.

Table 5 Employed labour force by class of workers, Northwest Territories, Canada

In 2011, 0.8% of commuters within the territory used public transit to get to work. This compares to a national level of 12.0%. 52.3% of the population used a car, truck or van as a driver, while 10.3% used a car, truck or van as a passenger. The average commuting time to work in the territory was 12.0 minutes, this compares to a national commuting time of 25.4 minutes.

Within Northwest Territories, 86.9% of the employed labour force aged 15 years and over worked at their usual place, 3.5% worked at home and 9.6% had no fixed workplace address.

Table 6 Employed labour force by mode of transportation, Northwest Territories, Canada

Table 7 Average commuting duration for the employed labour force, Northwest Territories, Canada

Table 8 Employed Labour force by time leaving for work, Northwest Territories, Canada

Table 9 Employed labour force by place of work status, Northwest Territories, Canada

In Northwest Territories, 97.5% (24,380) of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported English only as the language used most often at work, 0.8% (205) reported French only and 0.1% (20) said they used both official languages (English and French) equally. In addition, 0.3% of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported using an official language and a non-official language equally most often at work and 1.4% a non-official language only.

Furthermore, 1.8% (460) of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported working in English on a regular basis, 2.5% (625) in French on a regular basis and 0.0% (0) in the country's two official languages on a regular basis. In addition, 0.1% (20) of of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported using an official language and a non-official language on a regular basis at work and 6.2% (1,555) a non-official language only.

In Canada, 76.4% (14,622,905) of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported English only as the language used most often at work, 20.0% (3,831,535) reported French only and 1.7 (317,135) said they used both official languages (English and French) equally. Furthermore, 0.6% of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported using an official language and a non-official language equally most often at work.

As for the language used at work on a regular basis in Canada, the proportions are as follows: 6.0% (1,148,980) reported using English; 3.4% (645,075) use French; 0.0% (1,925) use both official languages; 0.2% (34,290) reported using an official language and a non-official language; and 2.2% (411,735) a non-official language only.

Table 10 Languages used at work, Northwest Territories, Canada

In Northwest Territories, the non-official languages most used, most often or regularly, with or without an official language, are Tlicho (Dogrib), Slavey, n.o.s. and Dene, which account respectively for 1.7% (840), 0.9% (470) and 0.2% (125) of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011.

In Canada, the non-official languages most used, most often or regularly, with or without an official language, are Chinese languages, Spanish and Panjabi (Punjabi), which account respectively for 1.2% (224,195), 0.4% (82,050) and 0.4% (71,430) of the population aged 15 years and older who worked in 2010 or 2011.

Table 11 Non-official languages used at work, Northwest Territories, Canada

Income composition

The total income for the population in private households can be broken down into two basic components: market income^{Income Footnote 1} and government transfers.^{Income Footnote 2} In Northwest Territories, 92.3% of total income was from market income in 2010 and 7.7% was from government transfers. (Aggregate total income for Northwest Territories was 1.7 billion dollars in 2010.)

Figure 1 Income composition for the population in private households in 2010

Income composition for the population in private households in 2010

Market income's main component was employment income. In Northwest Territories, it accounted for $95.00 of every $100 of market income, above the figure for Canada of $85.20. For the two components of employment income, wages and salaries represented $92.30 and net income from self-employment, $2.70.

The other components of market income were smaller than employment income: in Northwest Territories, investment income represented $1.90 per $100 of market income, retirement income, $2.20 and $0.90 came from other private sources of money.

The main government transfer received in Northwest Territories was Other income from government sources with $34.30 of every $100 of total government transfers received, followed by: Employment Insurance benefits ($20.70), Child benefits ($16.80), Canada Pension Plan or Quebec Pension Plan ($14.90), and Old Age Security (OAS) pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement ($13.20).

Table 1 – Income composition for the population in private households in 2010, Northwest Territories, Canada

High total income

Among the Canadian population in private households aged 15 years and over, ten percent had total incomes of more than $80,400 in 2010. To be in the top five percent, Canadians needed to have a total income of slightly above $102,300 and to be in the top one percent required just over $191,100, nearly seven times the national median income of $27,800.^{Income Footnote 3}

In Northwest Territories, 13.8% percent of the population aged 15 years and over had total income that put them in the top five percent and 1.2% in the top one percent. This compared with 5.0% and 1.0% in Canada.

Table 2 – Population aged 15 years and over by total income, Northwest Territories, Canada

A national map showing the spatial distribution of persons with total income in the top five percent of persons with the highest total income is also available. Canada. Percentage of population in top five percent of total income in 2010 by 2011 census division (CD)

Employment income

Of those persons with employment income in Northwest Territories, 59.6% worked full year, full time^{Income Footnote 4} in 2010 compared to 50.3% in Canada. The median employment income was $73,667 for these workers ($47,868 for those in Canada).

The top three most common occupations for those working full-year full-time in 2010 in Northwest Territories were Elementary school and kindergarten teachers; Retail and wholesale trade managers; and Administrative officers.

Table 3 – Median earnings of the most common full-year, full-time occupations in 2010, Northwest Territories, Canada

Family income

The median after-tax income of economic families in Northwest Territories in 2010 was $100,821, the median for couple families was $114,378 and for lone-parent families, $54,160. For persons not in economic families (persons living alone or with non relatives only), the median after-tax income was $40,769.

These compare to the medians in Canada of $67,044 for after-tax family income of all economic families, $72,356 for couple families, $42,401 for lone-parent families and $25,761 for persons living alone or without relatives.

Table 4 – Median after-tax income in 2010 for economic families and persons not in economic families, Northwest Territories, Canada

Figure 2 Median after-tax income in 2010 for Northwest Territories and Canada

Median after-tax income in 2010 for Northwest Territories and Canada

Families came in different sizes and larger families may have benefited from pooling of resources and economies of scale. In Northwest Territories, based on their after-tax income adjusted for family size, 65.7% of the population was in the top half of the income distribution, above the rate of 50.0% in Canada.

In Northwest Territories, the percentage of the population in the lowest income decile group^{Income Footnote 6} at 8.6% was lower than in Canada (10.0%). The percentage of the population in the highest decile group was 26.8%, higher than in Canada (10.0%).

Table 5 – Population in private households by adjusted after-tax family income in 2010, Northwest Territories, Canada

Housing

The number of households in Northwest Territories was 14,700. The homeownership rate in Northwest Territories was 51.5%, which was lower than the national homeownership rate of 69.0%.

Canada, provinces and territories – Homeownership rate in 2011

Canada, provinces and territories – Homeownership rate in 2011

Table 1 – Housing tenure for all households, Canada, provinces and territories

Northwest Territories – Affordability^{Housing Footnote 1}

Households in Northwest Territories that paid 30% or more of household total income toward shelter costs represented 14.2% of non-farm, non-reserve households with total income greater than zero. This proportion was lower than the national proportion (25.2%).

A lower proportion of owner households paid 30% or more compared to tenant households in Northwest Territories (10.3% for owners versus 18.4% for renters).

Households in Northwest Territories paid an average monthly shelter cost of $1,331 – which was higher than the national amount of $1,050. The average monthly shelter cost for tenant households was $1,069. This was lower than the average monthly shelter cost for owner households of $1,575.

Table 2 – Housing affordability for non-farm, non-reserve households, Northwest Territories, Canada

Northwest Territories – Need for major repairs^{Housing Footnote 2}

In Northwest Territories, 17.2% of households reported living in dwellings that required major repairs. This was higher than the national proportion of 7.4%. The proportion of households reporting major repairs requirements was higher for owners than renters (19.0% for owner-occupied dwellings and 15.2% for renter-occupied dwellings).

Table 3 – Need for major repairs by housing tenure, Northwest Territories, Canada

Northwest Territories – Suitability

In Northwest Territories, 10.8% of households in Northwest Territories lived in dwellings that were not suitable; that is, the dwelling was crowded because there were not enough bedrooms based on the National Occupancy Standard.^{Housing Footnote 3} This was higher than the national proportion of 6.0%. The proportion of households in dwellings that were not suitable was lower for owners than renters (8.6% owner households and 12.9% for renter households).

Table 4 – Housing suitability by housing tenure, Northwest Territories, Canada

Related data

• 2011 NHS Profile – Northwest Territories
• 2011 NHS Data Tables – Northwest Territories
  • Aboriginal Peoples
  • Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity
  • Mobility and Migration
  • Education and Labour
  • Income and Housing
• 2011 Census Focus on Geography Series – Northwest Territories