The census of population Statistics Canada undertakes every five years not only provides a snapshot of the towns and cities across our country, but also allows those communities to look inward to see where they stand. In Okotoks’ case, the word that best describes our situation gleaned from data in the 2021 version could well be “average.”
The town’s growth rate and average age of the population are pretty much bang on provincial figures, while age characteristics -- young, middle and older -- are also all very much in line with Alberta as a whole. However, there are other numbers in there where we deviate from the norm, metrics that our local leaders would be wise to heed as they could be a foreshadowing of how the town evolves in the years to come.
Perhaps the one number that jumps out the most is that 78 per cent of dwellings in Okotoks are single-detached houses, almost 20 per cent higher than the provincial figure. You’d expect the suburbs to have a larger proportion of such housing stock but as the real estate market rises, these types of homes become out of reach of more and more families.
It’s not likely to shock anyone that tweens and teens are the two biggest five-year age groups, followed by their 40-something parents, but it might be surprising that the youngest segment of our population is also one of the smallest. In fact, every five-year age group from 35 to 65 had more people than the zero to four years group.
Anomaly? That might be the case, but it could also be a sign that the youngest of families are already going elsewhere because they can’t find, or can’t afford, the housing they require.
Okotoks is a great community, and is still affordable compared to other areas in the country, but its face could change if its housing inventory doesn’t keep pace.
