The Incredible Ageing County

Jeff Green | Jun 14, 2012

The most recent data released by Statistics Canada from the 2011 census shows that not only are fewer people living in Frontenac County and neighbouring municipalities, but also that the median age of the population is getting higher, in some cases dramatically so.

The oldest jurisdiction is North Frontenac, where the median age of permanent residents rose to 57.6 in 2011, up from 54.9 in 2006. That puts North Frontenac’s population at 17 years older than the provincial average, which is 40.4 years old.

Statisticians use the median to measure ageing – what that means is that 50% of the population is older than the median and 50% is younger.

The youngest population in Frontenac County can be found in South Frontenac, at a median age of 44.7, but in South Frontenac that number has jumped by almost 3 years since 2006, when it was 41.9.

The median age in Central Frontenac is now 50.1, up dramatically from 46 in 2006, and the median in Frontenac Islands is 50.5 years old, up from 49.1.

The posted data on the Stats Canada for Frontenac County includes the City of Kingston. By using the data provided and making our own calculations, we came up with a median age for Frontenac County residents of 47.

Among neighbouring municipalities, the median age in Addington Highlands is now 52.3, up from 50.1 in 2006; Tay Valley has jumped to 51 from 45.8 in 2006, and in Lanark Highlands the number is now 48.8, up from 45.6 in 2006.

As a whole, the Province of Ontario has seen the average age of its permanent residents rise by 1.4 years since the 2006 census, when the median was 39 years old.

Nationally, the median age is now 40.6, up from 39.5 in 2006.

The Frontenac County numbers are in line with projections for what the entire population of Canada will look like in 2051, so while the country as a whole has almost 40 years to prepare for the implications of this kind of ageing, Frontenac County is facing them today.

Another figure that analysts look at is the percentage of the population aged 65 and over.

Projections, based on current trends, see the national percentage, which is now 13.2%, rising to 21% by 2026 and 26.4% by 2051.

In South Frontenac, 14% of the population were 65 or older in 2011; in Central Frontenac 22.8% were seniors; and in North Frontenac, 32.6% of the population - almost 1 in 3 - had already reached the age of 65 last year.