Demographics

Population
The population of Red Deer, Albertas third-largest city, is rapidly increasing. Between 2000 and 2015,
our population grew from almost 66,000 to over 100,000 people, an increase of roughly 35%. The City of
Red Deer forecasts us likely growing to 128,000 people by 2020. This is dependent on the economy.
Regardless, it means more jobs for people like you!

My apologies, youre going to hear a lot of as of 2006 in this talk. We wrote up a big report a few years
ago based on the 2006 Federal Census. The infos a little dated, but still useful, I think.

Ethnic Origins
As of 2006, the top ten self-identified ethnic origins in Red Deer were:
1. English.
2. Canadian.
3. Scottish.
4. German.
5. Irish.
6. French.
7. Ukrainian.
8. Dutch.
9. Norwegian.
10. Polish.

In 2006, 7.1% of our population were visible minorities, and 3.5% of our population were aboriginal. The
other 89.4% of us are pretty white. But we expect these rankings to change, as the majority of our recent
immigrants hail from Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America.

-As of 2006, 99.4% of our population could speak English

- 89.4% of our people claimed English as their first language, but English was the language most often
used in the home for 95.4% of our people

This suggests that the majority of your students will live with parents who can speak English, which
means theyre better able to help their children with homework, and communicate with you!

Industry, Education, and Labour

The city of Red Deer has a labour participation rate of 69.8%. Our unemployment rate is 6.2% (The City
of Red Deer- Labour), compared to Albertas 7.0%. The top occupations in Red Deer are industrial,
electrical, and construction, service supports, and wholesale and retail sales. Manufacturing components
for oil drilling is big business in Red Deer.
57.4% of people in Red Deer have a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree.

Income and Earnings

Red Deer experienced a general increase in average and median family income between 1991 and 2006.
14.4% of families fell below the low-income cut-off line in 1991, but by 2006 the number fell to 7.6%.
Good news!
This translates to potentially greater outcomes among students, as the incidence of poverty, and its
corresponding negative social effects decrease.

However, be wary, as Canada was in recession in 1991, and Alberta was booming in 2006. And we
havent yet seen more recent numbers, or felt the full impact of the current recession.

Home Ownership
Between 1986 and 2006, the percentage of Red Deer homes that were owned grew from 52.7% to 66%,
and there was a corresponding decline in homes that were rented. This can partly be credited to higher
average household income, and a more educated population that expects to make more income in stable
jobs.

Housing Cost
Housing has become more expensive in Red Deer.
Between 2001 and 2006, the average annual family income grew by 33.4% from almost $68,000 to over
$93,000. However, the average house value grew by 62% from over $155,000 to over $244, 000. This
reflects the housing boom in other parts of Alberta. While it is more expensive to live here than it used to
be, youll find our housing market less prohibitively expensive than that of Calgary or Edmonton.
However, all of Alberta is feeling the icy cold pinch of the economy.
And now for a song

Bibliography:
Grant, T. (2010, March 02). Recession 'relatively mild in Canada'. Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 31,
2016
Kutuada, F. & Baugh Littlejohns, L. (2008). Demographics and Socio-Economic Trends of Red Deer.
Social Planning, The City of Red Deer: 2008.
The City of Red Deer- Key Industries. (n.d). Retrieved January 31, 2016
The City of Red Deer- Labour. (n.d). Retrieved January 31, 2016
The City of Red Deer- Statistics and Economic Profile. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2016