The number of kids and young adults in Chatham-Kent is steadily dropping.
The latest figures from Statistics Canada show that the number of children aged 0-14 in Chatham-Kent fell from 19,815 in 2006 to 16,720 in 2016 -- a drop of about 16%.
The number of young adults also dropped, but at a slightly lower rate (approx. 12%). There were 16,090 Chatham-Kent residents aged 20-34 in 2016 compared to 18,260 in 2011.
Increase In Single-Person Households
The latest data from Statistics Canada also provides a wider snapshot of how households in Chatham-Kent have been changing over the years.
The number of total private households bounced back to 43,175 in 2016 from a dip in 2011 when there were 42,990.
More people appear to be living alone, though, which follows a national trend.
In 2016, almost 30% of Chatham-Kent households were made up of single-person dwellings, a marked increase from 28% in 2011 and 27.2% in 2006. Across Canada, the number of one-person households is now up to 28.2%.
Fewer Married Couples In CK
There are also fewer married couples in Chatham-Kent now than there were ten years ago as more people appear to be opting for common-law relationships.
Stats Canada says there were 45,525 married persons in Chatham-Kent in 2006 -- that fell to 41,690 in 2016.
By comparison, the number of people living in common-law relationships in Chatham-Kent rose from 7,525 in 2006 to 7,800 in 2016.
The data also shows that same-sex couples continue to make up a small percentage of married and common-law relationships in Chatham-Kent.
Out of the 41,690 people who were married in the municipality in 2016, just 90 of them were same-sex marriages (0.02%).
Same-sex relationships also make up a very small group of common-law unions in Chatham-Kent. Just 130 of the 7,800 people living in common-law relationships were in a same-sex union in 2016 (0.17%).
