September 5, 2019
Mayor Don Iveson announced the results of Edmonton’s 2019 Municipal Census today, with an official city population of 972,223 as of April 1, 2019. This represents an increase of 72,776 people, and an average growth rate of 2.6 per cent annually, since the last municipal census in 2016.
Edmonton’s population is young by Canadian standards. More than half of the population is under the age of 39. The largest population segment is between 30 and 39, years when people typically establish their careers and start families.
“This is a great sign for Edmonton,” said Mayor Iveson. “Edmonton’s growing and young population presents a number of economic benefits for our city. It speaks to our vibrancy and strengthens our local business community’s ability to attract and retain new investment.”
Edmonton is on track for a population of over one million people by the end of 2020, and more than two million within thirty years if current growth rates persist. The city’s growth rate for 2019 is predicted to be 2.1 per cent, higher than Alberta (1.9 per cent) and Canada (1.3 per cent).
This year’s census demonstrated the City’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Edmonton was the first city in Canada to offer expanded gender identity options in a census, including trans, non-binary and two-spirited.
“We want our residents to feel valued for their uniqueness,” said Barb McLean, Equity Specialist with the City of Edmonton. “Every Edmontonian has something to contribute to our community, and including more gender options in the census gives representation to those who might not have felt valued before.”
The official census population captures only those residents who completed the census questionnaire. Using a mathematical formula similar to the one used by Statistics Canada for the federal census, we extrapolated our census data for the dwellings that did not participate in the census to get an estimate of the total population. This is the unofficial population count and it is used to inform the City’s planning work. The unofficial population count is 992,812.
More information on the census results, including further demographic and neighbourhood-level data, is available at
edmonton.ca/census.
