There are more people 65 and over in Castlegar than there are people under 15 years old.
Census data released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday shows that 1,865, or 23.2 per cent of Castlegarians are 65 or over, while 1,170, or 14.6 per cent, are 14 years old or younger.
The rest of Castlegar residents — 5,005 or 62.3 per cent — are somewhere between the two, and the average age in Castlegar is 44.9.
Provincially, the numbers share a similar story, with 18.3 per cent of B.C. residents aged 65 or over and 14.9 per cent 14 years old or younger. The average age of B.C.’s population is 42.3.
Gender (limited to male and female) was also included in the release, and Castlegar has a slightly higher female population at 50.8 per cent.
More dwellings, smaller household sizes
The number of total occupied private dwellings in Castlegar increased 4.5 per cent between 2011 and 2016, up to 3,500.
The number of persons in private dwellings also increased, up 3.0 from 7,555 in 2011 to 7,780 in 2016.
But the average household size is down to 2.2 from 2.3 in 2011.
The number of single-person households increased 8.6 per cent, from 985 to 1070, while the households with five or more people dropped 5.9 per cent, from 170 to 160.
The number of single detached houses also dropped slightly between 2011 and 2016, down 0.2 per cent to 2360.
The number of semi-detached houses, apartments or flats in duplexes, and apartments in buildings under five stories increased, by 4.3, 58.1 and 11.5 per cent respectively.
Provincially, households also shifted from detached houses to some kind of multi-family dwelling.