Major municipalities

The largest municipality in the Central Region, according to the 2006 Statistics Canada Census, was the City of Red Deer with a population of 82,772  1.  More recently, the municipal census of 2010 showed 90,084 residents in Red Deer, an 8.6% increase from the 2006 municipal census number2.  According to the 2006 federal census, the municipality in the Central Region with the highest population growth between 2001 and 2006 was the Town of Sylvan Lake.  Sylvan Lake experienced an increase of 36.1% or 2,705 residents between 2001 and 2006.  High growth was also seen in the municipal census of 2008 that showed 11,115 individuals in Sylvan Lake, a 30.7% increase from the previous municipal census of 2004. 

1 Note: the Census under-estimates the overall population totals for any region or municipality as some people are not counted. The reasons for this under-coverage can range from some households not receiving a census questionnaire to individuals not being included in the questionnaire completed for a household.
2 Numerical differences between the federal and municipal censuses may be ascribed to slight variations in the definition of “usual residence,” as well as how “shadow populations” are treated. While municipalities define the “shadow population” as “temporary residents of a municipality who are employed by an industrial or commercial establishment in the municipality for a minimum of 30 days” and include them in their official population numbers if they consist at least 10% of the municipality’s population or a minimum of 1,000 individuals, the shadow population of transient workers is not accounted for in population counts conducted by Statistics Canada.

Date Updated:
RDP-2363