Dufferin County Population
According to the 2011 Census, Dufferin County has a population of 56,881. Between 2006 and 2011, the population has grown by 4.5%, which is slightly lower than the Ontario growth rate of 5.7% during the same time period.
The County is projected to grow to a population of 80,000 by 2031 as outlined in the provincial Places to Grow Act.
The municipalities that comprise Dufferin County are all working diligently to accommodate these growth projections and the County of Dufferin prepared a Growth Management Study that addresses some of the issues related to the projected growth.
The population is roughly split between male (49.42%) and female (50.58%) according to the 2011 Statistics Canada census.
Twenty-seven percent of Dufferin residents are under 19 years of age, 60% are between 20 and 64 years of age, 12% are 65+.
Dufferin County has a larger percentage of young people than Ontario at 27% and a smaller percentage of seniors than Ontario at 12%. This reflects the family oriented nature of Dufferin County.
Median Age
The median age for Dufferin County residents is 40 years old.
Family Structure
72% percent of families in Dufferin County are married couples with 13% common-law families and 15% single parent families. The average number of persons living in a private household in Dufferin County is 3.
Ethnicity
Citizens in Dufferin County represent many ethnic origins; however 95% of residents are classified as non-immigrants. Ninety-one percent of residents identify English as their mother tongue.
Educational Attainment
In the 2011 National Household Survey, 58% percent of the population between the ages 25-64 show some post-secondary education (i.e. apprenticeship, trades certificate, college/university certificate, diploma or Bachelor’s degree) this represents an increase from 2006 of 5% while it is lightly lower than the provincial average of 65%.