Stats Canada released information about age from the 2011 census, and it shows an aging population on the north coast.
In Prince Rupert the median age was 39.4, up from 38.5 in the 2006 census. In terms of a breakdown, the largest cohort is people between the age of 20 and 50 with 4,870 of the 12,510 people in town falling into that group, followed closely by the 4,295 people over the age of 50. The population below the age of 20 is made up of just 3,345 people. The census shows that 80.8 per cent of the population is over 15.
The largest single age group in town is those 50-54 years old, with 1,100 people included. Men and women are about the same age, with the median age for men 39.4 and the median age for women 39.3.
Port Edward is slightly older than Prince Rupert, with a median age of 41.9 and 81.1 per cent of the population over the age of 15.
In Masset the median age is 41.4, the median age in Queen Charlotte is 42.4 and the median age in Port Clements is the oldest community in the region with a media age of 47.7, up from 43.2 in 2006. In Port Clements, 201 of the 375 people are over the age of 45.
The median age of the Skeena Queen Charlotte Regional District is 39.9, with the median age of men sitting at 40.4 compared to 39.5 for women.
In comparison, the median age in Terrace is 38.8, and the median age of the Kitimat - Stikine Regional District at 40.3.