Chart of the Week: Counting people… by age  

Economic indicators like employment and jobless rates matter a lot, but they mean nothing unless you have a good read on the population.

The population forms the basis for almost everything—from job stats, to planning for schools and hospitals, to grant formulas (the Canada Health Transfer, for example, is divided among the provinces using population shares).

The really interesting stuff comes when you look under the hood. With the release of the July 1 population estimates, we not only know how many migrants came to Alberta, but also how old they are. That’s critical because if you’re planning a new housing development or a sales campaign, you should probably know the age structure of your new prospects.

Migrants to Alberta tend to be young, with 81% of those who arrived last year under the age of 35.