We now have an estimate of how Saskatchewan’s population has been tracking over the past five years.
One of the non-traditional measures of how an economy is performing is to track population trends.
A community or region that is doing well tends to attract people.
Its population will increase while those in decline are more likely to lose people who generally pursue economic opportunity.
So, what do the numbers from Saskatchewan look like?
Statistics Canada looked at population figures on July 1 in each year from 2017 to 2021 to assess the trend.
For Saskatchewan, the big story is one of increased urbanization and generally into larger centres.
Regina and Saskatoon both posted gains over those years — Regina is up 12,000 and Saskatoon 25,000. Prince Albert and the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster also grew.
But the number of people living in Moose Jaw, Weyburn, Estevan, Yorkton and North Battleford was lower in 2021 than in 2017.
Meanwhile, the population of smaller communities around the province also fell with a steady decline of roughly 1,000 residents each year over the five-year stretch.
