Economic profile: Brockville (CA), Ontario

Overview

BrockvilleFootnote 1 has a population of 31,661, consisting of 28% seniors (65 and older), 59% working-age adults (15 to 64) and 12% children (under 15).

The key sectors of the economy in Brockville, which account for 48% of the jobs in the region, are

  • health care and social assistance
  • retail trade
  • manufacturing

There are 12,950 employed residents, of which 8.0% are immigrants.Footnote 2

The economy generates a total of $1.6 billion in household and business incomes, which amounts to $49,614 per resident.

General age structure – 2021

Table 1: General age structure – 2021
In the region In the province
% children (under 15) 12% 16%
% working-age adults (15 to 64) 59% 66%
% of seniors (65 and older) 28% 19%

Sustainability

In order to support local services such as health care and social programs and maintain a good standard of living for everyone in the region, it is essential to have more working-age adults than seniors. Brockville has fewer working-age adults than seniors compared to the average in Ontario.

From 2011 to 2021, Brockville experienced

  • a 19% decrease in population, compared to an 11% increase in the province
  • a 36% increase in the population’s proportion of seniors, compared to a 27% increase in the province
  • an 8.9% decrease in the population’s proportion of working-age adults, compared to a 4.1% decrease in the province

Population structure – Changes from 2011 to 2021

Table 2: Population structure – Changes from 2011 to 2021
Changes in the region Changes in the province
Total population -19% +11%
Proportion of children -12% -6.7%
Proportion of working-age adults -8.9% -4.1%
Proportion of seniors +36% +27%

By 2031, without immigration,Footnote 3 the region could experienceFootnote 4

  • a 6.1% decrease in population
  • a 9.9% decrease in the population’s proportion of working-age adults, which could limit the availability and quality of local services
  • a further increase in the population’s proportion of seniors by 24%, potentially changing the demand for local services, including health care and long-term care

No immigration – Possible changes from 2021 to 2031

Table 3: No immigration – Possible changes from 2021 to 2031
Changes in the region Changes in the province
Total population -6.1% +0.1%
Proportion of children -7.5% -12%
Proportion of working-age adults -9.9% -6.3%
Proportion of seniors +24% +32%

Prosperity

The region relies heavily on working-age adults to keep local services running smoothly and to maintain a good standard of living and economic growth. Immigrants can help by filling job gaps and bringing new skills and ideas, which keeps the local economy strong.

From 2011 to 2021, Brockville experienced

  • a 26% decrease in workforceFootnote 5 size, compared to a 7.8% increase in the province
  • an 18% decrease in the number of immigrant workers, compared to a 9.5% increase in the province
  • a total of 4,297 retirements,Footnote 6 which amounts to 29% of the 2021 workforce, compared to 16% in the province
  • a change in the average income per resident from local jobs relative to the province, which is 20% lower than the average in Ontario in 2021

Economic changes from 2011 to 2021

Table 4: Economic changes from 2011 to 2021
Changes in the region Changes in the province
Workforce -26% +7.8%
Immigrant workers -18% +9.5%
Retirement as % of 2021 workforce 29% 16%
Wage income generated from jobsFootnote 7 -5.7% +37%
By 2031, without immigration,Footnote 8 the region could experienceFootnote 9
  • a further decrease in workforce size by 41%
  • a 36% decrease in the number of jobs
  • an increase in the proportion of seniors in the population from 28% to 35%

No immigration – Possible changes from 2021 to 2031

Table 5: No immigration - Possible changes from 2021 to 2031
Changes in the region Changes in the province
Workforce -41% -36%
Retirement as % of 2031 workforce 39% 28%
Number of jobs -36% -31%

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are from the 2011, 2016, or 2021 editions of the Statistics Canada Census, and all calculations are from the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis.

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