Contact: Daniel Olding, Manager, Grants & Strategic Initiatives, 905-771-5505, daniel.olding@richmondhill.ca

2015 Socio-Economic Study reveals the demographic, economic, transportation and housing information of Richmond Hill.

RICHMOND HILL – Richmond Hill is a diverse and highly-educated community that is growing. These facts and more are confirmed in the Town’s 2015 Socio-Economic Study.

“The Socio-Economic Study highlights the diverse, welcoming community that we are so proud of,” said Mayor Dave Barrow. “Over half of our population is comprised of immigrants. We boast a great mix of age groups and our economy is thriving based on small and medium-sized businesses. There’s a lot of good news.”

Highlights of the study include:

• Visible minorities make up 52.9 per cent of Richmond Hill’s population.
• Richmond Hill has the highest proportion of Farsi-speaking (8.8 per cent) and Korean-speaking (2.4 per cent) residents in the Greater Toronto Area.
• More than 77 per cent of Richmond Hill residents aged 25-64 have completed some form of post-secondary degree.
• More than 85 per cent of Richmond Hill residents are homeowners.

Single-detached homes are the predominant and traditional housing in Richmond Hill. The 2015 study indicates a shift toward higher density housing such as townhomes and high-rise buildings which will provide more choice to residents in the future. The study also shows that transit use is growing. More than 16 per cent of residents take public transit as of 2011, a sizable increase from 12.8 per cent in 2001. Richmond Hill promotes transit and active transportation such as walking and cycling as a way to develop a healthy community less dependent on the automobile.

“The study helps us focus our knowledge of Richmond Hill so that we can determine the right steps to move our community forward,” said Mayor Barrow. “While it’s great to see that transit use and housing choices are growing, we know that traffic congestion and housing affordability are still key issues.”

The study will allow Richmond Hill Council and staff to respond to the changing needs of the community through the adaptation of services, planning and programming. It will also inform future policy documents, including the Phase 3 Implementation Plan of Richmond Hill’s Strategic Plan.

Sources used for the 2015 Socio-Economic Study include Statistics Canada census documents, 2011 National Household Survey, Transportation for Tomorrow surveys, York Region Employment Survey and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

The complete 2015 Socio-Economic Study is available on RichmondHill.ca.


Backgrounder: 2015 Socio-Economic Study

How much do you know about Richmond Hill?

Demographics

• Population grew by 22,837 persons or by 14.0% in 5 years (2006 to 2011).
• Richmond Hill is growing at a slower rate than in the previous six census periods.
• There is a mix of generations in Richmond Hill with millennials (15-34 years) the largest group. Baby boomers (50-69 years) and Gen X (35-49 years) follow.
• Couple families with children represent 45.2% of household types.
• The median household income is $87,388 and 43.6% of households reported incomes of over $100,000.
• The top countries of birth of immigrants residing in Richmond Hill are China (14.9%), Iran (14.2%), Hong Kong (12.5%), Italy (4.3%), Russia (4.2%) and South Korea (3.9%).

Economics Characteristics

• The number of jobs in Richmond Hill (60,025) continues to grow and remains stable compared to the population.
• More than 6,400 new jobs were created in Richmond Hill between 2006 and 2011.
• Richmond Hill’s unemployment rate (6.9 per cent) is lower than the Ontario average (8.3 per cent).
• The number of medium-sized businesses (20-99 employees) in Richmond Hill grew to 14% of businesses between 2006 and 2011. Small businesses (1-19 employees) represent 84% of businesses.
• Over the past five years, there has been an increase in the finance and insurance industry from 8.5 to 9.5% while the manufacturing industry has declined from 10.5 to 7.9%.
• Education, law and social, community and government are the fastest growing occupation (10.8%) and have replaced trades, transportation, and equipment operators (7.3%) in the top five occupations.
• The most common occupations have shifted over the past five years and sales and service is now the top occupation at 20.5%.

Transportation, Commuting and Travel Patterns

• 74.4% of Richmond Hill residents work in municipalities outside of Richmond Hill and 72.7% of the employees working in Richmond Hill are coming from other municipalities.
• The use of automobiles to commute to work by Richmond Hill residents declined slightly over the past five years from 82.8 to 82.2% while the use by those who commute to work from outside of Richmond Hill rose from 92.1 to 92.4%.
• One in six residents use public transit – an increase from one in eight in 2001.

Housing Affordability and Poverty

• 85.8% of Richmond Hill residents are homeowners
• There is a clear predominance of single detached dwellings within the Town, with a shift to townhouse and high-rise apartment dwellings.
• House prices increased 41.7% from 2006 to 2011. The rate of increase from 2012 to 2013 continued to be high (8.1%).
• One in seven Richmond Hill residents is identified as living in a low income household.