After climbing close to the 13,000 mark in 2010, Estevan's population dipped slightly in 2011, according to provincial government numbers.
The covered population statistics were released in late December by the Ministry of Health. The statistics are a collection of all the people who have Saskatchewan Health cards in a given community and are considered a more accurate gauge of population than the national census as they are tabulated on an annual basis.
As of June 30, 2011, Estevan's covered population was 12,335, which is down from 2010 when 12,876 people were living in Estevan. Although the report is strictly numbers and does not offer reasons as to why the population may have dropped, it's likely the transient nature of many residents is a big factor in the decline.
The report, which can be found on the ministry's website, breaks the numbers up by the various health regions in Saskatchewan. In the Sun Country Health Region, which covers the southeast, the overall covered population increased from just over 55,000 people in 2010 to 56,529 in 2011.
A number of communities in the area also saw increases in 2011, although it was noted that Weyburn, which is the second largest community in the region, saw a similar decline to Estevan's. Weyburn boasted 11,782 residents in 2010 but saw a dip to 11,257 in 2011.
In Bienfait there was a significant jump as the population climbed from 949 to 1,129, according to the report. Torquay's population rose from 267 people to 324. Lampman saw a hike of 50 residents while Midale's base jumped by 118 people.
Other communities that saw increases were Oxbow, Carnduff, Glen Ewen, Frobisher, North Portal, the RM of Estevan, Alameda, Macoun, Redvers, Arcola, Stoughton, Wawota and Carlyle.
The report also provides an interesting look at Estevan's demographics as it breaks down the population by age and sex.
Not surprisingly given the jobs available in the local economy, men outnumbered women 6,251 to 6,084.
The youth of the community is also reflected in the report. The largest group is the 25 to 29 age range which had 985 people. The second largest was 45 to 49, which had 965 people while the 30 to 34 age group had 962 people.
The official tabulation of Canada's population will come later this year when the census is released. The census is important to communities as it is used to determine how much grant money they will receive from the federal and provincial governments.
