Demographics
| Historical populations (Statistics Canada) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1951 | 2,724 | — |
| 1961 | 3,245 | +19.1% |
| 1971 | 6,122 | +88.7% |
| 1981 | 9,483 | +54.9% |
| 1991 | 15,179 | +60.1% |
| 1996 | 17,275 | +13.8% |
| 2001 | 16,541 | −4.2% |
| 2006 | 18,700 | +13.1% |
| 2011 | 19,234 | +2.9% |
| Canada 2006 Census | Population | % of Total Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visible minority group |
South Asian | 135 | 0.7 |
| Chinese | 245 | 1.3 | |
| Black | 315 | 1.7 | |
| Filipino | 570 | 3.1 | |
| Latin American | 70 | 0.4 | |
| Southeast Asian | 335 | 1.8 | |
| Other visible minority | 160 | 0.9 | |
| Total visible minority population | 1,830 | 9.9 | |
| Aboriginal group |
First Nations | 1,990 | 10.8 |
| Métis | 1,380 | 7.5 | |
| Inuit | 640 | 3.5 | |
| Total Aboriginal population | 4,105 | 22.2 | |
| White | 12,575 | 67.9 | |
| Total population | 18,510 | 100 | |
| Historical populations (NWT Bureau of Statistics) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1996 | 18,256 | — |
| 1997 | 18,307 | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 17,664 | −3.5% |
| 1999 | 17,469 | −1.1% |
| 2000 | 17,414 | −0.3% |
| 2001 | 17,772 | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 18,409 | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 19,210 | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 19,622 | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 19,644 | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 19,522 | −0.6% |
| 2007 | 19,674 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 19,910 | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 19,711 | −1.0% |
As of 2009, there were 19,711 people and 6,630 (2006) households in the city. The population density was 142.86 people/km² (369.85 people/sq. mi). The 2006 Census found that 22.2% of residents identified as aboriginal.
In Yellowknife, the population is slightly disproportionate in terms of age distribution compared to the national average; the average age is 32.2, compared to a Canada-wide average of 39.5. As of the 2009 figures, 13.8% of residents were 9 or under, 6.2% were from 10 to 14 years old, 15.9% were from 15 to 24, 35.2% were from 25 to 44, 22.5% were from 45 to 59, and 6.4% were 60 or older. From 1996 to 2009, the average annual growth rate was 0.6% for the total population; broken down by age, it was -1.3% for < 15 years, and 6.9% for 60 years and older.
In 2006, two-person households with a least one child were the most common size at 36.2%. Overall just over one quarter of all households had only two occupants with no children. The average income in the city was C$57,246, and the average income for a family was C$124,200, with 10.6% of all families earning less than $30,000. Minimum wage is C$9.00 in Yellowknife. Average household expenditures were C$103,762 in 2007. In 2004, the unemployment rate was at 5.0%, an all-time low, and as of 2006 5.7%; the employment rate for males was 81.7%, for females it was 76.7%.
The crime rate in Yellowknife for 2008 was 34.9 (per 1,000 persons) for violent crimes, and 47.2.5 (per 1,000 persons) for property crimes. There were 324 births and 51 deaths in 2006.
Almost 82% of residents spoke English as their mother tongue and almost 4% spoke French. More than 4% spoke an aboriginal language as their first language, including 1.3% who spoke Inuktitut, another 1.3% who spoke Dogrib, and 0.6% who spoke North Slavey, 0.5% who spoke Dene/Chipewyan, and 0.4% who spoke South Slavey. Other languages spoken in Yellowknife include Tagalog at 2.3%, Vietnamese at 1.6%, Chinese at 1.1%, German at 0.7% and Spanish at 0.4%.
Yellowknife is home to just over 500 recent immigrants (arriving between 2001 and 2006) who now make up just under 3% of the population; 36% of these immigrants came from the Philippines, while 18% came from Ghana, 9% from Vietnam, 7% from the United States, and 5% came from China.
Almost 73% of residents identified as Christian while 24% said they had no religious affiliation in 2001. For specific denominations Statistics Canada found that 36% of residents identified as Roman Catholic, 11% as Anglican, 10% for the United Church, about 2% each as Baptist, Lutheran, and Pentecostal, and more than 1% for The Salvation Army. There were also 135 Buddhists, 125 Muslims, and 15 Jews.
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