Anyone who has considered visiting Canada has likely looked toward the larger cities such as Vancouver, but metro cities surrounding Vancouver can be more promising than one might realize. Surrey is a city that has truly come into its own in recent years with a population that is always on the rise. It remains part of the Metro Vancouver, but the significantly lower population density has driven this city to new heights.
Demographics
Some cities within British Columbia have shown negative growth in recent years, but Surrey has continually shown an increase throughout the years. The population according to the last census performed in 2011 showed that the population in Surrey was 468,251, and the 2016 census showed that the population had reached over half a million with 517,887. That is a 10.6% jump in the overall population of the city. The population density stands at 1,636.8 per square kilometer. To break down the demographics, males make up 256,400 of the population, with females in the majority at 261,485.
Ages
Currently, the average age of a Surrey resident is 39. The vast majority of the population falls between the ages of 15 and 64; this age range makes up 68% of the total population. Children between the ages of 0 and 14 make up 17.9%, and those that are 65 and older make up 14.1%. As with most cities in British Columbia, Surrey has a large number of people living far beyond their 85th birthday, with 1.6% of the population above the age of 85. According to the most recent census, 130 people in Surrey have reached over 100 years of age.
Housing
Home is where the heart is and in Surrey, those homes come in a wide range of dwellings. The total number of dwellings currently built is 169,965. Only 60,195 of those structures are the standard detached home, with 6,055 homes found in high rise apartment complexes. Other dwellings make up the remaining 102,375 structures. The majority of these dwellings are duplexes at 37,535 homes and apartments under five stories tall at 34,560 homes. Row houses make up another 26,630 of dwellings, and semi-detached homes total 6,055. The smallest number of structures are mobile homes, of which there are only 160.
Families
There are a total number of 144,495 families. The average family size in Surrey is 3.1 people which is considerably larger than the average 2.5 people in other parts of the country. Currently, there are 122,895 couples in Surrey, of which 48,180 do not have children. The couples with children total 74,715. 26,570 of these have just one child, while 34,060 have two. Larger families with three or more children make up 14,090 of all couples in Surrey.