The Town of Penhold is just 24 residents shy of hitting the 2,500 population mark.
The municipal census report was before council during the July 9 meeting. The report showed a population of 2,476 people and a total of 989 dwellings that were enumerated.
The request for decision shows the census came in under budget, costing $3,431, not including town staff time. The original budget was $5,000.
Chief Administrative Officer Rick Binnendyk said the town would probably receive about $60 per capita in grants. The 2011 federal census showed Penhold had 2,375 residents, so the extra grants for the 101 additional residents is over $6,000.
Council accepted the report and voted to have the enumeration ballots destroyed.
Development Officer Tricia Willis presented the report's findings to council, which showed the largest age group in town was 447 people between the ages of 25 and 34. The second largest age group, however, was the 367 people who did not provide an answer to the question of how old they are.
“A lot of people were a little sensitive and didn't want to give it out,” Willis said.
The third highest age group was between the ages of 35 and 44, with 322 people falling into that category.
The male-to-female ratio in Penhold is close to even. There were 1,209 men enumerated and 1,125 women. Just over five per cent of the population, or 142 people, declined to provide a gender to the enumerator.
Over 42 per cent of the population has lived in Penhold for less than five years.
Of the 989 dwellings surveyed, the most common number of occupants was two.
Willis said to the best of her knowledge every home in Penhold was enumerated.
