A new report from Statistics Canada is providing an interesting look into Estevan's changing demographics.
The 2011 National Household Survey illustrates Estevan's growing immigration community using information collected in that year's census. The same report also focuses on the city's Aboriginal population.
With respect to immigration, the report notes that 4.4 per cent of Estevan's population was foreign born immigrants. That is somewhat behind the provincial benchmark of 6.8 per cent.
Not surprisingly given the city's proximity to the U.S. border, the largest segment of immigrants in Estevan are Americans at 19.1 per cent. Newcomers from the Philippines are second at 13.6 per cent.
On a provincial level, Filipinos accounted for 18.6 per cent of the immigrant population, which was the leader by a significant margin. The next largest immigrant group at 10 per cent was from the United Kingdom.
As for what languages Estevan residents are speaking, 67 per cent of residents speak either English or French at home. Among non-official languages, German and Chinese are the two most frequently spoken languages at 6.4 per cent each.
The report also examined the visible minority population and ethnic origins of Estevan residents. Just over four per cent of residents identified themselves as belonging to a visible minority group with Filipinos and south Asians comprising the largest sector of minorities.
The most reported ethnic origins in Estevan were German, English and Irish. The rest of the province also had a strong German influence while English and Scottish were second and third respectively.
Religion was also included in the report. Overall, 80 per cent of Estevan residents identify themselves as having a religious affiliation. Of those people, 31 per cent were Catholic, 15 per cent belonged to the United Church and 11.2 per cent were Lutheran.
The Aboriginal peoples study noted that five per cent of Estevan's population have Aboriginal heritage. Of those, 1.2 per cent had a single first nations identity, .6 per cent were registered or treaty Indians and 3.7 per cent were Metis. Provincially, 15.6 per cent of residents are Aboriginals.
