How Does Pelham Compare?

During the last two of my blogs, I have written about age characteristics of our Town. Well this, my final examination of the 2006 Census data for Pelham, considers home ownership, mobility, education, and other characteristics for your interest and information.

If all you had was the Pelham Census data, you may not appreciate the differences between Pelham and the rest of the Region. The best way to determine statistically significant differences is not only to compare the data between Pelham and all of Niagara, but, to actually remove Pelham from the Region’s data.

So, that is what I have done. And, the comparison between Pelham and the “rest of the Region” has yielded some interesting results – some significant, some not.

For example, the number of single-detached houses as a percentage of total occupied private dwellings is an interesting comparison. Across the rest of Niagara that number is 68%. Maybe it’s no surprise to you that in Pelham that statistic is 16% higher at 84%.

And, when you compare the number of owned vs. rented dwellings, there is also a significant difference. For Pelham, 90% of our dwellings are owned and 10% are rented. Across the rest of Niagara, 75% of dwellings are owned while 25% are rented.

Compared to the rest of Niagara, once we find our home in Pelham, we tend to stay put. For example, 71% of you and your neighbours lived at the same address five (5) years ago, while 92% lived at the same address one-year ago. Compare this to the rest of the Region at 64% for five years and 88% for one-year ago.

Another interesting comparison is with the number that said they possessed either a College certificate or diploma (or equivalent) or had a University certificate diploma or degree. Across the rest of Niagara, 36% of the adult population had these levels of education; in Pelham it was 10% higher at 46%.

Finally, Statistics Canada also tracks location of employment. Ten (10) percent of Pelham’s “labour force” works at home; compare this with six (6) percent in the rest of Niagara. Yet, at the same time, more than 71% of those working do so in a different municipality! Across the Region, that number is only 35% -- a whopping 36% less than in Pelham.

Perhaps you suspected some of this information about our Town. Or, perhaps some of it was unexpected. Regardless, I hope you know that I will continue to consider these demographic realities as I serve as your Mayor.

You may contact Mayor Dave at mayordave@pelham.ca