At the meeting of the Sidney Community Association on March 10, 2019, we provided a set of questions based on the 2016 Census statistics for Sidney. The questions were intended to explore who we are as a community. We divided people into 5 groups to come up with the answers.
QUESTION 1 – AGE – IS THERE A GREATER % OF SIDNEY RESIDENTS AGED UNDER 64 OR 65 +?
Answer from the groups: Most correctly guessed under 64.
Answer based on Census profile: 59 % of Sidney residents are under 64
Why is this important?
- These are the kids that are going to our schools
- These are the parents that are going to work each day
- These are the people who are hoping to retire someday
QUESTION 2 – FAMILY – WHAT % OF SIDNEY COUPLES HAVE CHILDREN LIVING WITH THEM?
Answer from the groups: The answers ranged from 8 % – 30 %
Answer based on Census profile: 29 % of Sidney couples have children living with them
Why is this important?
- The number of families in Sidney is increasing
- They want a safe community with amenities for families
- They are looking for homes they can afford
QUESTION 3 – INCOME – WHAT % OF SIDNEY RESIDENTS AGE 18-64 ARE ON LOW INCOME? (Low income defined as needing to spend 20 % more of their after tax income on food, shelter and clothing than the average person or family.)
Answer from the groups: The answers ranged from 20 % – 54 %
Answer based on Census profile: 7.4 % of Sidney residents are on low income. This is 400 people.
Why is this important?
- The majority of people are under the age of 64 which indicates that these are primarily single parents and working families.
QUESTION 4 – WORK – WHAT % OF SIDNEY RESIDENTS THAT WORK, DRIVE TO WORK OUTSIDE SIDNEY?
Answer from the groups: The answers ranged from 35% – 75 %
Answer based on Census profile: 69 % of Sidney residents drive to work outside Sidney.
Why is this important?
- This is an indicator of how connected we are to the rest of the region.
- Also interesting when combined with the number of people that commute from the region to work in Sidney.