By: Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
Chatham-Kent recorded its largest single-year population increase since 2001.
The municipality’s population reached 113,070 as of July 1, 2025, representing a 1.23% increase over the previous year, according to new data released by Statistics Canada last week.
This is Chatham-Kent’s strongest population growth since data collection began in 2001, signalling continued momentum for the community.
The growth has been attributed primarily to people moving to Chatham-Kent from elsewhere in Ontario, accounting for a 16.7% net increase from the previous year.
Notably, 26% of new arrivals are children and youth under 15, highlighting Chatham-Kent’s growing appeal to young families.
“This data confirms what we are seeing on the ground every day: more families are choosing Chatham-Kent as a place to live, work, invest, and raise their children,” Mayor Canniff stated. “Our strong population growth, combined with rising incomes, shows that Chatham-Kent is competitive, affordable, and increasingly attractive within Southwestern Ontario.”
Economic indicators further reinforce the positive trend.
The most recent data from 2023 showed the median personal income in Chatham-Kent increased by 5.4%, surpassing the national growth rate of 4.4%.
Between 2018 and 2023, median total income per person in Chatham-Kent rose by 20%, reflecting steady economic improvement for residents.
“We are seeing the impact of intentional investments in community services, cultural amenities, and quality-of-life initiatives,” said Audrey Ansell, Director of Community Culture and Connections. “The fact that families with children are choosing to move here speaks volumes about the strength of our neighbourhoods, schools, services, culture, and community supports.”
From 2001 to 2015, Chatham-Kent experienced a 6.6% population decline, with 7,381 residents leaving the municipality during that period.
However, since 2016, Chatham-Kent has seen a population increase of 8.1%, or a growth of 8,477 residents.
Chatham-Kent’s growth rate also outpaced those of neighbouring municipalities and the provincial average.
Chatham-Kent grew by 1.23% while Windsor grew by 0.83%, London 0.98% and Sarnia 0.17%.
Ontario’s average growth was 0.7%.
The Statistics Canada report focused solely on Chatham-Kent as a whole, as population data for each community were not included.
The community-by-community data was last released in the 2021 Census, with the next update not expected until the 2026 Census, which is scheduled to be released late this year or early in 2027.
Chatham-Kent’s population was 104,316, according to the 2021 Statistics Canada Census, an increase of more than 2,000 from 102,042 in the 2016 Census.
This was Chatham-Kent’s first increase since 2006, when the population was 108,589.
The town of Ridgetown had the largest drop among Chatham-Kent communities between the 2016 and 2021 Censuses, falling from 3,002 in 2016 to 2,797 in 2021, representing a 6.8% decline.
Wheatley had the highest growth rate, with a 6.7% increase from 2,868 residents in 2016 to 3,060 in 2021.
The city of Chatham saw a 3.7% increase in its population in 2021, to 45,171, up from 43,550 in 2016.
Blenheim’s population grew by 143 residents between the two censuses, a 3.3% increase from 4,344 in 2016 to 4,487 in 2021.
Wallaceburg had a 2.2% growth, from 10.098 in ‘16 to 10,323 in 2021.
Dresden had a 2.0% drop-off, from 2,451 to 2,401 in 2021.
Tilbury had a 1.7% decline, from 4,768 to 4,687 in 2021.
Bothwell had 908 residents in 2021, while Thamesville had 774 and Highgate had 299.
The populations of other small communities, such as Morpeth, Rondeau, and Kent Bridge, were included in Chatham-Kent’s rural population, which was 31,390 in 2021.
