For the first time in 46 years, Red Deer's population has dropped from one year to the next.



2016 Municipal Census results released today show the city's new population is 99,832, down from the milestone 100,807 celebrated last year.



Data posted on the City's website shows the only other time our population decreased was in 1970, when it went down 0.06 per cent.



Mayor Tara Veer says the reasons people may leave a community are complex but she adds the Alberta economy is a likely factor.



“As Alberta’s third largest city, we are strongly committed to the role we play as a regional hub on the QEII corridor and to competitively position ourselves for new development and population in both our province and region," she says. "This year’s slight decline highlights our need to continue to pursue strategic economic development initiatives for our community such as polytechnic status for Red Deer College.”



Last year, the City commemorated Red Deer reaching the 100,000 mark for the first time with a plaque unveiling and the naming of Red Deer's 100,000th citizen.



"Despite the slight dip in permanent residents in the city for 2016, this commemoration remains a significant milestone in our community history,” says Veer.



Two-thirds of Red Deer neighbourhoods saw a population decrease, with some of the largest being South-Hill East (-11.7 percent), Pines (-7.2 per cent), Inglewood West/Ironstone (-5.5 per cent) Downtown/Riverlands (-5.1 per cent) and Glendale (-3.2 per cent). Areas that saw the most growth were Vanier Woods and Timberlands.



“There are varying methodologies between municipalities in how census data is collected, such as the inclusion of students and temporary workers. Only permanent residents are counted in Red Deer’s Municipal Census as grant funding is based only on this population count," says Frieda McDougall, Legislative Services Manager. "We saw an increase in the amount of money received per permanent resident from $185 per person last year, to $236.34 this year."



Only permanent residents are counted in Red Deer's Municipal Census as grant funding is based on that count.



In other areas, the total number of dwellings in Red Deer increased from 42,034 to 42,664, a jump of 1.5 per cent. Red Deer's average age is 38.

While Red Deer remains Alberta's third largest city, the fourth largest, Lethbridge, closed the gap with a 2.13 per cent population increase this year going from 94,804 to 96,828.