The 2011 census results are in and since 2006, the Sunshine Coast's population grew by 3.1 per cent to 28,619 people.
This compares to the provincial growth average of seven per cent, as British Columbia's population passed the 4.4 million mark.
Coastal urban centres experienced the highest rate of growth since the last census, with Gibsons going up by 6.1 per cent to 4,487 and Sechelt by 9.9 per cent to 9,291.
That rate of growth was contrasted by an overall decline in the Coastal rural populations. While Halfmoon Bay and Pender Harbour both posted moderate gains, Roberts Creek, Elphinstone and West Howe Sound all experienced decreases.
For its part, the West Howe Sound population fell from 2,235 to 2,015, a 9.8 per cent decrease from 2006.
After seeing the numbers, Sechelt Mayor John Henderson was surprised that the gains weren't larger.
"Much of this growth, I expect, will continue to be from older people. While this is great - these folks tend to be strong supporters of local businesses and services - the challenge of attracting youth remains," Henderson said.
A high rate of growth should be taken into account while planning for the future in the District, Henderson said.
While he said he was surprised that Sechelt didn't see more growth than it did, the District still added 837 people since the last census.
Development planning strategies will be used to prepare for continued growth, "things like higher density facilities -including, for example, along the lines of the recently opened Jack Nelson Annex," Hen-derson suggested. "A part of this will be ensuring we encourage appropriate residential accommodation for our seniors."
In the West Howe Sound region, where population has declined by almost 10 per cent, the story is somewhat reversed.
While Area F director Lee Turnbull was unavailable for direct comment due to commitments at the Sunshine Coast Regional District's budget meetings, she did express a degree of concern regarding the numbers.
"With the recession it has become way harder to earn a living over here," she said. "I want to make sure that we've got family jobs here, good, well-paid family jobs."
Halfmoon Bay's population increased by 4.6 per cent to 2,675, almost matching Pender Harbour, now home to 2,678 residents.
Over the five year period, the Coast's urban population increased by 1,142 while the number of rural residents decreased by 207.
