Fewer young people on P.E.I. living on their own, census data shows

Young adults on Prince Edward Island are having a harder time finding living arrangements of their own than peers in any other Canadian province, data from Statistics Canada suggests.

Census data shows the number of Islanders aged 20-34 who are living with parents or roommates increased from 45 per cent of the Island population in 2016 (10,685 people) to 50 per cent in 2021 (14,025 people).

That represented more than half the people in that demographic in 2021.

The 5-percentage-point jump is the biggest increase among all the Canadian provinces, Statistics Canada said. 

"If they had the choice to live alone they would, but the prices are just so high that that's just not an option for folks," said Cory Pater, a volunteer with the P.E.I. Fight for Affordable Housing.

"This can create some pretty big issues for folks outside of the 'just not wanting to move in with other people.' ... A lot of our dwellings around here aren't made to be housing that many people, so it can lead to a situation where a lot of people are crammed in like sardines."

Summerside saw one of the largest increases for urban areas across Canada, with 10 per cent more of the young adult population living with roommates or their parents in 2021 than was the case five years earlier.

Sixty per cent of Summerside residents in the 20-34 age bracket weren't living solo in 2021.