The Places We'll Go: Who Moves to Rural Canada?

As Canada increases immigration rates, there is a greater need for geographic dispersion to counteract issues of population ageing and economic disparities. Historically, Canada's main Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) have experienced the most significant gains in terms of new arrivals. The problem, however, is that this leaves rural regions falling behind in terms of both population increases and overall development. As such, understanding the characteristics of rural movers is of utmost importance, especially regarding potential policy initiatives aimed at ensuring newcomers to Canada are evenly distributed across the country. This study adds to the growing body of literature looking at the urban-rural divide by investigating the characteristics of individuals who engage in rural migration, including secondary migrants, by looking at those who lived in urban Canada in 2020 but, as of 2021, have moved into rural locations through the use of the 2021 Canadian Census. Overall, individuals making migratory decisions are often white, married, with children, and non-immigrants, thereby necessitating updated initiatives as a means of drawing in a more diverse newcomer population to rural destinations.