It's official - Ballarat's population is booming.
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Comparing the latest census figures to older data, it's clear growth is accelerating.
Tuesday's results, from August 2021, officially state a population of 113,763 in the City of Ballarat local government area.
It also shows there are 50,233 private dwellings, with the average number of people per household at 2.4.
There are also 29,786 families in Ballarat, with an average number of 1.9 children per family with children.
When shown next to 2016's results, there are massive changes.
READ MORE: Ballarat's census stats at a glance
There were 101,686 people in Ballarat at the previous census, 45,115 dwellings, and 25,499 families at the 2016 census.
That's an 11.8 per cent increase in people over five years, or about 2.36 per cent per year.
At the 2011 census, there were 93,501 people in Ballarat, 40,351 dwellings, and 23,939 families, and in 2006, there were 85,196 people, 36,139 dwellings, and 21,889 families.
Graphed out, it shows the growth rate is increasing by more than previous years.
City of Ballarat chief executive Evan King said the data was consistent with council's forecasts, and will help more accurately steer advocacy and investment.
"There's not a department in council that doesn't use this data, (or a department where) this data doesn't impact on what they do, whether it's maternal and child health, libraries, sport and recreation facilities, roads, you name it," he said.
"It's not just about population in the end, it gives us great insights into the demographics of that population - an understanding of different age groups, how many vehicles per dwelling, there's a whole range there that helps us, from an infrastructure and social planning perspective."
Committee for Ballarat chief executive Michael Poulton said there were some positive inferences that could be drawn from the data, such as the increase in weekly household income, but the rapid growth meant there must be careful planning.
"There's a great news story in that young people and young families are coming to Ballarat to settle, that speaks volumes to the quality of life that Ballarat offers," he said.
"We've got a very liveable region, people with good jobs are coming to live here where there are good jobs available, and the type of jobs we're attracting are well-paid, and that's a very pleasing thing form a regional perspective.
"What's the greatest threat to Ballarat with growth? Liveability - it's our way of life, it's housing, transport, water infrastructure, energy, all of those things are going to impact on our liveability, (and) the real underpinning feature of that growth level is the planning implications, and that directly impacts our liveability"
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