Attracting and retaining youth is one of the many challenges faced by rural communities.
The Newcomer and Youth Community Indicators is a tool that was designed to assist rural communities looking to better understand their attractiveness to both newcomers and youth. 
It is a free Excel-based tool that includes information for every municipality in Ontario. The tool was developed in partnership with the Rural Ontario Institute and the Conference Board of Canada, and includes the most recent Statistics Canada data available.
The tool provides communities with comparative data that can help them make informed decisions and strategies for retaining and attracting youth. Few communities have an accurate picture of how they differ from their neighbours or other similar communities across the province. The tool allows communities to make decisions based on a sound understanding of their strengths and weaknesses compared to other communities.
The tool contains 55 indicators that have been organized into eight categories: Economic,
Housing, Innovation, Amenities, Access to Health Care, Education, Society and a Youth specific category. The Youth category includes the following indicators:
| Indicators | Definitions |
| Net Migrants per 1,000 Population | This indicator shows the number of net migrants (“ins” minus “outs”), aged 20 to 24, that became part of the community between 2006 and 2011, for every 1,000 people living in the community. |
| Youth with a High School Diploma | This indicator measures the percentage of those aged 15 to 29 who have received at least a high school diploma. |
| Youth Employment Income | A measure of the income received by persons between the ages of 15 and 29 years. Includes wages and salaries, net income from a non-farm unincorporated business and/or professional practice, and/or net farm self-employment income. |
| Youth Unemployment Rate | This measures the percentage of the labour market between the ages of 15 and 29 without a job. |
| Youth Participation Rate | This measures the percentage of the population between 15 and 29 that has a job or is currently looking for a job. |
| Youth Self-Employment | This measures the number of people between the ages of 15 and 29 who consider themselves self-employed, taken as a percentage of the total population aged 15 to 29. |
Communities can use the Newcomer and Youth Community Indicators tool to identity their strengths and overcome barriers to successfully recruit and retain youth, which can be an asset to communities of any size.
Get your copy of the tool by completing the request form at: Newcomer and Youth Community Indicators
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