The City Council meeting on Monday, July 4 brought some surprising news as the results of this year's census were released.

According to the 2016 census, Airdrie now boasts a population of 61,842 people and 23,027 habitable dwellings.

The city has grown at a rate of 5.37 per cent since 2015, with last year's population sitting at 58,960 people and 21,623 dwellings.

For this year's census, only 13 properties didn't respond, giving it a 99.99 per cent completion rate.

Neighbourhoods such as Windsong, Ravenswood, and Bayside saw the highest rate of growth within the past year while the community of Thorburn saw a decrease in residents.