| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|
| 1793 | 3,760 | — |
|---|
| 1800 | 3,670 | −0.35% |
|---|
| 1806 | 4,522 | +3.54% |
|---|
| 1821 | 4,686 | +0.24% |
|---|
| 1831 | 4,995 | +0.64% |
|---|
| 1836 | 4,953 | −0.17% |
|---|
| 1841 | 5,053 | +0.40% |
|---|
| 1846 | 5,120 | +0.26% |
|---|
| 1851 | 5,022 | −0.39% |
|---|
| 1856 | 5,426 | +1.56% |
|---|
| 1861 | 6,094 | +2.35% |
|---|
| 1866 | 6,546 | +1.44% |
|---|
| 1872 | 7,024 | +1.18% |
|---|
| 1876 | 7,471 | +1.55% |
|---|
| 1881 | 7,759 | +0.76% |
|---|
| 1886 | 7,808 | +0.13% |
|---|
| 1891 | 8,000 | +0.49% |
|---|
| 1896 | 8,614 | +1.49% |
|---|
| | Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|
| 1901 | 9,391 | +1.74% |
|---|
| 1906 | 10,736 | +2.71% |
|---|
| 1911 | 11,846 | +1.99% |
|---|
| 1921 | 11,775 | −0.06% |
|---|
| 1926 | 16,664 | +7.19% |
|---|
| 1931 | 19,543 | +3.24% |
|---|
| 1936 | 18,696 | −0.88% |
|---|
| 1946 | 20,294 | +0.82% |
|---|
| 1954 | 15,780 | −3.10% |
|---|
| 1962 | 16,139 | +0.28% |
|---|
| 1968 | 17,097 | +0.97% |
|---|
| 1975 | 15,601 | −1.30% |
|---|
| 1982 | 16,206 | +0.55% |
|---|
| 1990 | 17,059 | +0.64% |
|---|
| 1999 | 17,772 | +0.46% |
|---|
| 2007 | 17,485 | −0.20% |
|---|
| 2012 | 17,198 | −0.33% |
|---|
| 2017 | 17,124 | −0.09% |
|---|
|