rate of 1.14%. The birth rate in the municipality, in 2013, was 8.7 while the death rate was 6.9 per thousand residents. , children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 20.6% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) are 59.4% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.9%. In 2013 there were 508 private households in Zernez. Of the 282 inhabited buildings in the municipality, in 2000, about 29.4% were single family homes and 38.3% were multiple family buildings. Additionally, about 43.6% of the buildings were built before 1919, while 10.6% were built between 1991 and 2000. In 2012 the rate of construction of new housing units per 1000 residents was 5.22. The vacancy rate for the municipality, , was 4.03%. The historical population is given in the following table: Historic Population The historical population is given in the following chart: note: Population increase in 1910 due to railway construction Languages Most of the population () speaks (Rhaeto-)Romansh (61.1%), with German being second most common (31.3%) and Italian being third ( 4.4%). The Romansh speaking majority speak the Vallader dialect. In 1880 there were 84% of the population spoke Romansh as their first language, in 1900 it was 79% and in 1941 it was 78%. In 1990 about 81% understood Romansh and in 2000 it was 80%. Education In Zernez about 72.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule). Economy , there were a total of 653 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 63 people worked in 18 businesses in the primary economic sector. The secondary sector employed 208 workers in 27 separate businesses. Finally, the tertiary sector provided 382 jobs in 88 businesses. In 2013 a total of 5.2% of the population received social assistance. Criminality In 2014 the crime rate, of the over 200 crimes listed in the Swiss Criminal Code (running from murder, robbery and assault to accepting bribes and election fraud), in Zernez was 52 per thousand residents, slightly lower than the national average (64.6 per thousand). During the same period, the rate of drug crimes was 7.8 per thousand residents. The rate of violations of immigration, visa and work permit laws was 0.9 per thousand residents, which is only 18.4% of the rate for the entire country. Politics In the 2011 federal election