the city. As a result, the city of Steinbach now has the third-highest assessment value among cities in the province, trailing only Brandon and Winnipeg. Agriculture, the traditional industry in the region, continues to play a significant role in Steinbach's economy as well. The agricultural industry in the area is notable for many of the large commercial pig and poultry farming operations. Aside from intensive pig and chicken barns there are numerous small, family, dairy farms that dot the area. Crops grown on the fertile farmland surrounding Steinbach primarily include canola, corn, alfalfa, as well as barley, soybeans, oats, and wheat. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Steinbach had a population of 17,806 living in 6,836 of its 7,092 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 16,022. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. This places Steinbach as the 3rd largest city in Manitoba. The average age of people in Steinbach is 37.8, below the provincial average of 39.2, while 52% of the population are female and 48% are male. Approximately forty percent of Steinbach residents claim German ancestry, though this may include those from Germany itself or of Mennonite background, which would more accurately be described as Dutch. 30% of Steinbach residents claim German as their mother tongue, which includes both High German and Plautdietsch, while nearly 80% of those with a second language claim knowledge of a Germanic language. As a whole, 39% of residents claim some mother tongue other than the official languages of French and English. Steinbach has an immigrant population of 21.39% or about 2,890 people, which is slightly above the provincial average of 18.33%. Census data from 2011 shows that Steinbach has a higher than average rate of religious affiliation of 88.73%, which is above the provincial average of 73.51%. Of those with a religious affiliation, 74.58% are Protestant, and 12.44% are Catholic. Less than 1% belonged to either Buddhism, Islam, Judaism or Hinduism combined. In the total population surveyed, 11.27% claim no religious affiliation. The median after-tax household income in 2020 for Steinbach was $64,000, which is below the Manitoba provincial average of $69,000. Ethnic groups Government Steinbach is represented by 6 councilors and a mayor. The city is a single-tier municipality, governed by a mayor-council system, the mayor and council are elected every four years. The