The territory's population in December peaked back above 31,000 for the first time since 1999.

The Yukon Bureau of Statistics has released its population estimates for 2004.

For December, it estimated there were 31,127 people living in the Yukon. That's up 872 from the 30,255 living here in December 2003.

The population steadily rose over the second half of 2004 from 30,469 in June.

The year's low was in April, when it had dipped to 30,359.

Each month featured a larger population than the same month one year earlier.

The biggest jump was in September, when the population was at 30,848. That total led to a 3.5-per-cent jump in population from 29,810 in September 2003.

December's total last cleared the 31,000-marker in 1999. However, in December 1999, the figure was 31,070, less than December 2004's figure.

The last time the total population was higher than last month's figure was in December 1998, when it was at 31,768.

As well, the population went up by more than 100 from November to December.

The bureau also released the yearly population average for the territory, which rebounded by more than 600 people from 2003.

The figures show there was an average of 30,627 people living in the territory last year.

With 30,627 Yukoners living in the territory, the average pulled a u-turn from the nosedive it has been in for much of the past decade.

This was the first increase since 1997, when the population average went up 1.4 per cent to 33,519.

The average of 33,519 in 1997 has been the Yukon's high-water mark for the last decade. Since 1997 the population fell more than 3,500 to the low average of 29,967 in 2003.

The average in 2004 jumped up 2.2 per cent from 2003.

The population increase coincides with the increase in Yukon workers in 2004 and the quick fall of the territory's unemployment rate to record lows.

The average is the highest the territory has seen since 2000, when it was 30,776.

The territory's annual population average stayed above 31,000 from 1992 to 1999, a level it has yet to return to despite the increase.

The bureau reported that as of December, men had regained the top spot in population, up to 50.04 per cent. In total, there were 15,576 males and 15,551 females.

In the previous population report, from June 2004, females were still in the lead at 50.2 per cent versus 49.8 per cent male.

The territory's women had led the way since December 2002. Before then, it had been predominantly men.

In December 1998, it was as high as 51-per-cent male and 49-per-cent female, a difference of 656.

The figures show that while the female population had gone up 2.5 from December 2003, the male total jumped up 3.3 per cent.

The age group with the largest rise from December 2003 to 2004 was 60 to 64 years old. That age group had a 10.7-per-cent increase.

The next-highest boost, of 7.8 per cent, came out of the 55-to 59-years-old group.

The population of 20 to 24 years old grew by 7.5 per cent. Males in that age category rose by 12.5 per cent from 2003.

The only two groups that actually saw a drop was 30 to 34 (1.9 per cent) and five to nine years old (1.8 per cent).

The figures showed that much of the 872-person increase from December 2003 to December 2004 took place in Whitehorse.

The capital city's population jumped to 23,205 in 2004, from 22,425 a year earlier. That's an increase of 780.

Watson Lake (down four people), Haines Junction (down one) and Dawson City (down 23) all saw their population drop slightly.

Carcross experienced a boost of 28 from 414 to 442 residents.