Carrick's population has never been large. There were 430 residents in 1836 and near to 400 for most of the rest of the 19th century. By late 1976 the population had shrunk to around 200 living in 70 buildings—of which sixteen were classified as "Significantly contributing to the heritage of Australia" by the National Trust. A recovery in the late 20th century saw 317 residents recorded in the 2001 census and 439 in the 2006 census. Carrick's role in 1976 was as: a residential area for those working in Launceston; a retirement village; and a service centre for farming and stock breeding enterprises. The population in 2006 was largely Australian-born (87% compared to an average for all of Australia of 70.9%) and English-speaking at home (92.7% compared to an Australian average of 78.5%).