List of population centres in Alberta

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A population centre, in Canadian census data, is a populated place, or a cluster of interrelated populated places, which meet the demographic characteristics of an urban area. A population centre has a population of at least 1,000 and a population density of no fewer than 400 people per square kilometre. [1]

Contents

Population centres are not the same thing as urban municipalities. For example, the city of St. Albert is legally separate from Edmonton, but they are part of the same population centre.

The term was introduced in the Canada 2011 Census; prior to that, Statistics Canada used the term urban area. [1]

As of the 2006 Census of Canada, the Province of Alberta had 107 urban areas [2] with a cumulative population of 2,699,851 and an average population of 25,232. In the 2011 census, Statistics Canada listed 109 population centres in the province. [3] This number increased to 122 in the Canada 2016 Census.

List

The below table is a list of those population centres in Alberta from the 2021 Census of Population as designated, named, and delineated by Statistics Canada. [4]

RankPopulation centre [4] Size group [4] Population (2021) [4] Population (2016) [4] Change [4] Land area (km2) [4] Population density [4]
1 Calgary Large urban1,305,5501,240,413+5.3%621.72
2 Edmonton Large urban1,151,6351,070,998+7.5%627.2
3 Red Deer Medium99,84699,773+0.1%65.93
4 Lethbridge Medium92,56389,309+3.6%64
5 Airdrie Medium73,57861,082+20.5%33.03
6 Fort McMurray Medium68,00267,123+1.3%52.17
7 Medicine Hat Medium63,38263,111+0.4%53.2
8 Grande Prairie Medium63,17262,382+1.3%49.74
9 Spruce Grove Medium39,34836,279+8.5%29.76
10 Leduc Medium33,50529,561+13.3%67.43
11 Cochrane Medium31,63825,501+24.1%23.71
12 Lloydminster Medium31,58231,400+0.6%24.43
13 Okotoks Medium30,21428,833+4.8%17.23
14 Fort Saskatchewan Small26,83123,944+12.1%21.85
15 Chestermere Small21,42519,477+10.0%8.99
16 Beaumont Small20,77917,396+19.4%10.4
17 Camrose Small18,45418,520−0.4%17.1
18 Stony Plain Small17,25316,416+5.1%17.73
19 Sylvan Lake Small16,14214,977+7.8%10.49
20 Brooks Small14,90414,436+3.2%12.78
21 High River Small14,11913,420+5.2%10.13
22 Strathmore Small13,85113,592+1.9%9.46
23 Canmore Small13,26812,021+10.4%12.96
24 Lacombe Small12,83512,740+0.7%11.87
25 Wetaskiwin Small12,43812,491−0.4%12.11
26 Morinville Small10,3859,848+5.5%11.15
27 Blackfalds Small10,3159,161+12.6%8.93
28 Whitecourt Small9,1959,515−3.4%10.22
29 Hinton Small9,1919,205−0.2%12.97
30 Olds Small8,9838,944+0.4%9.51
31 Taber Small8,9788,558+4.9%15.69
32 Coaldale Small8,5928,153+5.4%5.84
33 Banff Small8,3057,851+5.8%4.08
34 Edson Small8,1668,148+0.2%10.7
35 Grand Centre Small7,5147,256+3.6%18.07
36 Cold Lake Small7,2016,795+6.0%5.71
37 Ponoka Small7,0326,899+1.9%5.61
38 Innisfail Small7,0166,937+1.1%5.23
39 Drayton Valley Small6,9706,867+1.5%7.22
40 Devon Small6,5456,578−0.5%14.26
41 Slave Lake Small6,5426,155+6.3%6.63
42 Rocky Mountain House Small6,5186,429+1.4%7.47
43 Drumheller Small6,4976,439+0.9%9.48
44 Wainwright Small6,4616,153+5.0%5.08
45 Bonnyville Small6,3595,858+8.6%6.4
46 St. Paul Small5,6855,728−0.8%5.03
47 Stettler Small5,5955,872−4.7%7.46
48 Redcliff Small5,3855,474−1.6%7.39
49 Vegreville Small5,3835,436−1.0%5.05
50 Langdon Small5,1935,060+2.6%4.32
51 Didsbury Small5,0245,206−3.5%5.43
52 Carstairs Small4,8984,077+20.1%4.76
53 Westlock Small4,8204,957−2.8%5.26
54 Peace River Small4,2644,348−1.9%5.06
55 Barrhead Small4,0554,387−7.6%4.73
56 Jasper Small4,0293,948+2.1%1.84
57 Raymond Small3,9423,553+10.9%3.92
58 Crossfield Small3,5792,973+20.4%3.99
59 Vermilion Small3,5523,697−3.9%3.66
60 Cardston Small3,5193,389+3.8%3.88
61 Pincher Creek Small3,4633,523−1.7%4.06
62 High Level Small3,4612,746+26.0%2.68
63 Claresholm Small3,4343,424+0.3%2.68
64 Penhold Small3,3593,210+4.6%1.65
65 Fort Macleod Small3,0382,718+11.8%2.28
66 Grande Cache Small3,0373,286−7.6%3.72
67 Gibbons Small2,9892,973+0.5%4.78
68 La Crète Small2,9112,739+6.3%3.02
69 Three Hills Small2,9023,078−5.7%3.14
70 Coalhurst Small2,8182,623+7.4%1.76
71 Clairmont Small2,8082,411+16.5%4.16
72 Black Diamond Small2,5742,552+0.9%2.15
73 Grimshaw Small2,5192,599−3.1%4.13
74 Fairview Small2,4272,598−6.6%2.26
75 Turner Valley Small2,4092,373+1.5%3.3
76 Magrath Small2,3082,235+3.3%2.7
77 Sexsmith Small2,2752,461−7.6%1.83
78 Rimbey Small2,2582,349−3.9%3.63
79 Beaverlodge Small2,2512,440−7.7%3.33
80 Hanna Small2,2342,332−4.2%2.29
81 Lac la Biche Small2,1382,294−6.8%2.94
82 High Prairie Small2,0652,264−8.8%2.37
83 Westlake Small2,0401,363+49.7%3.27
84 Nanton Small1,9841,970+0.7%1.56
85 Heritage Pointe Small1,9742,075−4.9%4.78
86 Calmar Small1,8831,986−5.2%1.33
87 Millet Small1,8471,905−3.0%2.18
88 Provost Small1,8341,945−5.7%2.09
89 Bow Island Small1,8291,773+3.2%1.3
90 Tofield Small1,8111,854−2.3%1.22
91 Picture Butte Small1,8081,700+6.4%1.95
92 Redwater Small1,8021,591+13.3%2.01
93 Sundre Small1,7811,866−4.6%2.37
94 Vulcan Small1,5581,680−7.3%1.7
95 Springbrook Small1,5341,502+2.1%2.19
96 Blairmore Small1,5221,545−1.5%2.04
97 Bon Accord Small1,4511,529−5.1%2.13
98 Coleman Small1,4411,475−2.3%1.99
99 Nobleford Small1,4381,278+12.5%0.98
100 Wembley Small1,4321,516−5.5%2.2
101 Fox Creek Small1,4261,730−17.6%1.36
102 Elk Point Small1,3941,437−3.0%2.26
103 Two Hills Small1,3791,291+6.8%1.25
104 Lamont Small1,3281,347−1.4%1.93
105 Vauxhall Small1,2861,222+5.2%2.71
106 Valleyview Small1,2801,421−9.9%1.55
107 Bowden Small1,2751,240+2.8%2.82
108 Lancaster Park Small1,2531,501−16.5%0.92
109 Swan Hills Small1,1911,275−6.6%2.39
110 Bassano Small1,1861,201−1.2%1.33
111 Athabasca Small1,1811,250−5.5%2.03
112 Mayerthorpe Small1,1711,205−2.8%1.29
113 Legal Small1,1641,251−7.0%1.79
114 Irricana Small1,1351,160−2.2%1.14
115 Stirling Small1,134938+20.9%2.03
116 Alberta Beach - Val Quentin Small1,1031,327−16.9%1.69
117 Carriage Lane Estates Small1,0941,008+8.5%1.34
118 Cardiff Small1,0331,167−11.5%0.98
119 Manning Small1,0271,072−4.2%1.37

Retired population centres

The following is a list of communities were once designated as population centres by Statistics Canada, but were retired after their populations dropped below 1,000 people. Some of them have since surpassed the minimum population threshold of 1,000 yet have not been reintroduced as population centres.

Retired urban areas

The following is a list of communities were once designated as urban areas by Statistics Canada, but were retired after their populations dropped below 1,000 people. Some of them have since surpassed the minimum population threshold of 1,000 yet have not been reintroduced as population centres.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "From urban areas to population centres" Archived 2012-12-13 at the Wayback Machine . Statistics Canada, May 5, 2011.
  2. "2006 Census Dictionary: Table 1, Geographic units by province and territory, 2006 Census". Statistics Canada. 2007-11-14. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
  3. Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and population centres, 2011 and 2006 censuses: Alberta. Statistics Canada.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and population centres". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Table 2: Population Counts, for Urban Areas With Census Subdivisions, 1991 – 100% Data". 1991 Census. Urban Areas, Population and Dwelling Counts. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1992.
  6. "Population and Dwelling Counts and Population Rank, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Urban Areas, 2001 Census - 100% Data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
  7. "Table 14: Urban Areas With Census Subdivisions – Population, 1986". Census Canada 1986. Population and Dwelling Counts – Provinces and Territories, Alberta, Population. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1987.