ExecutivePulse
Official Canadian Data

Red Deer, Alberta

Economic region · Population 239,566
14 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
239,566
Population
$87,000
Median Income (CAD)
$84,000 national
7.3%
Unemployment
$473.9B
Provincial GDP (CAD)
122,800
Total Employment
25%
Bachelor's+
25% national

Demographics & Population

Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population

Household Income

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
Median Household Income
$87,000
Poverty Rate (LIM-AT)
11.3%
Low Income Measure, after tax · Alberta 2024 · Canada: 12.5%
Median Income Comparison (CAD)
Red Deer$87,000
National$84,000

Community Snapshot

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
239,566
Population
92,439
Total Dwellings
Total Employment
122,800
Unemployment Rate StatCan LFS 2024 annual
7.3% +0.3 pts YoY
Industry Sectors
8
Age Distribution
0-14: 17.3% (41,424 residents) 15-54: 52.8% (126,407 residents) 55-64 (near retirement): 12% (28,812 residents) 65+: 17.9% (42,923 residents) 39.9 Avg Age
0-14: 41,424
15-54: 126,407
55-64: 28,812
65+: 42,923
Visible Minority Composition
Filipino 5%
South Asian 1.5%
Black 1.3%
Latin American 1.1%
Chinese 0.6%
Southeast Asian 0.5%
Not a visible minority(complement) 88.3%
"Visible minority" is a Statistics Canada classification defined by the Employment Equity Act and refers to "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." "Not a visible minority" is the complement to the total visible minority population. Top 6 groups shown; smaller groups are included in totals but not charted.
Indigenous Identity
8.3% identify as Indigenous
First Nations 4.3%
Métis 3.6%
Indigenous responses, n.i.e. 0.1%
Multiple Indigenous responses 0.1%
Indigenous identity per Statistics Canada Census 2021 (Table 98-10-0293): First Nations (North American Indian), Métis, and Inuk (Inuit), plus multiple and other Indigenous responses. Counts use census random rounding, so categories may not sum exactly to the total.
Red Deer's median household income sits 4% above the Canadian national median across 239,566 residents with a senior-skewed age structure (65+: 17.9%, 0-14: 17.3%).
Source: Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Population via CensusMapper.ca
Key Takeaways
  • Income near the national median: Median household income tracks the Canadian median, indicating a broad-based consumer market.
  • Aging population: Seniors (65+) outnumber youth (0-14); succession and senior-services demand.

Educational Attainment

Source: Statistics Canada · Table 37-10-0130 · Alberta province-wide (ages 25-64)
94%
High School+
Canada: 93%
+1.0 pts
25%
Bachelor's+
Canada: 25%
0.0 pts
11%
Graduate+
Canada: 14%
3.0 pts

Economy & Industry

Statistics Canada · Labour Force Survey · Provincial GDP

$473.9B
Provincial Gross Domestic Product (CAD)
Source: Statistics Canada · Provincial Economic Accounts
122,800
Total Employment
$87,000
Median Income
122,800
Total Employment
Source: StatCan Labour Force Survey
$87,000
Median Income (CAD)
Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Statistics Canada · Labour Force Survey
Top industries by employment in Red Deer.
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top Sectors
1Wholesale and retail trade
19,100 21%
2Health care and social assistance
15,900 17.5%
3Manufacturing
11,900 13.1%
4Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas
11,200 12.3%
5Construction
10,300 11.3%
6Educational services
8,600 9.4%
7Accommodation and food services
8,100 8.9%
8Professional, scientific and technical services
6,000 6.6%
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Wholesale and retail trade employs 19,100 workers (21% of the tracked sectors).
  • Diversified base: Top 5 sectors are Wholesale and retail trade, Health care and social assistance, Manufacturing, Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas, and Construction.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey.

Red Deer's Top Sectors by Workforce Share

Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of the top sectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey · NAICS supersectors

Housing & Rental Market

Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0133 (Rents) - Table 34-10-0127 (Vacancy) - Reference year 2025

Note: figures are single-year vintages. StatCan and CMHC do not publish ACS-style rolling 5-year housing averages, the long-form Census of Population every 5 years (2016, 2021) plays the equivalent precision role.

CMHC Average Rents by Bedroom

19.9%
Annual Rent (2BR) as % of Median Household Income - Affordable
30% threshold = "cost-burdened" (CMHC / HUD convention). Computed from $1,445 average 2BR rent × 12 / $87,000 household income.
Bachelor
$1,036/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,244/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,445/mo
3+ Bedroom
$1,581/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,175/mo), rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Note: CMHC Rental Market Survey figures cover the metropolitan area (CMA/CA) within this economic region, not the full region. CMHC surveys urban centres only.

Vacancy & Housing Stock

Source: Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0127 · CMHC Rental Market Survey
4.4%
CMHC Vacancy Rate (apartment structures of 6+ units)
Near the 3% balanced-market benchmark.
Total Dwellings
92,439
Avg 2BR Rent
$1,445/mo
Vacancy Rate
4.4%
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable rental market: Annual 2BR rent eats 19.9% of median household income, well below the 30% cost-burdened threshold; supports talent attraction.
Source: CMHC RMS rent data and StatCan median household income.

Industry Concentration

Location Quotient: industries where Red Deer over- or under-indexes vs. the Canadian national average

Economic-region employment basis: NAICS supersector Location Quotients from Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey (Table 14-10-0466), computed vs. the national employment share. The spider chart plots 9 broad supersectors for cross-region comparability; the ranked list shows every concentrated sector, including resource industries not among the chart's fixed axes.

Concentrated Industries
Source: Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0466 · NAICS supersector employment (Labour Force Survey), LQ computed vs. the national employment share.
Manufacturing
2.67x
11,900
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Manufacturing concentrates at 2.67x the national norm.
Source: StatCan Labour Force Survey (Table 14-10-0466), NAICS supersector employment.

Workforce & Labour

Labour force composition from Statistics Canada population estimates and employment data

Source: StatCan Table 17-10-0137
155,219
Working Age (15-64)
Employment rate: 79% of working-age population (15-64) 79% Employment Rate

Labour Summary

Source: StatCan LFS + Population Estimates
Total Employment
122,800
Working Age Pop
155,219
Youth (0-14)
41,424
Seniors (65+)
42,923

Dependency & Aging

Source: StatCan population estimates
18%
Seniors (65+) Share
Senior population exceeds youth, aging workforce risk. Succession planning and talent attraction recommended.
Youth / Senior Ratio
97:100

Aging Workforce

Source: StatCan 17-10-0150 · Population estimates by economic region, age
18.6%
55-64 of working-age (15-64)

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0416 NOC 2021 broad categories (2025 - province-level)
Management / Professional
55%
Sales & Service
21.7%
Trades / Transport
17.1%
Natural Resources
2.9%
Manufacturing
3.3%
Bars scaled 2x for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 2,590,100 employed workers across Alberta. Economic Region-level occupation data is not published by StatCan; this provincial breakdown is the closest available proxy.

Commute

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0457
Mean Commute 2.6 min below national avg
21.1 min

Work From Home

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0455
Worked At Home vs 24.3% national
15.8%
Census 2021 long-form: percent of employed labour force aged 15+ whose place of work is "at home".
Key Takeaways
  • Working-age base: 155,219 residents aged 15-64 (64.8% of population) form the labour pool.
  • Employment rate: 79% of working-age residents are employed (122,800 workers).
  • Succession risk: Seniors (65+) outnumber youth (0-14); plan for retirements alongside attraction strategy.
Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 + Labour Force Survey.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 14 Canadian data sources

Sample AI Insight

Red Deer's industrial base is anchored by Wholesale and retail trade with 19,100 workers, followed by Health care and social assistance and Manufacturing. The region skews older: seniors outnumber youth, which has implications for succession planning and workforce transition strategy.

Illustrative example

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Data Sources

All data from official Canadian government APIs. Updated from official Canadian government data.

Statistics Canada Census 20212021
StatCan Labour Force Survey2025
StatCan LFS Unemployment Rate (14-10-0393)2024
StatCan GDP Tables2024
CMHC Rental Market2025
CensusMapper.ca2021
StatCan Education (37-10-0130)2025
StatCan Population (17-10-0150)2025
StatCan Top Occupations (14-10-0416)2025
StatCan Commute (98-10-0457/0458)2021
StatCan Place of Work (98-10-0455/0456)2021
StatCan Low Income (11-10-0135)2024
StatCan Visible Minority (98-10-0352)2021
StatCan Indigenous Identity (98-10-0293)2021

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Red Deer, Alberta, from Statistics Canada.

What is the population of Red Deer, Alberta?

239,566 (Statistics Canada, Population Estimates, Table 17-10-0150).

What is the median household income in Red Deer, Alberta?

$87,000 (Statistics Canada, Census 2021).

What is the unemployment rate in Red Deer, Alberta?

7.3% (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0393).