Official Canadian Data
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta
Economic region · Population 161,013
17 Sources
Updated September 02, 2026
161,013
Population
$96,000
Median Income (CAD) · AB provincial
$84,000 national
6%
Unemployment
$473.9B
Provincial GDP (CAD)
78,800
Total Employment
36%
Bachelor's+ · AB provincial
39% national
Demographics & Population
Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
Household Income
Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
Median Household Income
$96,000
Poverty Rate (LIM-AT)
11.3%
Low Income Measure, after tax · Alberta 2024 · Canada: 12.5%
Median Income Comparison (CAD)
Alberta$96,000
National$84,000
Community Snapshot
Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
161,013
Population (2025 estimate)
1,772,670
Total Dwellings (2021 Census, AB provincial)
Total Employment
78,800
Unemployment Rate StatCan LFS 2024 annual
6% +1.0 pts YoY
Avg Annual Wage Alberta (provincial), SEPH 2025
$70,602 CAD
Industry Sectors
10
Age Distribution
0-14: 32,872
15-54: 93,574
55-64: 17,422
65+: 17,145
15-54: 93,574
55-64: 17,422
65+: 17,145
Visible Minority Composition
"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
19.3% identify as Indigenous
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.
Alberta's median household income sits 14% above the Canadian national median across 161,013 residents with a working-age-skewed age structure (65+: 10.6%, 0-14: 20.4%).
Alberta has 1,772,670 total dwellings and has experienced a population change of 4.8% since the previous census.
Source: Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Population via CensusMapper.ca
Key Takeaways
- Income premium: Households earn well above the Canadian median.
- Young population: Youth (0-14) materially exceed seniors (65+), workforce pipeline asset.
Educational Attainment
Source: Statistics Canada · Table 37-10-0130 · Alberta province-wide (ages 25-64) · Reference year 2025
94%
High School+
Canada: 93%
+1.0 pts
36%
Bachelor's+
Canada: 39%
3.0 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
78,800
Total Employment
$70,602
Avg Wage (CAD) · provincial
$96,000
Median Income (AB prov.)
78,800
Total Employment
Source: StatCan Labour Force Survey
$70,602
Average Annual Wage (CAD) · Alberta (provincial)
Source: Statistics Canada · Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (14-10-0223), 2025. Payroll employees only. Published for provinces and territories; StatCan publishes no economic-region earnings.
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas employs 19,700 workers (28.7% of the tracked sectors). tracked sectors", which claimed a regional, sector-weighted figure. It is neither: it is the SEPH all-industries aggregate for the parent province. ##}}
- Average wage: $70,602 CAD for payroll employees across Alberta in 2025. StatCan publishes these earnings for provinces and territories only, so the provincial figure stands in for the region.
- Diversified base: Top 5 sectors are Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas, Wholesale and retail trade, Health care and social assistance, Construction, and Educational services.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey.
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
Source: Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0133 - 2025
17.0%
Annual Rent (2BR) as % of Median Household Income - Affordable
30% threshold = "cost-burdened" (CMHC / HUD convention). Computed from $1,362 average 2BR rent × 12 / $96,000 household income.
Bachelor
$948/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,140/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,362/mo
3+ Bedroom
$1,643/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,400/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 Alberta (provincial)
1,772,670
Avg 2BR Rent
$1,362/mo
Median Home Value Alberta (provincial)
$400,000
Vacancy Rate
4.4%
Key Takeaways
- Affordable rental market: Annual 2BR rent eats 17.0% of median household income, well below the 30% cost-burdened threshold; supports talent attraction.
Source: CMHC RMS rent data and StatCan median household income.
Broadband & Connectivity
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)
Broadband Coverage
Source: ISED National Broadband Data · share of locations with 50/10 Mbps available · Alberta province-wide
Moderate broadband coverage across Alberta, some underserved areas. Statistics on 50/10 Mbps availability are published for locations without a breakdown below the province, so this is the province-wide share and not this region's own.
Industry Concentration
Location Quotient: industries where Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake 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.
Attraction Opportunities - Below Average Industries
LQ < 0.5, below-average representation vs. national. Source: Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0466 (NAICS supersector employment)
0.44x
Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing
2,500 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas concentrates at 18.52x the national norm, signature-sector territory.
- Attraction whitespace: 1 sector registers LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment.
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
Labour Summary
Source: StatCan LFS + Population Estimates
Total Employment
78,800
Avg Annual Wage Alberta (provincial), SEPH 2025
$70,602 CAD
Working Age Pop
110,996
Youth (0-14)
32,872
Seniors (65+)
17,145
Dependency & Aging
Source: StatCan population estimates
11%
Seniors (65+) Share
Youth / Senior Ratio
192:100
Aging Workforce
Source: StatCan 17-10-0150 · Population estimates by economic region, age
15.7%
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 98-10-0458
Mean Commute 2.3 min above national avg
26.0 min
Work From Home
Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0456
Worked At Home vs 24.3% national
12%
Census 2021 long-form: percent of employed labour force aged 15+ whose place of work is "at home".
Key Takeaways
- Working-age base: 110,996 residents aged 15-64 (68.9% of population) form the labour pool.
- Employment rate: 71% of working-age residents are employed (78,800 workers).
- Pipeline strength: Youth (0-14) materially exceed seniors (65+); long-term workforce supply is a structural asset.
Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 + Labour Force Survey.
AI Insights
Sample output. Pulse AI analysis draws on 17 Canadian data sources.
Sample AI Insight
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake's industrial base is anchored by Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas with 19,700 workers, followed by Wholesale and retail trade and Health care and social assistance.
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 SEPH Average Weekly Earnings (14-10-0223, provincial)2025
StatCan GDP Tables2024
CMHC Rental Market2025
CRTC Broadband Data2025
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
StatCan Population and Dwelling Counts (98-10-0001, provincial)2021
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta, from Statistics Canada.
What is the population of Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta?
161,013 (Statistics Canada, Population Estimates, Table 17-10-0150).
What is the median household income in Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta?
$96,000 (Statistics Canada, Census 2021, Alberta provincial).
What is the unemployment rate in Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta?
6% (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0393).
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