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]

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 first 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]

Rank Population centre[4] Size group[4] Population (2021)[4] Population (2016)[4] Change[4] Land area (km2)[4] Population density[4]
1 Calgary Large urban 1,305,550 1,240,413 +5.3% 621.72 2,099.9/km2
2 Edmonton Large urban 1,151,635 1,070,998 +7.5% 627.2 1,836.2/km2
3 Red Deer Medium 99,846 99,773 +0.1% 65.93 1,514.4/km2
4 Lethbridge Medium 92,563 89,309 +3.6% 64 1,446.3/km2
5 Airdrie Medium 73,578 61,082 +20.5% 33.03 2,227.6/km2
6 Fort McMurray Medium 68,002 67,123 +1.3% 52.17 1,303.5/km2
7 Medicine Hat Medium 63,382 63,111 +0.4% 53.2 1,191.4/km2
8 Grande Prairie Medium 63,172 62,382 +1.3% 49.74 1,270.0/km2
9 Spruce Grove Medium 39,348 36,279 +8.5% 29.76 1,322.2/km2
10 Leduc Medium 33,505 29,561 +13.3% 67.43 496.9/km2
11 Cochrane Medium 31,638 25,501 +24.1% 23.71 1,334.4/km2
12 Lloydminster Medium 31,582 31,400 +0.6% 24.43 1,292.8/km2
13 Okotoks Medium 30,214 28,833 +4.8% 17.23 1,753.6/km2
14 Fort Saskatchewan Small 26,831 23,944 +12.1% 21.85 1,228.0/km2
15 Chestermere Small 21,425 19,477 +10.0% 8.99 2,383.2/km2
16 Beaumont Small 20,779 17,396 +19.4% 10.4 1,998.0/km2
17 Camrose Small 18,454 18,520 −0.4% 17.1 1,079.2/km2
18 Stony Plain Small 17,253 16,416 +5.1% 17.73 973.1/km2
19 Sylvan Lake Small 16,142 14,977 +7.8% 10.49 1,538.8/km2
20 Brooks Small 14,904 14,436 +3.2% 12.78 1,166.2/km2
21 High River Small 14,119 13,420 +5.2% 10.13 1,393.8/km2
22 Strathmore Small 13,851 13,592 +1.9% 9.46 1,464.2/km2
23 Canmore Small 13,268 12,021 +10.4% 12.96 1,023.8/km2
24 Lacombe Small 12,835 12,740 +0.7% 11.87 1,081.3/km2
25 Wetaskiwin Small 12,438 12,491 −0.4% 12.11 1,027.1/km2
26 Morinville Small 10,385 9,848 +5.5% 11.15 931.4/km2
27 Blackfalds Small 10,315 9,161 +12.6% 8.93 1,155.1/km2
28 Whitecourt Small 9,195 9,515 −3.4% 10.22 899.7/km2
29 Hinton Small 9,191 9,205 −0.2% 12.97 708.6/km2
30 Olds Small 8,983 8,944 +0.4% 9.51 944.6/km2
31 Taber Small 8,978 8,558 +4.9% 15.69 572.2/km2
32 Coaldale Small 8,592 8,153 +5.4% 5.84 1,471.2/km2
33 Banff Small 8,305 7,851 +5.8% 4.08 2,035.5/km2
34 Edson Small 8,166 8,148 +0.2% 10.7 763.2/km2
35 Grand Centre Small 7,514 7,256 +3.6% 18.07 415.8/km2
36 Cold Lake Small 7,201 6,795 +6.0% 5.71 1,261.1/km2
37 Ponoka Small 7,032 6,899 +1.9% 5.61 1,253.5/km2
38 Innisfail Small 7,016 6,937 +1.1% 5.23 1,341.5/km2
39 Drayton Valley Small 6,970 6,867 +1.5% 7.22 965.4/km2
40 Devon Small 6,545 6,578 −0.5% 14.26 459.0/km2
41 Slave Lake Small 6,542 6,155 +6.3% 6.63 986.7/km2
42 Rocky Mountain House Small 6,518 6,429 +1.4% 7.47 872.6/km2
43 Drumheller Small 6,497 6,439 +0.9% 9.48 685.3/km2
44 Wainwright Small 6,461 6,153 +5.0% 5.08 1,271.9/km2
45 Bonnyville Small 6,359 5,858 +8.6% 6.4 993.6/km2
46 St. Paul Small 5,685 5,728 −0.8% 5.03 1,130.2/km2
47 Stettler Small 5,595 5,872 −4.7% 7.46 750.0/km2
48 Redcliff Small 5,385 5,474 −1.6% 7.39 728.7/km2
49 Vegreville Small 5,383 5,436 −1.0% 5.05 1,065.9/km2
50 Langdon Small 5,193 5,060 +2.6% 4.32 1,202.1/km2
51 Didsbury Small 5,024 5,206 −3.5% 5.43 925.2/km2
52 Westlock Small 4,820 4,957 −2.8% 5.26 916.3/km2
53 Peace River Small 4,264 4,348 −1.9% 5.06 842.7/km2
54 Barrhead Small 4,055 4,387 −7.6% 4.73 857.3/km2
55 Jasper Small 4,029 3,948 +2.1% 1.84 2,189.7/km2
56 Raymond Small 3,942 3,553 +10.9% 3.92 1,005.6/km2
57 Carstairs Small 3,660 3,080 +18.8% 4.76 768.9/km2
58 Crossfield Small 3,579 2,973 +20.4% 3.99 897.0/km2
59 Vermilion Small 3,552 3,697 −3.9% 3.66 970.5/km2
60 Cardston Small 3,519 3,389 +3.8% 3.88 907.0/km2
61 Pincher Creek Small 3,463 3,523 −1.7% 4.06 853.0/km2
62 High Level Small 3,461 2,746 +26.0% 2.68 1,291.4/km2
63 Claresholm Small 3,434 3,424 +0.3% 2.68 1,281.3/km2
64 Penhold Small 3,359 3,210 +4.6% 1.65 2,035.8/km2
65 Fort Macleod Small 3,038 2,718 +11.8% 2.28 1,332.5/km2
66 Grande Cache Small 3,037 3,286 −7.6% 3.72 816.4/km2
67 Gibbons Small 2,989 2,973 +0.5% 4.78 625.3/km2
68 La Crète Small 2,911 2,739 +6.3% 3.02 963.9/km2
69 Three Hills Small 2,902 3,078 −5.7% 3.14 924.2/km2
70 Coalhurst Small 2,818 2,623 +7.4% 1.76 1,601.1/km2
71 Clairmont Small 2,808 2,411 +16.5% 4.16 675.0/km2
72 Black Diamond Small 2,574 2,552 +0.9% 2.15 1,197.2/km2
73 Grimshaw Small 2,519 2,599 −3.1% 4.13 609.9/km2
74 Fairview Small 2,427 2,598 −6.6% 2.26 1,073.9/km2
75 Turner Valley Small 2,409 2,373 +1.5% 3.3 730.0/km2
76 Magrath Small 2,308 2,235 +3.3% 2.7 854.8/km2
77 Sexsmith Small 2,275 2,461 −7.6% 1.83 1,243.2/km2
78 Rimbey Small 2,258 2,349 −3.9% 3.63 622.0/km2
79 Beaverlodge Small 2,251 2,440 −7.7% 3.33 676.0/km2
80 Hanna Small 2,234 2,332 −4.2% 2.29 975.5/km2
81 Lac la Biche Small 2,138 2,294 −6.8% 2.94 727.2/km2
82 High Prairie Small 2,065 2,264 −8.8% 2.37 871.3/km2
83 Westlake Small 2,040 1,363 +49.7% 3.27 623.9/km2
84 Nanton Small 1,984 1,970 +0.7% 1.56 1,271.8/km2
85 Heritage Pointe Small 1,974 2,075 −4.9% 4.78 413.0/km2
86 Calmar Small 1,883 1,986 −5.2% 1.33 1,415.8/km2
87 Millet Small 1,847 1,905 −3.0% 2.18 847.2/km2
88 Provost Small 1,834 1,945 −5.7% 2.09 877.5/km2
89 Bow Island Small 1,829 1,773 +3.2% 1.3 1,406.9/km2
90 Tofield Small 1,811 1,854 −2.3% 1.22 1,484.4/km2
91 Picture Butte Small 1,808 1,700 +6.4% 1.95 927.2/km2
92 Redwater Small 1,802 1,591 +13.3% 2.01 896.5/km2
93 Sundre Small 1,781 1,866 −4.6% 2.37 751.5/km2
94 Vulcan Small 1,558 1,680 −7.3% 1.7 916.5/km2
95 Springbrook Small 1,534 1,502 +2.1% 2.19 700.5/km2
96 Blairmore Small 1,522 1,545 −1.5% 2.04 746.1/km2
97 Bon Accord Small 1,451 1,529 −5.1% 2.13 681.2/km2
98 Coleman Small 1,441 1,475 −2.3% 1.99 724.1/km2
99 Nobleford Small 1,438 1,278 +12.5% 0.98 1,467.3/km2
100 Wembley Small 1,432 1,516 −5.5% 2.2 650.9/km2
101 Fox Creek Small 1,426 1,730 −17.6% 1.36 1,048.5/km2
102 Elk Point Small 1,394 1,437 −3.0% 2.26 616.8/km2
103 Two Hills Small 1,379 1,291 +6.8% 1.25 1,103.2/km2
104 Lamont Small 1,328 1,347 −1.4% 1.93 688.1/km2
105 Vauxhall Small 1,286 1,222 +5.2% 2.71 474.5/km2
106 Valleyview Small 1,280 1,421 −9.9% 1.55 825.8/km2
107 Bowden Small 1,275 1,240 +2.8% 2.82 452.1/km2
108 Lancaster Park Small 1,253 1,501 −16.5% 0.92 1,362.0/km2
109 Swan Hills Small 1,191 1,275 −6.6% 2.39 498.3/km2
110 Bassano Small 1,186 1,201 −1.2% 1.33 891.7/km2
111 Athabasca Small 1,181 1,250 −5.5% 2.03 581.8/km2
112 Mayerthorpe Small 1,171 1,205 −2.8% 1.29 907.8/km2
113 Legal Small 1,164 1,251 −7.0% 1.79 650.3/km2
114 Irricana Small 1,135 1,160 −2.2% 1.14 995.6/km2
115 Stirling Small 1,134 938 +20.9% 2.03 558.6/km2
116 Alberta Beach - Val Quentin Small 1,103 1,327 −16.9% 1.69 652.7/km2
117 Carriage Lane Estates Small 1,094 1,008 +8.5% 1.34 816.4/km2
118 Cardiff Small 1,033 1,167 −11.5% 0.98 1,054.1/km2
119 Manning Small 1,027 1,072 −4.2% 1.37 749.6/km2

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

References

  1. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c d e f g h "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and population centres". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "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.


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