Photo: Bulliver · CC BY-SA 3.0Permits in Athabasca added just 2.4 homes a year for every 1,000, where Alberta’s towns added 7.5
Going by owners’ own estimates in 2021, the typical home is worth $280,000, the average one $289,000. An owner’s figure, not a sale: the census of May 2021 asked what each home would fetch. Statistics Canada’s housing statistics carry no sale prices in Alberta; the census value stands in for Athabasca.
Two ways to price a home in Athabasca
Two sources, each set against Alberta’s towns only: provinces measure value differently, so they don’t line up across borders.
median, owners’ estimate
- Average
- $289K
- Owners
- 670
- Alberta’s towns
- $400K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
all residential
- Alberta’s towns
- $297K
Census 2021 (Statistics Canada); Canadian Housing Statistics Program, tables 46-10-0099 and 46-10-0093; Québec rôle d’évaluation foncière 2026 (MAMH).
Athabasca’s detached houses are assessed 24% below the median of Alberta’s towns
In 2024, Athabasca had 1,130 residential properties on the roll, detached houses 70% of them and condos 9%.
Median assessment by type, 2024 the tick is the median of Alberta’s towns
Canadian Housing Statistics Program, table 46-10-0093 (2024): residential properties on the assessment roll, vacant land left out. The ticks are the median of Alberta’s towns with their own figure; assessments compare within a province only.
Athabasca’s homes: when they went up and what they are
Athabasca had 1,155 occupied homes at the 2021 census, 68% of them single-detached houses. At least half predate 2001.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of Alberta’s towns
Homes by kind
| Athabasca | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | 17% | 15% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 7% | 5% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 4% | 4% | 3% |
| Households in core housing need | 8% | 8% | 7% |
Census 2021 (Statistics Canada): occupied private dwellings; core housing need as Statistics Canada defines it. Ticks and columns are medians of the towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more.
Permits in Athabasca peaked in 2022: 7 new homes
From 2019 to 2023, permits in Athabasca created 14 homes, about 3 a year. Single-unit buildings took 93% of them, where Alberta’s towns built 69%.
New homes a year per 1,000 homes
Statistics Canada, tables 46-10-0087 (building permits by census subdivision, 2018–2023: dwelling units created, new construction and conversions) and 34-10-0292 (monthly, metro areas). Per 1,000: units a year over 2019–2023 against occupied homes in 2021.
Athabasca is 30% below the $400,000 median of Alberta’s towns
478 of Alberta’s towns (2,500 people or more), by median value at the 2021 census, dearest first.
Census 2021, owners’ estimates; towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, no city as a whole, no reserve.
Lower values near Athabasca: Thorhild County and Westlock
The places around Athabasca at the 2021 census: median and average value, and how many own. Distances here run 14–72 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Athabasca.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athabasca | $280K | $289K | 58% | |
| Athabasca County | $376K | $385K | 91% | 14.3 |
| Thorhild County | $250K | $288K | 85% | 62.5 |
| Westlock County | $324K | $343K | 87% | 69.9 |
| Westlock | $250K | $247K | 69% | 71.8 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Athabasca
Is Athabasca expensive for Alberta?
Less than most: Alberta’s towns have a median of $400,000, and Athabasca sits below it.
How many households in Athabasca are in core housing need?
Statistics Canada puts 8% of Athabasca’s households in core housing need, much as for Alberta’s towns (8%).
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · Statistics Canada, Canadian Housing Statistics Program · Statistics Canada, building permits (tables 46-10-0087 and 34-10-0292). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).