BanffAlberta
Home to 11,402 people, this town lies in Alberta. It grew by 6% between the 2016 and 2021 censuses.
Is Banff a good place to live?
A good place to live, if you can afford it. On schools it is strong (A+). At A− overall, Banff is better than 81% of Canadian towns and ranks #71 of 473 in Alberta. Health is another plus (A+). Housing is expensive (D−). Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for safety and B for hazard risk.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but many visitors or second-home owners add to it, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Banff grades
Each subject compares Banff with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Banff stand out
The 3 things Banff does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Banff.
For health, Banff is ahead of 98% of Canadian towns
The average trip from home to a hospital is 0.9 km, below Alberta’s towns (3.1 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km) alike. Statistics Canada puts the region’s life expectancy at 83.0, women 85.0 and men 80.9 (2022/2024). The region has fewer smokers than Alberta, 7.9% of adults to 11%. The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 56%, ahead of the 53% for Alberta. Banff shares its health survey and life expectancy numbers with the rest of the Calgary Zone.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Banff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 51% | 52% |
| Smokers | 7.9% | 12% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.0 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
2 schools in and around Banff: 1 elementary school and 1 secondary school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banff Elementary School Top fifth in AlbertaLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–8 | Elementary · Grades K–8 | 374 | English public |
| Banff Community High School Second fifth in AlbertaLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 160 | English public |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Measured against local pay, Banff costs more to live in than 96% of Canadian towns
A year’s rent came to nearly a quarter of the median household income, above both Alberta’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (20%). Owners put the median home at $725,000, higher than both Alberta’s towns ($400,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Banff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $725,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 26% | 21% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 24% | 20% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
Summers stay cool in Banff: July afternoons reach 22.5°C, below Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
June is the wettest month, with 73 mm of rain and snow on average. Frosty days number 220 in a normal year, above Alberta’s towns (193) and Canadian towns (159) alike. Between the last spring frost, 19 June, and the first in autumn, 23 August, lie 64 days. Snow peaks in April: 30 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Banff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 22.5°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 220 | 193 | 159 |
| Snowfall a year | 184 cm | 127 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 454 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Banff)
Commuters in Banff have a short way to work, 16 min on average, less than in Alberta’s towns and across Canadian towns
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Banff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 16 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
Children make up only 9.5% of Banff, fewer than in Alberta’s towns and across Canadian towns
The 65-and-over age group makes up just over one in ten residents. Visible minorities make up just over a quarter of the population, lower than Alberta’s towns (29%) yet higher than Canadian towns (15%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
46.2% of Banff’s residents are women
Here the census found 4,465 men and 3,840 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Banff | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.5% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 78% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 12% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 5.8% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 61% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Flood mapping exists for Banff: 1 on record, latest by Government of Alberta
Measured across the Calgary Health Region: radon tests
About as many homes carry radon around Banff as elsewhere, 8.1% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. Earthquake risk in the town is ordinary: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.036 a year per $1,000 of value, close to the typical town’s $0.030. The burn rate around Banff is 0.24% a year (7.7% of the land within 25 km since 1986), a moderate band.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Banff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.1% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.036 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
A normal November in Banff runs from −8°C to 1°C
By December, a normal day reaches −5°C and a night falls to −13°C. Precipitation in November averages 28 mm. About 25 cm of snow falls in a normal November. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Banff forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −13°C | 60 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −4°C | 119 mm |
| Summer | 21°C | 6°C | 167 mm |
| Autumn | 9°C | −3°C | 109 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Banff); the forecast is on the Weather page
William Stevenson (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Banff in Ottawa as MP for Yellowhead
Across Alberta, 33 of the 37 MPs sit with the Conservative Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Banff Public Library draws 8.5 visits per person served, ahead of 93% of Alberta’s town libraries
A single building, Banff Public Library, serves 8,875 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Banff gets a B− for safety
For violence alone the index was 75, below Alberta’s towns (109) and Canadian towns (86) alike. Per 1,000 residents, 15.9 violent crimes are recorded each year. Each year brings 36.8 property incidents per 1,000 residents.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Banff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 75 | 109 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 36.8 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 15.9 | 14.2 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Banff National Park surrounds Banff
2 mapped walking routes pass within 2 km, among them the Stoney Lookout and Tunnel Mountain Summit Trail. A provincial park, Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park, lies 7.3 km away. Of the land within 10 km, 100% has protected status, above both Alberta’s towns (0.4%) and Canadian towns (2.3%).
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Banff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 100% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
The registers list 8 historic places in Banff, 2 at the top
Before 1961 is when 10% of the homes went up, between Alberta’s towns (4.5%) and Canadian towns (18%). Go back to 1902 and you reach Banff Park Museum, the oldest of them. Designations here include 5 Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings and a heritage railway station.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
- Banff Park Museum 1902
- Banff Springs Hotel 1911
- Cambrian Pavilion 1934
- Devonian Pavilion 1934
| Heritage | Banff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 10% | 4.5% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Banff
Bow Falls and 13 more in and around Banff
Museums, historic sites, parks, gardens and days out in and near Banff, the best known first.
WaterfallBow Fallsin town
MuseumBanff Park Museumin town
MuseumWhyte Museumin town
MuseumBuffalo Nations Luxton Museumin town
Art galleryWalter Phillips Galleryin town
National historic site · Parks CanadaCave and Basin400 m outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Bow Falls: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Banff Park Museum: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Whyte Museum: Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum: Silver Dovelet, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Walter Phillips Gallery: Craig Talbert, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cave and Basin: Sovernigo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Banff
21 notable people were born in Banff.
Photo credits
Ryan Smyth: Lisa Gansky, CC BY-SA 2.0 · John Robarts: Photographic Illustrators, Public domain · Heidi Widmer: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Stefan Kuhn: Robert Thivierge ( Thivierr ), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Philip Widmer: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Finn Iles: Wesutf1, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Banff
Town in Alberta
Every figure TownRatings gives for Banff covers the municipality as Statistics Canada maps it, one census subdivision in Alberta.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 11,402 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 15
- Census subdivision
- 4815035
Questions about Banff
What kind of homes are in Banff?
Mostly 12% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.3 people on average, and 29% have just one.
Has Banff grown?
It added people: 7,851 in 2016, 8,305 in 2021, 5.8% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 11,402.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. 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).