Photo: Andrawaag · CC BY-SA 4.0A home in Big Lakes County is worth 44% less than the middle of Alberta’s towns
At the 2021 census the median home was worth $226,000, where Alberta’s towns sit at $400,000. Those values come from owners at the 2021 census and predate the prices of the years since. Sale prices aren’t published in Alberta: what owners told the census is the figure to go on for Big Lakes County.
What Big Lakes County’s homes are worth, two ways
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
- $267K
- Owners
- 1,405
- 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).
On the assessment roll, Big Lakes County’s houses sit 27% below Alberta’s towns
The 2024 assessment roll counts 1,895 homes in Big Lakes County, detached houses 66% of them.
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.
More need than most: 24% of households in Big Lakes County (Alberta’s towns: 8%)
The 2021 census counted 2,005 occupied homes in Big Lakes County; 77% of them are single-detached houses. Half or more were standing by 2000.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of Alberta’s towns
Homes by kind
| Big Lakes County | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | 2% | 15% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 18% | 5% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 6% | 4% | 3% |
| Households in core housing need | 24% | 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 Big Lakes County ran at 7.1 homes a year per 1,000, near the 7.5 of Alberta’s towns
Some 17 homes a year: 101 in all were permitted in Big Lakes County from 2018 to 2023. Houses dominate the permits, at 99% in single-unit buildings (Alberta’s towns: 69%).
Most in 2018: 30 new homes
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.
Big Lakes County is cheaper than most of Alberta’s towns: 44% under their $400,000 median
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 Big Lakes County: Falher
The places around Big Lakes County at the 2021 census: median and average value, and how many own. Big Lakes County has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 22–71 km out.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Lakes County | $226K | $267K | 79% | |
| High Prairie | $250K | $239K | 60% | 21.6 |
| Falher | $180K | $180K | 70% | 67.2 |
| Smoky River No. 130 | $250K | $313K | 87% | 71.5 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Big Lakes County
Is Big Lakes County expensive for Alberta?
No: Big Lakes County’s census median is below the $400,000 of Alberta’s towns.
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).