Birch Hills CountyAlberta
Statistics Canada places it in the Division No. 19 census division. Home to 1,522 people, this town lies in Alberta.
Is Birch Hills County a good place to live?
Birch Hills County’s strongest subject is schools (A+). Health outcomes fall short of most towns (D−). Homes were valued at a median $200,000 at the 2021 census, 3 times the typical household’s income. Jobs and pay trail most towns (D).
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Birch Hills County has subject grades but no overall grade: Canadian towns get one from 2,500 residents.
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. Safety less sure: no police service names this town, so its crime figure is the nearest police detachment's, shared with a wider area. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
What makes Birch Hills County stand out
The 3 things Birch Hills County does most differently from other towns.
How Birch Hills County grades
Each subject compares Birch Hills County with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Birch Hills County has subject grades but no overall grade: Canadian towns get one from 2,500 residents.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Birch Hills County.
For schools, Birch Hills County gets an A+
Within 3 km of Birch Hills County are 2 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 2 schools for every grade, teaching 123 students. Its elementary schools are small, 24 students on average, against 274 in Alberta. An elementary school stands 9.8 km from the centre, above both Alberta’s towns (0.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Lights School IndependentLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades 1–8 | Elementary · Grades 1–8 | 29 | Independent |
| Birch Meadows Colony School Second fifth in AlbertaLargest secondary schoolAll grades · Grades 1–10 | All grades · Grades 1–10 | 37 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Birch Hills County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest elementary school | 9.8 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
| Nearest secondary school | 9.8 km | 0.7 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
For health, Birch Hills County gets a D−
Shared with the rest of the North Zone: health survey and life expectancy
For Birch Hills County itself, the measure is access: 39 km to the nearest hospital on average, with 100% of homes beyond 30 km. The region has more smokers than Alberta, 17% of adults to 11%. Chronic conditions run at just over a fifth of adults, age-standardised, above Alberta’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike. In the health survey, 48% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, fewer than Alberta’s 53%.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Birch Hills County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Smokers | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.3 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 48% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
The share of 15-to-64s with a job in Birch Hills County trails that of 92% of Canadian towns
The average trip to work took 28 min, higher than both Alberta’s towns (26 min) and Canadian towns (26 min). By car: that was how just over nine in ten commuters travelled at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Birch Hills County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 28 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 91% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Renting in Birch Hills County costs 11% of household income, less than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns
Home ownership covers 84% of households. 13% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below Alberta’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Birch Hills County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 11% | 20% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 13% | 21% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $200,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 84% | 74% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.
The force covering Birch Hills County records less serious violence than Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns, at 62
These figures come from the closest detachment: none reports for Birch Hills County itself
The index for the force that serves it came to 96, between Alberta’s towns (110) and Canadian towns (67). Across its police area, there are 44.3 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Birch Hills County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 62 | 109 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 96 | 110 | 67 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 44.3 | 45 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: one figure for all of the Fairview detachment area
Birch Hills County is on Canada’s flood inventory: 2 listed, led by Government of Alberta
Burn scars are few around Birch Hills County, with 0.2% of the land within 25 km touched by fire since 1986 (0.004% a year). Radon is about average around Birch Hills County: nearly a tenth of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Figures for radon tests are published for the Peace Country Health as a whole, not for Birch Hills County alone.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Birch Hills County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.9% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.014 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Birch Hills County has cooler summers than Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 22.7°C
Counting rain and snow alike, 384 mm falls in a year, below Alberta’s towns (431 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm) alike. Expect January lows of around −20.1°C in Birch Hills County. January is the snowiest month, with 25 cm on average. June is the wettest month, with 68 mm of rain and snow on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Birch Hills County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −20.1°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 22.7°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 384 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 206 | 193 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Peace River)
Birch Hills County in November: highs near −3°C, lows near −12°C
A normal December brings highs of −8°C, lows of −18°C. Snowfall in a normal November: 21 cm. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Peace River.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −8°C | −18°C | 56 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −4°C | 74 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 9°C | 173 mm |
| Autumn | 7°C | −4°C | 81 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Peace River); the forecast is on the Weather page
Peace River—Westlock gave Arnold Viersen a 23,467-vote lead in 2021, bigger than in 95% of ridings
For local government, Birch Hills County is a municipal district.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
At 0.4 visits per person served, Tiny Tots Community Library is quieter than 95% of Alberta’s town libraries
The 1,553 people Tiny Tots Community Library serves have 2 branches to choose from.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
A town of families: 21% of people in Birch Hills County are under 15, more than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns
0.9% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Alberta’s towns (29%) and Canadian towns (15%). People 65 and over make up a fifth of the town.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
47.5% of Birch Hills County’s residents are women
Census 2021 put women at 720 and men at 795; women are 50.9% of Canada.
| Birch Hills County | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 58% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 20% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 30% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 32% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A provincial park at Birch Hills County’s edge: Peace River Wildland Provincial Park
5 beaches are mapped within 5 km, none with a name. There is no national park within 100 km of the town. Of the country within 10 km, 4.8% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%. 26 areas within 10 km are protected for nature.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Birch Hills County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 4.8% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
St. James' Cathedral and 3 more in and around Birch Hills County
Sights in Birch Hills County and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
FortFort Fork500 m outside town, to the northeastSki hillSki hillMisery Mountain Ski Hill3.6 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumPeace River Museum Archives & Mackenzie Centre3.8 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Fort Fork: Grapher78, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Birch Hills County
Questions about Birch Hills County
Who are the people of Birch Hills County?
At the 2021 census, 5% were immigrants and 1% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 5% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What kind of homes are in Birch Hills County?
81% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.3 people; 29% are one person living alone.
Has Birch Hills County grown?
No: the census counted 1,553 in 2016 and 1,516 in 2021, 2.4% fewer, against growth of 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 1,522.
Is Birch Hills County a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 41.6, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2.
About Birch Hills County
Town in Alberta
Every figure TownRatings gives for Birch Hills County 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
- 1,522 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 19
- Census subdivision
- 4819049
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).