Photo: Grant Berg · CC BY-SA 3.021% of residents are under 15, more than in 90% of Canadian towns
Against a figure of 35% across Canada’s towns, the share of residents with no religion in Birch Hills County comes in at 44%. On the census count, 17% of households rent their home. At 5.4%, the share of immigrants is lower than in 80% of Canadian towns. Statistics Canada puts the town’s population at 1,522 for July 2025.
What stands out about the people of Birch Hills County
A town of families
Children under 15 are 21% of residents, more than in 90% of Canadian towns. Households average 2.3 people, and 4.1% are one-parent families. Ages ↓
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Birch Hills County went from 1,553 to 1,516 residents (−2%), slower growth than in 90% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
−2% since 2016, a pace below 90% of Canadian towns
Every figure here comes from the 2021 Census unless it carries another date. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
By July 2025, Statistics Canada’s estimate had barely moved. The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across Alberta’s towns +1%.
Birch Hills County ranks above 71% of Canadian towns on residents aged 15 to 24: 12%
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
The biggest five-year age group is 5–9, with 7.6% of residents, 1.4 times the share across Canada’s towns. The wider picture: 11% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Canada’s towns. Here, a fifth of residents are 65 or over. Half of Birch Hills County’s residents are under 41.6, younger than in 53% of Canadian towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 111 men for every 100 women.
2.3 people per household, fewer than in 64% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
One-parent families: 4.1% here and 8.2% across Canada’s towns. Here, 29% of households are one person living alone.
57% of residents 15 and over are married, a share 87% of Canadian towns don’t reach
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
In Birch Hills County, 8.8% of residents 15 and over live common-law, beside 11% across Canada’s towns. Never married and not common-law: 24% of adults (typical: 27%).
Birch Hills County ranks above 75% of Canadian towns on households in single-detached houses: 81%
The kinds of homes people live in, who owns and who rents, and how old the homes are. Prices, rents and shelter costs are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Owners and renters · share of households
When homes were built · share of homes
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. 24% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 14% built before 1961. Across Canada’s towns, the share of households in single-detached houses is 64%.
Half of households earn more than $67,500 a year
Incomes here are for 2020, the year before the census, CERB and other pandemic benefits included. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
At $67,500, the middle household in Birch Hills County earned 22% less than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). $92,200 is the median household income across Alberta’s towns. Pandemic benefits reached 16% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
5.4% of residents are immigrants
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 30%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
Recent arrivals, from 2011 to 2021, are 17% of immigrants (typical: 27%); non-permanent residents add 0.9% of residents. Immigrants here were most often born in the Americas (50%), then in Europe (33%). Fewer residents without Canadian citizenship than in nearly two thirds of Canadian towns: 3.1%.
Birch Hills County ranks above 69% of Canadian towns on Indigenous residents: 4.9%
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Against a figure of 15% across Canada’s towns, the share of visible minority residents in Birch Hills County comes in at 0.9%. Indigenous residents: 2.8% across Canada’s towns, for comparison.
In Birch Hills County, 5.6% of residents have French as their mother tongue, more than in 72% of Canadian towns
Who can speak English and French, mother tongue, and the language spoken most at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
23% most often speak a language other than English or French at home, and 2.6% speak neither official language. The usual figure: 1.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue across Canada’s towns. On bilingual residents, 7.6% here is much the same as across Canada’s towns.
8.4% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 98% of Canadian towns
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Holding no credential: 21% (typical 9.5%). On average, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
56% of residents 15 and over were in work
These rates date from May 2021, during the pandemic, and run lower than a normal year’s. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 56%, the share in work is about the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
3 of the 4 nearest towns are older than Birch Hills County
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are. Birch Hills County has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 37–49 km out.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch Hills County | 1,522 | — | 41.6 | 20% | 5.4% |
| Fairview | 2,918 | 36.9 km | 44.4 | 23% | 10% |
| Fairview No. 136 | 1,647 | 36.9 km | 44 | 19% | 5.4% |
| Smoky River No. 130 | 1,941 | 47.3 km | 44.4 | 18% | 3.2% |
| Grimshaw | 2,799 | 48.9 km | 38.8 | 17% | 6.6% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. The Census Profile has no unpaid care, cars or internet access, and no change by age since 2016; ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- The census’s own words. These are self-reported answers: Indigenous identity, immigrant status, religion. The census’s “visible minority” comes from the Employment Equity Act (non-white in colour or race, Indigenous peoples aside), and the page sets each beside other towns without labelling any.
- Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns. Each comparison is its own median: over Alberta’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, and over all Canadian towns of that size (whole cities and First Nations reserves left out). Percentiles are within Canada only.
Questions about Birch Hills County’s residents
Is Birch Hills County bilingual?
English and French: 7.6% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 90%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 5.6%.
How diverse is Birch Hills County?
5.4% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 0.9% belong to a visible minority and 4.9% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Birch Hills County?
56% are Christian and 44% have no religion; 0.5% follow another religion.
Is Birch Hills County good for families?
Under 15: 21% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 62% of households. One-parent families: 4.1%. Schools near Birch Hills County are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Birch Hills County?
The median household in Birch Hills County took in $67,500 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Birch Hills County?
Birch Hills County had about 1,522 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 1,516, 2% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Birch Hills County?
A median age of 41.6. Children under 15 make up 21%, and people 65 and over 20%.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population · Statistics Canada, population estimates for 1 July 2025 (table 17-10-0155). 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).