Brazeau CountyAlberta
7,685 people call this town in Alberta home. Between 2016 and 2021, its population shrank by 8%.
Is Brazeau County a good place to live?
Brazeau County’s overall grade, C−, puts it better than 17% of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #417 of 473 in Alberta. Its weakest is safety (D). Walkability is weaker too (D). Floods and other hazards weigh less here (A−). Homes were valued at a median $348,000 at the 2021 census, 3.7 times the typical household’s income.
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
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.
How Brazeau County grades
Each subject compares Brazeau 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.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Brazeau County stand out
The 3 things Brazeau County does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Brazeau County.
Crime runs heavier where Brazeau County is policed than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns, at an index of 130
A best guess: the nearest detachment’s figures, since none is filed under Brazeau County
Property crime in its police area ran at 54.3 per 1,000 residents a year, above Alberta’s towns (45) and Canadian towns (31.2) alike. Violent crime in the area its police cover: 15.9 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Brazeau County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 130 | 110 | 67 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 54.3 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 15.9 | 14.2 | 12 |
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 Drayton Valley detachment area
Hazards in Brazeau County: wildfire moderate, radon over the guideline in 7.5% of tested homes
Earthquakes matter little: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.013 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town. Fire reaches the land around Brazeau County now and then: 2.6% within 25 km since 1986 (0.07% a year), below the high band. Also worth knowing: the national flood inventory has no study of the town. Nobody publishes radon tests for Brazeau County alone, so this card uses the figure for the David Thompson Regional Health Authority.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Brazeau County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.013 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 7.5% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Life expectancy around Brazeau County is 79.1 years, 2.4 less than for the typical Canadian town
The region has more smokers than Alberta, 15% of adults to 11%. In the health survey, 52% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, close to Alberta’s 53%. For Brazeau County itself the measure is access, and it lags: 11 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. Behind health survey and life expectancy sits data gathered across the Central Zone, with Brazeau County one part of it.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Brazeau County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.1 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
In the lower two fifths in Alberta: 4 of the 5 schools around Brazeau County with results
3 of the 9 are Catholic, more than the 18% in Alberta. The 3 km around Brazeau County counts 5 elementary schools and 4 secondary schools, 3,504 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| H W Pickup Junior High School Fourth fifth in AlbertaLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades 5–8 | Elementary · Grades 5–8 | 438 | English public |
| Holy Trinity Academy CatholicLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 10–12 | Secondary · Grades 10–12 | 1,078 | English Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Brazeau County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Brazeau County gets more frosts than 90% of Canadian towns
Most of the snow comes in January, about 32 cm. Summer highs average 23.1°C in July, about level with Alberta’s towns (23.5°C) and below Canadian towns (25.5°C). Rain and snow peak in July, at 102 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Brazeau County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 23.1°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 201 | 193 | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 499 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
| Snowfall a year | 166 cm | 127 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Breton)
Brazeau County has 0.2 jobs for every resident in work, so most leave town for work
Commutes averaged 26 min, close to both Alberta’s towns (26 min) and Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Brazeau County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 26 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
Most households in Brazeau County own their home: 89%, more than in Alberta’s towns and across Canadian towns
A year’s rent came to 15% of the median household income, below both Alberta’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Brazeau County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 89% | 74% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 15% | 20% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 15% | 21% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $348,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.
What November brings in Brazeau County: −8°C at night, 1°C by day
The month after, December, normally sees −4°C afternoons and −14°C nights. November usually brings some 30 cm of snow. ECCC’s forecast for Drayton Valley is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −14°C | 48 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −3°C | 108 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 9°C | 257 mm |
| Autumn | 10°C | −2°C | 87 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Breton); the forecast is on the Weather page
Dane Lloyd (Conservative Party of Canada) holds Parkland, the riding that includes Brazeau County
Locally, Brazeau County is run as a municipal district.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Brazeau County is Drayton Valley Public Library, 2.7 km away
After it comes Entwistle Public Library (Parkland County), 43 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Fewer of Brazeau County’s people belong to a visible minority than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 2.7%
4.8% of residents came to Canada as immigrants, lower than both Alberta’s towns (8.9%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). One measure of family life: nearly a fifth of residents are under 15. People 65 and over make up 16% 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
48.5% of Brazeau County’s residents are women
3,480 women and 3,700 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Brazeau County | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 66% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 16% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 22% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 43% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Step out of Brazeau County into Eagle Point Provincial Park
The closest of Canada’s national parks is Jasper National Park, at 82 km. The 10 km around town hold 29 protected areas. Within 10 km of the town, 1% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town. There is a beach within 5 km, unnamed on the map.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Brazeau County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 21 | 2 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 1% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Brazeau County
Famous people from around Brazeau County
No notable person born in Brazeau County is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Dave Hakstol: Bruce C. Cooper, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Clay Stevenson: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Mason Geertsen: Kline, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Brazeau County
Town in Alberta
Brazeau County is a municipality in Alberta, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 7,685 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 11
- Census subdivision
- 4811032
Brazeau County’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazeau County | 7,685 | — | C− | B | D | C |
| Drayton Valley | 8,047 | 2 | C+ | B | D | C+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Brazeau County
Who are the people of Brazeau County?
3% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 9% have an Indigenous identity and 5% are immigrants.
What kind of homes are in Brazeau County?
77% 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 2.5 people; 21% are one person living alone.
Is Brazeau County growing?
It lost people: 7,771 in 2016, 7,179 in 2021, 7.6% fewer, while the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 7,685.
How old are the people of Brazeau County?
The median resident is 43.6 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 19% are under 15 and 16% are 65 or over.
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).