Cardston CountyAlberta
Some 4,938 people live in this town, in Alberta. Its population rose 8% from 2016 to 2021.
Is Cardston County a good place to live?
Good value, with catches elsewhere. Cardston County’s overall grade, C, puts it better than 31% of Canadian towns. It ranks #361 of 473 in Alberta. Where it falls short is walkability (D−). Police record more crime here than in most towns (C−). School results are strong (A−). Housing is within reach (B+).
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 is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. 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 Cardston County grades
Each subject compares Cardston 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 Cardston County stand out
The 2 things Cardston County does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cardston County.
Violent crime weighs more where Cardston County is policed than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 124
Violence across its police area runs at 24.9 per 1,000 residents a year. The index for the force that serves it came to 108, close to Alberta’s towns (110) and above Canadian towns (67). For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 48 property crimes are reported each year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Cardston County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 24.9 | 14.2 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 48 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 124 | 109 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 108 | 110 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Not measured by town: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 (the Cardston detachment area)
3 boards run the schools in and around Cardston County
Taken together, Cardston County and its 3 km edge hold 10 elementary schools, 4 secondary schools and 9 schools for every grade for 4,275 students. The largest is Chinook High School, with 1,203 students. On the tests, 2 of 7 schools land above the middle in Alberta, 3 under it.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardston Elementary SchoolLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–5 | Elementary · Grades K–5 | 460 | English public |
| Chinook High School Fourth fifth in AlbertaLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,203 | English public |
| Mountain View School Top fifth in AlbertaResults in the top fifth in AlbertaAll grades · Grades K–9 | All grades · Grades K–9 | 114 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Cardston County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest elementary school | 2.9 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
| Nearest secondary school | 2.9 km | 0.7 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
More commuters in Cardston County drive than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 97%
Commutes averaged 27 min, near both Alberta’s towns (26 min) and Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Cardston County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 97% | 88% | 89% |
| Average trip | 27 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Renting in Cardston County costs 10% of household income, less than in Alberta’s towns and across Canadian towns
11% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both Alberta’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%). Owners make up 84% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Cardston County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 10% | 20% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 11% | 21% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 84% | 74% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $348,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Children make up 26% of Cardston County, above Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
2.6% of residents belong to a visible minority, below Alberta’s towns (29%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. The 65-and-over age group makes up 19% of residents.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 49.9% of Cardston County
The 2021 census counted 2,425 women and 2,435 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Cardston County | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 26% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 55% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 19% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 52% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Cardston County has milder winters than Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −10.9°C
A normal year brings 534 mm of precipitation, higher than Alberta’s towns (431 mm) yet lower than Canadian towns (883 mm). Summer highs in Cardston County reach 24.0°C in July. April is the snowiest month, with 55 cm on average. The most precipitation falls in June: 108 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Cardston County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 257 cm | 127 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −10.9°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 534 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 24.0°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Carway)
People in Cardston County’s health region live to 78.7 on average, 2.8 years short of the typical Canadian town
Source area for health survey and life expectancy: the South Zone
The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 19% of adults, above both Alberta’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%). On self-rated health the region tracks the province: 52% very good or excellent, 53% for Alberta. Measured from where Cardston County’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 15 km away, beyond the typical 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Cardston County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.7 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 52% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
A flood study covers Cardston County: 3 on the national inventory, the newest from Government of Alberta
The radon tests numbers here cover the Chinook Regional Health Authority
For earthquakes Cardston County is middling, $0.039 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. The town’s survey area, 8.9% over the radon guideline, is close to the typical town’s 6.6%. Some 2.6% of the land within 25 km of Cardston County has burned since 1986; at 0.08% a year that is moderate, not high.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Cardston County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.9% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.039 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Cardston County in November: highs near 5°C, lows near −6°C
Then December: freezing by day, −10°C at night. About 32 cm of snow falls in a normal November. A normal November brings 31 mm of rain and snow. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Cardston forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −11°C | 76 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −2°C | 172 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 7°C | 181 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | −1°C | 106 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Carway); the forecast is on the Weather page
Glen Motz took Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner in 2021 by 24,832 votes, more than the margin in 96% of ridings
Cardston County sends one MP to Ottawa from Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Glen Motz (Conservative Party of Canada).
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Cardston County’s public library is Glenwood Municipal Library
The library is 31 km from the centre of Cardston County.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The boundary of Waterton Lakes National Park runs along Cardston County
8.8% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%). Protected areas take in 7.6% of the town itself. The tally of protected areas open to the public within 10 km is 6, above Alberta’s towns (2) and Canadian towns (4) alike.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Cardston County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 8.8% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 6 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Cardston County’s 1 historic place is a top designation
Before 1961 is when 28% of the homes went up, above both Alberta’s towns (4.5%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
- Fort Whoop-Up 1869
| Heritage | Cardston County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 28% | 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 Cardston County
Remington Carriage Museum and 4 more in and around Cardston County
What there is to see in Cardston County and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
Famous people from Cardston County
3 notable people were born in Cardston County.
Photo credits
Harry R. Wellman: Credited to TIOSO, Public domain
About Cardston County
Town in Alberta
Every figure TownRatings gives for Cardston 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
- 4,938 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 3
- Census subdivision
- 4803001
Cardston County’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardston County | 4,938 | — | C | B+ | C− | C+ |
| Cardston | 3,863 | 9 | C | C+ | C− | B |
| Blood 148 | 4,404 | 19 | — | — | D− | C+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Cardston County
Has Cardston County grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 4,481 to 4,856 residents (up 8.4%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 4,938.
Who are the people of Cardston County?
At the 2021 census, 8% were immigrants and 3% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 3% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What kind of homes are in Cardston County?
98% 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 2.9 people; 18% are one person living alone.
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).