DidsburyAlberta
It lies in Division No. 6. This town in Alberta has a population of 5,185.
Is Didsbury a good place to live?
A town of contrasts. Schools are its weak spot (D). Prices are high against local incomes (C−). Its strongest is health (A+). The overall grade lands at C+, better than 43% of Canadian towns. It ranks #294 of 473 in Alberta. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for safety and C+ for jobs & income.
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. 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 Didsbury grades
Each subject compares Didsbury 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 Didsbury stand out
The 3 things Didsbury does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Didsbury.
Didsbury is graded an A+ for health
Smoking is rarer than in the province: 7.9% of adults, against 11% for Alberta, but the survey finds 56% of adults in very good or excellent health, above both Alberta’s towns (51%) and Canadian towns (52%). Lives in the region last 83.0 years on average (2022/2024): 85.0 for women, 80.9 for men. What sets Didsbury apart within its region is a short trip to hospital, 1.0 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Didsbury | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 51% | 52% |
| Smokers | 7.9% | 12% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.0 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the Calgary Zone
Around Didsbury, 1 elementary school, 2 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade: 4 schools in all
The largest is NorthStar Academy, with 1,382 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Ford Elementary SchoolLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–4 | Elementary · Grades K–4 | 292 | English public |
| NorthStar AcademyLargest secondary schoolAll grades · Grades K–12 | All grades · Grades K–12 | 1,382 | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Didsbury | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Measured against local pay, Didsbury costs more to live in than 80% of Canadian towns
Owners make up 79% of households, above Alberta’s towns (74%) and Canadian towns (74%) alike. A year’s rent came to 24% of the median household income, above both Alberta’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Didsbury | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 24% | 20% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $286,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 79% | 74% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 18% | 21% | 18% |
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.
Didsbury is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Government of Alberta
About as many homes carry radon around Didsbury as elsewhere, 8.1% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. NRCan expects $0.017 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in the town, near the typical $0.030.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Didsbury | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.1% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.017 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Radon tests published for the Calgary Health Region, not by town
Didsbury has cooler summers than Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 22.8°C
A normal year brings 496 mm of precipitation, higher than Alberta’s towns (431 mm) yet lower than Canadian towns (883 mm). January nights in Didsbury drop to −18.0°C on average. Frost usually lifts by 13 June and returns around 25 August: 72 days without it. For the wettest month, look to June: 104 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Didsbury | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 233 | 193 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 22.8°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −18.0°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 496 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Sundre)
Where Didsbury earns its living
By car: that was how 91% of commuters travelled at the census. Getting to work takes 27 min on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Didsbury | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 91% | 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.
What November brings in Didsbury: −12°C at night, 3°C by day
Into December, the normals move to −1°C and −17°C. Snow is normal by November, about 20 cm over the month. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 16 mm. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Sundre forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −1°C | −17°C | 42 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −5°C | 113 mm |
| Summer | 21°C | 6°C | 259 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | −5°C | 82 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Sundre); the forecast is on the Weather page
Ponoka—Didsbury, which takes in Didsbury, is held by Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada)
From Alberta come 37 MPs, 33 of them with the Conservative Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
At 13.2 loans per person served, Didsbury Library lends more than 83% of Alberta’s town libraries
Didsbury Library serves 5,268 people from a single building.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Didsbury’s Violent Crime Severity Index, 70, runs below Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
Police recorded 17 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, above both Alberta’s towns (14.2) and Canadian towns (12). Property crime runs at 24.3 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Didsbury | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 24.3 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 70 | 109 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 17 | 14.2 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
The nearest provincial park to Didsbury is Big Hill Springs Provincial Park, 45 km away
79 km separate the town from Banff National Park, its nearest national park.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Didsbury | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Fewer of Didsbury’s people belong to a visible minority than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 4%
First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 4.9% of residents, above Alberta’s towns (4.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%) alike. Immigrants make up 7.9% of residents, lower than Alberta’s towns (8.9%) yet higher than Canadian towns (6.4%).
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 51.6% of Didsbury
In 2021 there were 2,615 women to 2,455 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| Didsbury | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 24% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 19% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 52% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Everything we know about Didsbury
Famous people from Didsbury
11 notable people were born in Didsbury.
Photo credits
Robert K. Mortimer: Donald Cooksey, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Public domain · Aylmer Liesemer: Unknown author, Public domain · Grant Notley: Unknown author, Public domain
About Didsbury
Town in Alberta
TownRatings counts Didsbury as Statistics Canada does, as one municipality in Alberta; the census, crime and housing figures all follow that boundary.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 5,185 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 6
- Census subdivision
- 4806032
Didsbury’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Didsbury | 5,185 | — | C+ | C− | B− | A+ |
| Carstairs | 5,248 | 12 | A− | C | B | A |
| Olds | 9,653 | 15 | C | C− | C | C+ |
| Mountain View County | 14,802 | 17 | A− | C+ | B | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Didsbury
Who are the people of Didsbury?
4% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 5% have an Indigenous identity and 8% are immigrants.
Is Didsbury a young town or an old one?
45.2 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 24% of residents are 65 or over and 17% under 15.
What kind of homes are in Didsbury?
Mostly 72% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.4 people on average, and 26% have just one.
Has Didsbury grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 5,268 to 5,070 residents (3.8% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 5,185.
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).