Drayton ValleyAlberta
Statistics Canada places it in the Division No. 11 census division. Population 8,047: a town in Alberta.
Is Drayton Valley a good place to live?
Drayton Valley’s weakest subject is safety (D). Overall, Drayton Valley earns a C+: better than two fifths of Canadian towns, and #313 of 473 in Alberta. Jobs & income is where it shines (A−). Add walkability to its strengths (B+). The rest of its grades are middling: B for cost of living and C+ for health.
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 Drayton Valley grades
Each subject compares Drayton Valley 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 Drayton Valley stand out
The 3 things Drayton Valley does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Drayton Valley.
Drayton Valley’s Violent Crime Severity Index, 156, runs above Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
Violence reaches 31.2 per 1,000 residents a year. Thefts, break-ins and damage came to 74.9 per 1,000 residents a year, above Alberta’s towns (45) and Canadian towns (31.2) alike.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Drayton Valley | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 74.9 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 31.2 | 14.2 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 156 | 109 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Drayton Valley’s hazards at a glance: a moderate wildfire record and 7.5% of area homes over the radon guideline
Seismic risk runs low: $0.013 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. Wildfire is a moderate presence around Drayton Valley: 3.3% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, 0.08% a year, short of the band that counts against Risk. Flood mapping: none on the national inventory of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Drayton Valley | 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 · Area behind the radon tests figures: the David Thompson Regional Health Authority
Commuters in Drayton Valley have a short way to work, 18 min on average, less than in Alberta’s towns and across Canadian towns
93% of commuters drove, above Alberta’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%) alike.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Drayton Valley | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 18 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 93% | 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.
In the lower two fifths in Alberta: 4 of the 5 schools around Drayton Valley with results
In or within 3 km of Drayton Valley: 5 elementary schools and 4 secondary schools, with 3,504 students. The Catholic boards run 3 of its 9 schools, against 18% in Alberta.
| 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 | Drayton Valley | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Ice on the ground: Drayton Valley sees more frosts than nine in ten Canadian towns
The most precipitation falls in July: 102 mm in a normal year. July afternoons reach 23.1°C on average, near Alberta’s towns (23.5°C) and lower than Canadian towns (25.5°C). Most of the snow comes in January, about 32 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Drayton Valley | 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)
A town of families: 20% of people in Drayton Valley are under 15, more than in Alberta’s towns and across Canadian towns
Retirement age and beyond: 15% of residents are 65 or older. One in ten residents belong to a visible minority, below both Alberta’s towns (29%) and Canadian towns (15%).
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 50.2% of Drayton Valley
In 2021 there were 3,660 women to 3,630 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| Drayton Valley | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 65% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 15% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 42% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Renting in Drayton Valley costs 17% of household income, less than in Alberta’s towns and across Canadian towns
Owners make up 71% of households. 20% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, near Alberta’s towns (21%) and higher than Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Drayton Valley | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 20% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 71% | 74% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 20% | 21% | 18% |
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.
Life expectancy around Drayton Valley is 79.1 years, 2.4 less than for the typical Canadian town
Measured from where Drayton Valley’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 1.1 km away, under the typical 3.7 km. The survey counts 15% of adults as smokers, above both Alberta’s towns (12%) and Canadian towns (12%). Self-rated health is ordinary for Alberta: 52% of the region’s adults say very good or excellent, the province 53%. Drayton Valley doesn’t get its own health survey and life expectancy figures; the ones here come from the Central Zone.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Drayton Valley | 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
A normal November in Drayton Valley runs from −8°C to 1°C
By December, a normal day reaches −4°C and a night falls to −14°C. Snow is normal by November, about 30 cm over the month. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Drayton Valley forecast.
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
Drayton Valley’s MP is Dane Lloyd (Conservative Party of Canada), for Parkland
Across Alberta, 33 of the 37 MPs sit with the Conservative Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Drayton Valley Public Library is Drayton Valley’s public library
Drayton Valley Public Library serves 7,235 people from a single building.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Eagle Point Provincial Park begins where Drayton Valley ends
Of the land within 10 km, 3.3% has protected status, above Alberta’s towns (0.4%) and Canadian towns (2.3%) alike. National parks are all over 100 km off.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Drayton Valley | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 3.3% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 5 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Drayton Valley
Famous people from Drayton Valley
10 notable people were born in Drayton Valley.
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 · Sid Neigum: Jonneigum, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Drayton Valley
Town in Alberta
Drayton Valley 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
- 8,047 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 11
- Census subdivision
- 4811031
Drayton Valley’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drayton Valley | 8,047 | — | C+ | B | D | C+ |
| Brazeau County | 7,685 | 2 | C− | B | D | C |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Drayton Valley
Who are the people of Drayton Valley?
At the 2021 census, 8% were immigrants and 10% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 8% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
Is Drayton Valley growing?
It added people: 7,235 in 2016, 7,291 in 2021, 0.8% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 8,047.
Is Drayton Valley a young town or an old one?
The typical resident is 37.6 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 15% of the population and under-15s at 20%.
What kind of homes are in Drayton Valley?
Mostly 63% 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 28% have just one.
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).