The share of 15-to-64s with a job in Lorelei trails that of 94% of Canadian towns
17% of the labour force in Lorelei was out of work at the 2021 census, next to 9.9% for the middle of Canadian towns. Commutes from Lorelei average 26.6 minutes, against 26 in the middle of Canadian towns. Half the households in Lorelei had more than $86,800 in 2020, before tax; the middle of Canadian towns is $85,900.
What stands out about work in Lorelei
Fewer people in work than most towns
60% of people aged 15 to 64 had a job at the 2021 census, against 73% in the middle of Canadian towns; counting everyone 15 and over, retirees included, it was 47%. In work ↓
More unemployment than most towns
On census day in 2021 17% were unemployed, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns; by October 2026 the Labour Force Survey put the area at 7.1%. Unemployment ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
Jobs & income in Lorelei: graded C−
Better than 24% of Canadian towns on three measures together, #404 of 474 in Alberta.
Its strongest measure is household income; its weakest, the share of 15-to-64s in work.
Graded against Canadian towns of 2,500 people or more; less unemployment and a shorter commute count in its favour.
How the grade works
Census 2021 measures, weighed equally against every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 people or more: the share of residents aged 15 to 64 in work, median household income (2020), the unemployment rate and the average commute. Each becomes a percentile; their average sets the letter.
How many in Lorelei have a job: 60% of 15-to-64s
Of the 211 other places of 2,500 people or more in Census Division No. 11, 20 have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
The Labour Force Survey’s employment rate for the wider area was 64% in October 2026. The participation rate, everyone 15 and over working or looking for work, was 57%. Take in all adults, retirees with them, and only 47% were working. The census was taken on 11 May 2021, mid-pandemic, when lockdowns had pushed unemployment up and sent many to work from home.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: people in work of any age over residents aged 15 to 64, and the census unemployment rate (15 and over); the 25-to-54 rate is Statistics Canada’s own (98-10-0485). The Labour Force Survey and business counts are context, not grade inputs.
How Lorelei’s household incomes compare
Before tax, 2020: higher than in 69% of Canadian towns.
That puts Lorelei 6% below the median of Alberta’s towns, $92,250. 130 of the 211 other places of 2,500+ in Census Division No. 11 have a higher median. Incomes here are 2020’s and include the pandemic payments, CERB among them, that propped up the lower end.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
Walking, cycling or transit: 5.5% of Lorelei’s commuters
Transit takes 4.8% of commuters, above the 3.5% in the middle of Canadian towns. Nearly everyone drives: 91% of commuters go by car, truck or van. Only 16% worked at home on census day, against 21% in the middle of Canadian towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: main mode of commuting; average durations by mode from table 98-10-0458 (whole municipalities only).
EI claims in Census Division No. 11 run 30% above their 2019 level
Figures for EI beneficiaries are published for Census Division No. 11 as a whole, not for Lorelei alone.
That is about 4.2 people on EI for every 100 aged 15 to 64 in the division. Over the year to August 2026, the count fell by 5%. January 2021 was the busiest month, with 97,990 people on EI, 3.1 times 2019’s average.
Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance beneficiaries by census division (14-10-0323): all income benefits, not seasonally adjusted. EI counts are context, not part of any grade.
People receiving Employment Insurance each month, as a share of the 2019 average (100).
Walking in Lorelei earns A−
Better than 82% of Canadian towns on two measures together, #251 of 474 in Alberta.
OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); active commuting from the 2021 Census.
545th of 719: where Lorelei ranks among Canadian towns of 3,100 to 5,900
| # | Place | People | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornwallis Manitoba | 4,705 | 85% | 2.1% | $99K | A+ |
| 2 | New Maryland New Brunswick | 4,455 | 81% | 6.5% | $118K | A+ |
| 3 | Hay River Northwest Territories | 3,317 | 78% | 6.5% | $129K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 13 | Garrison Woods Alberta | 3,138 | 79% | 10% | $146K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 15 | Parkview Alberta | 5,729 | 80% | 9% | $155K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 17 | Wainwright No. 61 Alberta | 4,576 | 84% | 5.5% | $108K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 543 | Burkholme Ontario | 3,580 | 69% | 15% | $76K | C− |
| 544 | Bonavista Newfoundland and Labrador | 3,293 | 63% | 18% | $54K | C− |
| 545 | Lorelei Alberta | 4,380 | 60% | 17% | $87K | C− |
| 546 | Antigonish Nova Scotia | 5,175 | 66% | 18% | $55K | C− |
| 547 | Atholville New Brunswick | 3,346 | 68% | 12% | $63K | C− |
| … | ||||||
| 719 | Saint-Alexis-des-Monts Quebec | 3,190 | 61% | 11% | $50K | D− |
Ordered by Jobs & income Grade: the top three, the places either side of Lorelei, and others among Alberta’s towns.
The places around Lorelei, side by side
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lorelei | 60% | 17% | $87K | 26.6 min | C− | A− |
| Eaux Claires 0.7 km | 69% | 16% | $89K | 25.3 min | C+ | A+ |
| Beaumaris 0.8 km | 64% | 16% | $76K | 23.5 min | C | B+ |
| Baturyn 1 km | 70% | 15% | $96K | 25.3 min | B− | A− |
| Lago Lindo 1.4 km | 66% | 12% | $117K | 28.9 min | C+ | B+ |
| Griesbach 1.4 km | 73% | 9.8% | $108K | 25.6 min | B | A |
| Belle Rive 1.9 km | 70% | 9.9% | $117K | 27.3 min | B− | A− |
The people of each place: the share in work, unemployment, household income and the average commute, with both grades once they come.
What this data can and can’t tell you
What each figure measures for Lorelei, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- Household income. Taken from the 2021 Census, which asked about 2020: wages, pensions, investment income and government transfers together, before income tax, for the median household.
- Trip times. One way, on a usual day, from the census’s travel-time bands. Band midpoints overstate it a little next to the figure Statistics Canada times.
- Employment Insurance. Monthly EI recipients across the census division: a pulse of the local job market rather than a measure of who is out of work.
- The Labour Force Survey. Statistics Canada’s monthly survey, published for metro areas and economic regions rather than towns: it gives a current rate beside the census’s 2021 one.
- In work. How many residents held a job in May 2021, set against how many were 15 to 64. It reads a little high where many people work past 65, since below the municipality the census gives no breakdown of workers by age.
- Unemployment. A census-day figure: people without a job who were looking, divided by all those working or looking, ages 15 and up.
- Which towns we compare. Towns and city neighbourhoods of 2,500 people or more, never a whole city and never a First Nations reserve. Middles are medians.
- Neighbourhood figures. Lorelei’s census figures are summed from its dissemination areas. Commuting flows and Statistics Canada’s timed averages are published only for the whole municipality, so they are on Edmonton’s page.
Questions about work in Lorelei
How many jobs are there in Lorelei?
Statistics Canada counts jobs for whole municipalities only; Edmonton has the total and the commuting flows.
What is the unemployment rate in Lorelei?
The 2021 census found 17% unemployed, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns; the Labour Force Survey’s latest, for the Edmonton metro area, is 7.1% (October 2026).
What is the average household income in Lorelei?
Before tax, half the households in Lorelei had more than $86,800 in 2020; the middle of Canadian towns is $85,900.
How do people in Lorelei get to work?
91% of commuters go by car, 4.8% take public transit and 0.7% walk. On census day 16% of everyone in work stayed home to work.
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population (Census Profile) · Statistics Canada, table 14-10-0323 (EI beneficiaries) · Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey (14-10-0459, 14-10-0462) · Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Counts (33-10-1176) · grades: 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).