EdsonAlberta
Home to 8,692 people, this town lies in Alberta. It lies in Division No. 14.
Is Edson a good place to live?
Edson’s grades pull in different directions. Pupils here do less well than most (D). Overall, Edson earns a C, which places it #380 of 473 in Alberta. On that grade it does better than a quarter of Canadian towns. Jobs & income is its strong suit (A). Owners valued their homes at a median $332,000 in 2021, which is 3.4 years of the typical household’s pay. It also does well on walkability (A−). Safety is weaker too (D).
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. 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 Edson grades
Each subject compares Edson 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 Edson stand out
The 3 things Edson does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Edson.
Most schools around Edson score below the middle in Alberta: 4 of 5
The 3 km around Edson counts 4 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade, 2,449 students between them. The schools around it answer to 2 boards, below both Alberta’s towns (3) and Canadian towns (3).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Bergeron Elementary SchoolLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–5 | Elementary · Grades K–5 | 395 | English public |
| Parkland Composite High School Bottom fifth in AlbertaLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 516 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Edson | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Trips to work from Edson are shorter than from Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 17 min on average
90% of commuters took the car to work at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Edson | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 17 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 90% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
For safety, Edson gets a D
Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 63.5 per 1,000 residents a year. Violent incidents came to 23.6 per 1,000 residents a year, above Alberta’s towns (14.2) and Canadian towns (12) alike.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Edson | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 63.5 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 23.6 | 14.2 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Life expectancy around Edson is 78.3 years, 3.2 less than for the typical Canadian town
The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 21% of adults, above both Alberta’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%). Smoking is commoner than in the province: 17% of adults, against 11% for Alberta. Across the region, 48% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Alberta as a whole reaches 53%. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Edson is well placed: 2.3 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. Figures for health survey and life expectancy are published for the North Zone as a whole, not for Edson alone.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Edson | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Smokers | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.3 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 48% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Wildfire moderate, radon 9.6%: how Edson stands on hazards
The burn rate around Edson is 0.21% a year (8.3% of the land within 25 km since 1986), a moderate band. Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.013 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). The national flood inventory has no study of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Edson | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 9.6% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.013 | $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 Aspen Regional Health Authority, not by town
Summers stay cool in Edson: July afternoons reach 22.2°C, below Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
Edson sees January nights of −17.0°C on average. Frosty days number 218 in a normal year, above Alberta’s towns (193) and Canadian towns (159) alike. July is the wettest month, with 92 mm of rain and snow on average. A normal January brings 35 cm of snow, the most of any month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Edson | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 22.2°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 218 | 193 | 159 |
| Snowfall a year | 175 cm | 127 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 489 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Edson)
More of Edson’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 11%
Immigrants make up 10% of residents, above both Alberta’s towns (8.9%) and 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
48.7% of Edson’s residents are women
Women numbered 4,075 and men 4,300 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Edson | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 68% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 14% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 23% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 39% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Rent takes less of local pay in Edson than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 16% of household income
69% of households own their home, below both Alberta’s towns (74%) and Canadian towns (74%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Edson | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 20% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 16% | 21% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 69% | 74% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $332,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
What November brings in Edson: −11°C at night, 1°C by day
For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Edson forecast. By December, a normal day reaches −4°C and a night falls to −16°C. Snow is normal by November, about 25 cm over the month. Precipitation in November averages 21 mm.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −16°C | 58 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −4°C | 102 mm |
| Summer | 21°C | 8°C | 237 mm |
| Autumn | 9°C | −4°C | 92 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Edson); the forecast is on the Weather page
Edson sends William Stevenson (Conservative Party of Canada) to the Commons from Yellowhead
The Conservative Party of Canada has 33 of the 37 MPs elected in Alberta.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
At 8.4 visits per person served, Edson Public Library is busier than 91% of Alberta’s town libraries
Edson Public Library has one location for the 8,414 people it serves.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The nearest provincial park to Edson is Sundance Provincial Park, 15 km away
Within 10 km is a single protected area. The largest named area nearby is Yates Natural Area, 189 ha, 4.7 km away. Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 0.3% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. The closest of Canada’s national parks is Jasper National Park, at 86 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Edson | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Edson
Famous people from Edson
7 notable people were born in Edson.
About Edson
Town in Alberta
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Edson is one municipality in Alberta, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 8,692 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 14
- Census subdivision
- 4814024
Questions about Edson
How old are the people of Edson?
38.4 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 14% of residents are 65 or over and 18% under 15.
Has Edson grown?
It lost people: 8,414 in 2016, 8,374 in 2021, 0.5% fewer, while the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 8,692.
What kind of homes are in Edson?
Mostly 61% 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 30% 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).