Photo: Carl Young · CC BY-SA 4.0In High Level, 35% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
77% of immigrants arrived between 2011 and 2021, against 27% across Canada’s towns. More residents who moved in within the year than in nearly four fifths of Canadian towns: 15%. The latest estimate, for July 2025, is 4,390 residents; the 2021 Census found 1,310 households. Census figures put one-parent families at 11% in High Level.
What stands out about the people of High Level
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
35% of residents identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, more than in 99% of Canadian towns; 25% are Registered or Treaty Indians. Identity & religion ↓
Growing faster than most
High Level went from 3,159 people in 2016 to 3,922 in 2021, +24%: faster growth than in 98% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Younger than most towns
High Level’s median age is 34.8; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 24% are under 15 and 13% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
High Level grew +24% from 2016 to 2021, ahead of 98% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025 is 12% higher again. Across Alberta’s towns the median is +1%, and across Canada’s towns +4%.
Half of High Level is under 34.8, younger than 91% of Canadian towns
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
Residents aged 15 to 24: 12%, above 71% of Canadian towns. For High Level, the census puts residents aged 65 and over at 13%.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ High Level, 34.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Larger households than 76% of Canadian towns: 2.7 people on average
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
In High Level, just over a quarter of households are one person living alone.
High Level: 12% of residents 15 and over live common-law, above 58% of Canadian towns
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
29% of adults are single and have never married; the typical town has 27%. The comparison figure for common-law partners is 11% across Canada’s towns. On the census count, 46% of residents 15 and over are married.
Fewer households in single-detached houses than 71% of Canadian towns: 48%
The kinds of homes people live in, who owns and who rents, and how old the homes are. Prices, rents and shelter costs are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Owners and renters · share of households
When homes were built · share of homes
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. Census figures put renter households at 36% in High Level. Across Canada’s towns, the share of households in single-detached houses is 64%.
Half of households earn more than $104,000 a year
Census incomes are for 2020, the year before the census, when CERB and other pandemic benefits topped up many households. What households took in before tax, at the middle and across income groups.
Households by income · share of households
Household incomes run high in High Level: half had more than $104,000, 21% above the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). For Alberta’s towns, the median household income is $92,200. 26% of income recipients received COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefits (typical: 28%).
High Level ranks above 62% of Canadian towns on residents without Canadian citizenship: 8.5%
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 30%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
The largest groups of immigrants were born in Asia (64%) and in the Americas (20%). Set beside that, 5.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens across Canada’s towns. Against a figure of 17% across Canada’s towns, the share of immigrants in High Level comes in at 13%.
Residents with no religion make up 43% in High Level, more than in 74% of Canadian towns
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
In High Level, 15% of residents belong to a visible minority. For comparison, just over a third of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns.
77% have English as their mother tongue; 2.6% also speak French
Who can speak English and French, mother tongue, and the language spoken most at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
An Indigenous language is the mother tongue of 3.8%. Fewer bilingual residents than in 96% of Canadian towns: 2.6%. 1% of residents have French as their mother tongue, about the same as across Canada’s towns.
High Level sits below 54% of Canadian towns for degree holders aged 25 to 64 (25%)
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Holding no credential: 14% (typical 9.5%). The usual figure: 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
Employment: 72% of residents 15 and over had a job
These rates date from May 2021, during the pandemic, and run lower than a normal year’s. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
72% of residents 15 and over have a job; across Canada’s towns the typical share is 58%.
Ranked by age, 3rd youngest of 41 towns this size
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
The group spans Glenridding Heights, youngest at 31.9, to Highlands East, oldest at 58.8. The towns whose median age is nearest to High Level’s: Glenridding Heights (31.9), Spence (33.1), Pollard Meadows (35.9) and South Calgary (36).
The towns around High Level are all younger
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page. Distances here run 56–152 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from High Level.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Level | 4,390 | — | 34.8 | 13% | 13% |
| La Crète | 14,488 | 55.7 km | 23.4 | 7.5% | 3.7% |
| Fox Lake 162 | 2,745 | 151.8 km | 17.6 | 1.8% | 0% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. “Visible minority” is the census’s term from the Employment Equity Act: people, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered. The page compares them with other towns and never labels a town by them.
- Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns. Provincial and national yardsticks: Alberta’s towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500 residents, and all Canadian towns of that size. No whole city and no First Nations reserve is in either median.
- What these tables don’t give. Some things the page can’t show: the Census Profile asks nothing about unpaid care, cars or internet access, and gives no change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted.
Questions about High Level’s residents
Is High Level bilingual?
English and French: 2.6% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 97%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 1%.
How diverse is High Level?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 13%. A visible minority makes up 15% and Indigenous residents 35%.
What religion are people in High Level?
Most often Christian (49%) or no religion (43%); other religions make up 7.6%.
Is High Level good for families?
Children under 15 are 24% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 50% of households and one-parent families 11%. Schools near High Level are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in High Level?
Median total household income in High Level was $104,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of High Level?
The latest figure is an estimate: 4,390 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, High Level counted 3,922, 24% more than 2016.
What is the average age in High Level?
Half the residents are older than 34.8 and half younger, younger than 91% of Canadian towns; 24% are children under 15 and 13% are 65 or over.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population · Statistics Canada, population estimates for 1 July 2025 (table 17-10-0155). 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).