34% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 99% of Canadian towns
Against a figure of 16% across Canada’s towns, the share of children under 15 in High Prairie comes in at 20%. The 2021 Census found 945 households here; by July 2025 the population was about 2,607. One-parent families: 13% of the total. Half of the town’s residents are under 37.2, younger than in just over four fifths of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of High Prairie
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
An Indigenous identity is reported by 34% of residents, more than in 99% of Canadian towns, and 18% are Registered or Treaty Indians. Identity & religion ↓
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, High Prairie went from 2,564 to 2,380 residents (−7%), slower growth than in 98% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
High Prairie changed by −7% from 2016 to 2021, behind 98% of Canadian towns
Every figure here comes from the 2021 Census unless it carries another date. Two census counts, five years apart, and Statistics Canada’s newest estimate.
Change, 2016 to 2021
By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 10%. Across Alberta’s towns the median is +1%, and across Canada’s towns +4%.
Residents aged 15 to 24 make up 13% in High Prairie, more than in 81% of Canadian towns
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
No age band is larger than 10–14: 8% of residents, 1.4 times the share across Canada’s towns. 16% of residents are 65 or over. The usual figure: 11% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ High Prairie, 37.2. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split.
A higher share of one-person households than 66% of Canadian towns, at 31%
Household types, then household sizes.
Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Households average 2.4 people, against 2.4 across Canada’s towns. Across Canada’s towns, one-person households come to 27%.
High Prairie sits below 71% of Canadian towns for married residents 15 and over (38%)
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Singles who have never married make up 33% of adults, beside a typical 27%. Higher than in 64% of Canadian towns: 12% of residents 15 and over live common-law.
More renter households than 73% of Canadian towns: 39%
Occupied homes by type, by owners and renters, and by when they were built. 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
19% of homes were built before 1961 and 13% in 2001 or later. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Set beside that, a quarter of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. Where 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns, High Prairie has 67%.
Median gross household income: $88,000 a year
Census incomes cover 2020, when emergency benefits like CERB lifted many households’ totals. Income per household, before tax, with the groups it falls into.
Households by income · share of households
Half of High Prairie’s households had a total income above $88,000 and half below, close to the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Household incomes across Alberta’s towns have a median of $92,200. Pandemic benefits reached 27% of residents with an income, against a typical 28%.
Residents who moved in within the year: 14%, a higher share than 71% of Canadian towns
Immigrants, newcomers and movers.
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
Set against 5.8% across Canada’s towns, 10% of residents are not Canadian citizens in High Prairie. Residents who moved in within the year: 11% across Canada’s towns, for comparison. The largest groups of immigrants were born in Asia (81%) and in Europe (9%).
High Prairie ranks above 65% of Canadian towns on residents with no religion: 40%
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Across Canada’s towns, 15% of residents belong to a visible minority; in High Prairie, 19%. The usual figure: 35% of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns.
English is the mother tongue of 81%, and 4.4% speak French as well
Knowledge of the two official languages, first languages, and the language of home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
At home, 5.5% mostly speak another language; 0.2% speak neither English nor French. High Prairie has fewer bilingual residents than 82% of Canadian towns, at 4.4%. Residents whose mother tongue is French make up 2.3%, close to the figure across Canada’s towns.
High Prairie ranks below 52% of Canadian towns on degree holders aged 25 to 64: 26%
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
No certificate at all: 19%, against 9.5%. Elsewhere, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
62% of residents 15 and over were in work
The census was taken in May 2021, during the pandemic, so these rates show a labour market still recovering. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 62%, more residents are in work than the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
41 towns of 2,561 to 2,657 people: this is the 6th youngest
Median age of the Canadian towns nearest in population; hover a dot.
Median ages climb from 32.7 (City Commercial Core) to 67.7 (Brockville) across the group. The closest ages to High Prairie’s belong to Minchau (35.2), Magrath (36), Sweet Grass (38.7) and Grey (38.8).
Older than High Prairie: 4 of the 5 towns nearby
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are. High Prairie has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 22–76 km out.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Prairie | 2,607 | — | 37.2 | 16% | 15% |
| Big Lakes County | 5,106 | 21.6 km | 45.6 | 19% | 4.6% |
| Falher | 1,084 | 55.7 km | 44.4 | 25% | 8.9% |
| Smoky River No. 130 | 1,941 | 58.1 km | 44.4 | 18% | 3.2% |
| Valleyview | 1,807 | 64.9 km | 41.6 | 20% | 11% |
| Sturgeon Lake 154 | 1,326 | 75.7 km | 27 | 8.9% | 0% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. The Census Profile has no unpaid care, cars or internet access, and no change by age since 2016; ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- The census’s own words. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered them. “Visible minority” follows the Employment Equity Act, meaning people other than Indigenous peoples who are non-white in colour or race. We compare these figures across towns; none is a label for a town.
- Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns. Two medians frame each figure: one for Alberta’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, one for all Canadian towns of that size, with whole cities and First Nations reserves left out. Percentiles rank the town within Canada.
Questions about High Prairie’s residents
What religion are people in High Prairie?
Most often Christian (59%) or no religion (40%); other religions make up 1.3%.
Is High Prairie good for families?
Children under 15 are 20% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 45% of households and one-parent families 13%. Schools near High Prairie are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in High Prairie?
Median total household income in High Prairie was $88,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of High Prairie?
The latest figure is an estimate: 2,607 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, High Prairie counted 2,380, 7% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in High Prairie?
Half the residents are older than 37.2 and half younger, younger than 81% of Canadian towns; 20% are children under 15 and 16% are 65 or over.
Is High Prairie bilingual?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 7.5% are bilingual; here 4.4% are. Another 0% speak only French and 95% only English, and French is the first language of 2.3%.
How diverse is High Prairie?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 15%. A visible minority makes up 19% and Indigenous residents 34%.
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).