Photo: Connorbrown22 · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in High River are higher than in 61% of Canadian towns
Workers in High River spend 23.3 minutes on the way to work on average, and 6% need an hour or more. High River counted 76% of its 15-to-64s in jobs at the 2021 census, next to 73% for the middle of Canadian towns. The census counted 4,540 people working in High River and 4,400 residents commuting to a fixed workplace.
Work in High River: the figures worth knowing
Work near the middle
At the 2021 census 76% of the 15-to-64s were in work (73% in the middle of Canadian towns); across all ages 15 and over, 54%. In work ↓
More jobs than the typical town
4,540 people work in High River and 4,400 residents commute to a fixed workplace; the middle of Canadian towns has 0.8 jobs per working resident. The daily tide ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
High River grades B for jobs and income
Better than 63% of Canadian towns on three measures together, #167 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.
High River keeps its workforce on a working day
Of those who commute, 52% stay within the municipality; the middle of Canadian towns is 70%.
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
2,265 people come into High River to work, most from Calgary and Foothills County
Of everyone working in High River, 50% come in from elsewhere; 960 make the 53 km trip from Calgary. Outbound, Foothills County takes the most: 700 people.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (98-10-0459): commuting flows between municipalities (census subdivisions), rounded to 5; linked names have their own pages.
How many in High River were working in 2021
Of the 166 other places of 2,500 people or more in Census Division No. 6, 126 have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
The monthly Labour Force Survey, which covers the wider area, put its employment rate at 66% in October 2026. The participation rate, everyone 15 and over working or looking for work, was 60%. Many residents are past working age, so among everyone 15 and over the share in work drops to 54%. 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.
Median household income in High River: $82,000 in 2020
Of the 166 other places of 2,500 or more in Census Division No. 6, 127 have a higher median. Set beside Alberta’s towns, where the median is $92,250, High River sits 11% below. CERB and the other emergency payments of 2020 are counted in these incomes, which lifted the lower ones that year.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
5% of commuters from High River go without a car
Transit takes 0.5% of commuters, against 3.5% in the middle of Canadian towns. Nearly everyone drives: 92% of commuters go by car, truck or van. Only 13% 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).
The length of the trip to work in High River
Statistics Canada’s own average, timed exactly rather than by band, is 21.4 minutes. The middle of Alberta’s towns averages 25.8 minutes. A quarter-hour or less for 49% of commuters, against 39% in the middle of Alberta’s towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: commuting duration in five bands; our average uses each band’s middle (75 minutes for an hour or more), so it runs about two minutes above Statistics Canada’s own.
In Census Division No. 6, 35% more people receive EI than in 2019
High River doesn’t get its own EI beneficiaries figures; the ones here come from Census Division No. 6.
In January 2021 it reached 97,600, the most in the series and 3.2 times the 2019 average. Per 100 residents aged 15 to 64, about 4 receive EI. Over the year to August 2026, the count fell by 1%.
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).
High River earns B+ for walkability
Better than 66% of Canadian towns on two measures together, #355 of 474 in Alberta.
OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); active commuting from the 2021 Census.
178th of 551: where High River ranks among Canadian towns of 10,900 to 20,900
| # | Place | People | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Saanich British Columbia | 12,986 | 85% | 5.9% | $121K | A+ |
| 2 | Sillery Quebec | 13,950 | 81% | 6.2% | $120K | A+ |
| 3 | Central Saanich British Columbia | 18,184 | 85% | 4.9% | $103K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 14 | Canmore Alberta | 17,341 | 79% | 9.7% | $107K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 32 | Lakeview Alberta | 12,799 | 75% | 11% | $125K | A |
| … | ||||||
| 36 | Lake Bonavista Alberta | 11,154 | 76% | 11% | $138K | A |
| … | ||||||
| 176 | The Hamptons Alberta | 12,008 | 74% | 12% | $121K | B |
| 177 | Taché Manitoba | 13,509 | 79% | 6.1% | $109K | B |
| 178 | High River Alberta | 15,508 | 76% | 9.9% | $82K | B |
| 179 | North Battleford Saskatchewan | 14,882 | 72% | 11% | $74K | B |
| 180 | Springfield Manitoba | 17,494 | 79% | 5.3% | $114K | B |
| … | ||||||
| 551 | René-Goupil Quebec | 11,663 | 58% | 15% | $54K | D− |
Ordered by Jobs & income Grade: the top three, the places either side of High River, and others among Alberta’s towns.
Next to High River: how nearby places compare
High River has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 17–28 km out.
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High River | 76% | 9.9% | $82K | 23.3 min | B | B+ |
| Okotoks 17.2 km | 75% | 9.2% | $118K | 27.2 min | B+ | B+ |
| Foothills County 22.7 km | 78% | 8.7% | $133K | 32.2 min | B+ | C |
| Nanton 27.1 km | 87% | 9.1% | $77K | 26.9 min | B+ | A |
| Black Diamond 28.3 km | 78% | 9.8% | $76K | 33.7 min | C | 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 High River, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- In work. Everyone with a job, whatever their age, divided by the residents aged 15 to 64 at the 2021 Census: below the municipality the census doesn’t split work by age, and this is the one rate every town and neighbourhood can be given.
- Unemployment. Unemployed people over the labour force (in work or looking), aged 15 and over, on census day.
- Household income. The 2020 income of the household at the midpoint, all sources and before tax. Inside a city we rebuild it from the dissemination areas’ income bands, so there it is an estimate.
- Trip times. Commuters picked a band for their usual trip (under 15 minutes, 15 to 29, and so on). We place each person at the middle of their band, which lands a little above Statistics Canada’s own timed average.
- Where people commute. Counts of workers with a fixed workplace, by where they live and where they work, both taken as whole municipalities; the jobs figure takes everyone who works here, wherever home is.
- Employment Insurance. Statistics Canada counts EI beneficiaries each month by census division. Seasonal work makes it swing, so read it as a trend, not a jobless rate.
- The Labour Force Survey. A monthly household survey by Statistics Canada, reported for metro areas and economic regions only. It supplies a recent rate next to the 2021 census figure.
- Which towns we compare. The comparison pool is places of 2,500 people or more, towns or neighbourhoods inside cities, without whole cities or reserves, and we compare with its median.
Questions about work in High River
How many jobs are there in High River?
The 2021 census counted about 4,540 people working in High River: 1 jobs for every resident who commutes to a fixed workplace. Statistics Canada counted 566 businesses with employees in June 2026.
What is the unemployment rate in High River?
The 2021 census found 9.9% unemployed, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns; the Labour Force Survey’s latest, for the Calgary economic region, is 6.6% (October 2026).
What is the average household income in High River?
At $82,000 before tax in 2020, the median household in High River compares with $85,900 in the middle of Canadian towns.
How do people in High River get to work?
By car: 92% of commuters, 0.5% take public transit, 3.9% walk and 0.6% cycle; on census day 13% of those in work worked from home.
How long is the commute from High River?
23.3 minutes is the average trip, with 49% of commuters there in under 15 minutes and 6% taking an hour or more.
Where do people in High River work?
Most stay: 52% work in High River. The rest go first to Foothills County (700) and Calgary (690).
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population (Census Profile) · Statistics Canada, tables 98-10-0458 and 98-10-0459 (commuting) · 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).