Medicine HatAlberta
A town of 68,714 in Alberta. It lies in Division No. 1.
Is Medicine Hat a good place to live?
Strong in places, weak in others. Police record more crime here than in most towns (C). Medicine Hat grades C overall, better than 32% of Canadian towns, and ranks #347 of 473 in Alberta. School results trail most towns (C). Its strongest is hazard risk (A+). Homes were valued at a median $300,000 at the 2021 census, 3.9 times the typical household’s income. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B− for health and B for jobs & income.
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
What makes Medicine Hat stand out
The one thing Medicine Hat does most differently from other towns.
How Medicine Hat grades
Each subject compares Medicine Hat 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 →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Medicine Hat.
Medicine Hat is graded an A+ for hazard risk
Measured across the Palliser Health Region: radon tests
Burn scars are few around Medicine Hat, with 0.2% of the land within 25 km touched by fire since 1986 (0.005% a year). Radon around Medicine Hat is ordinary for Canada: 4.4% of tested homes over the guideline (6.6% typical). One flood study covers the town, by Government of Alberta.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Medicine Hat | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 4.4% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.007 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Medicine Hat is graded a C for safety
Its violent severity index came to 83, below Alberta’s towns (109) and close to Canadian towns (86). Each year brings 47 property incidents per 1,000 residents. Violent crime is recorded at 14.6 per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Medicine Hat | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 47 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 83 | 109 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Summer runs warm in Medicine Hat: July highs of 27.7°C, above Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
Counting rain and snow alike, 331 mm falls in a year, below Alberta’s towns (431 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm) alike. January is the snowiest month, with 17 cm on average. The frost-free season runs from 12 May to 25 September, 135 days. The most precipitation falls in June: 76 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Medicine Hat | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 27.7°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 331 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
| Snowfall a year | 85 cm | 127 cm | 141 cm |
| Days with frost a year | 176 | 193 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Medicine Hat)
6 boards run the schools in and around Medicine Hat
Results lean low: 18 of 27 in the lower two fifths in Alberta. The largest is Medicine Hat High School, with 1,295 students. Schooling in French is on offer at one of the 37; in Alberta, 2% of schools teach in it. The 3 km around Medicine Hat counts 19 elementary schools, 7 secondary schools and 11 schools for every grade, 11,190 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Patrick's School CatholicLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–5 | Elementary · Grades K–5 | 471 | English Catholic |
| Medicine Hat High SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 10–12 | Secondary · Grades 10–12 | 1,295 | English public |
| École Les Cyprès FrenchTeaches in FrenchAll grades · Grades K–12 | All grades · Grades K–12 | 102 | French public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Medicine Hat | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 5 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Medicine Hat is graded a C for cost of living
Rent took nearly a fifth of household income, below both Alberta’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (20%). Households that own their home make up 71%. For rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom, the only official count covers all of the Medicine Hat metro area, Medicine Hat included.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Medicine Hat | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $300,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
| Rent as a share of income | 19% | 20% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 71% | 74% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 20% | 21% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.
Commuters in Medicine Hat have a short way to work, 18 min on average, less than in Alberta’s towns and across Canadian towns
By car: that was how 93% of commuters travelled at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Medicine Hat | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 18 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 93% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Expect November days around 5°C in Medicine Hat, nights around −7°C
November normally sees 14 mm of precipitation. Expect around 13 cm of snow in November. July brings the warmest days, 28°C; January the coldest nights, −14°C. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Medicine Hat.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −13°C | 36 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | −1°C | 84 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 11°C | 145 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 0°C | 65 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Medicine Hat); the forecast is on the Weather page
Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner gave Glen Motz a 24,832-vote lead in 2021, bigger than in 96% of ridings
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s riding map carries non-commercial terms, so Medicine Hat isn’t placed in a riding here.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Medicine Hat Public Library logs 2.1 visits per person served, fewer than four in five Alberta’s town libraries
A single building, Medicine Hat Public Library, serves 63,260 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Older residents shape Medicine Hat: 21% are 65 or over, above Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
9.9% of residents came to Canada as immigrants, above both Alberta’s towns (8.9%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). The share of residents under 15 is 17%.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
51.3% of Medicine Hat’s residents are women
In 2021 there were 32,480 women to 30,795 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| Medicine Hat | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 21% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 49% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Lives run shorter around Medicine Hat: 78.7 years, 2.8 below the typical Canadian town’s region
Source area for health survey and life expectancy: the South Zone
Closer to home, a hospital is just 2.1 km from the average resident of Medicine Hat, nearer than the usual 3.7 km. Chronic conditions run at nearly a fifth of adults, age-standardised, higher than both Alberta’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%). In the health survey, 52% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, close to Alberta’s 53%.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Medicine Hat | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.7 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 52% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
None of the land within 10 km of Medicine Hat is protected
41 km from town is Cypress Hills Provincial Park, the nearest provincial park. No national park lies within 100 km. One unnamed beach is mapped within 5 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Medicine Hat | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Medicine Hat has 4 historic places on the registers, 3 in the top tier
Counted by designation, there are a heritage railway station. The earliest construction date, 1906, belongs to Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Medicine Hat, Alberta. Also worth knowing: at the 2021 census, 17% of homes dated from before 1961, about level with Canadian towns (18%) and above Alberta’s towns (4.5%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
| Heritage | Medicine Hat | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 17% | 4.5% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Medicine Hat
Famous people from Medicine Hat
66 notable people were born in Medicine Hat.
Photo credits
Richard E. Taylor: ENERGY.GOV, Public domain · Trevor Linden: Kaiser matias, Public domain · Kirsti Lay: eatonj_128, CC BY 2.0 · Jadyn Wong: iDominick, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Darren Dietz: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Sage Watson: RonJonMan from Orlando, FL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Medicine Hat’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine Hat | 68,714 | — | C | C | C | B− |
| Cypress County | 7,855 | 4.8 | C+ | B− | B− | C+ |
| Redcliff | 5,916 | 10 | C+ | B− | B− | B− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Medicine Hat
Who are the people of Medicine Hat?
At the 2021 census, 10% were immigrants and 9% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 5% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
Is Medicine Hat growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 63,260 to 63,271 residents (up 0%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 68,714.
Is Medicine Hat a young town or an old one?
At 42.4, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 17% of the population and seniors 21%.
What kind of homes are in Medicine Hat?
63% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 1% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.3 people; 31% are one person living alone.
About Medicine Hat
Town in Alberta
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Medicine Hat is one census subdivision in Alberta, and TownRatings describes all of it.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 68,714 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 1
- Census subdivision
- 4801006
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).