21% of residents have an Indigenous identity, more than in 97% of Canadian towns
With households in single-detached houses at 87%, Northern Lights County is ahead of 83% of Canadian towns on that count. Few places have so few residents who moved in within the year: 6% here, fewer than in 96% of Canadian towns. About 4,115 people lived here in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates. The share of one-person households stands at 23%.
What stands out about the people of Northern Lights County
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
21% of residents identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, more than in 97% of Canadian towns; 3.3% are Registered or Treaty Indians. Identity & religion ↓
A town of families
22% of residents are under 15, more than in 92% of Canadian towns; 9% of households are one-parent families and households average 2.7 people. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Since 2016, Northern Lights County has changed by −1%, slower than 85% of Canadian towns
The figures are the 2021 Census’s, except where another date is given. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across Alberta’s towns +1%. By July 2025, Statistics Canada’s estimate had barely moved.
Northern Lights County ranks above 92% of Canadian towns on children under 15: 22%
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
Compared with 11% across Canada’s towns, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 here. Here, 16% of residents are 65 or over. The median age in Northern Lights County is 39.2, lower than in 69% of Canadian towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Northern Lights County, 39.2. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 111 men for every 100 women.
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.
At 9%, the share of one-parent families is in line with the figure across Canada’s towns.
Married residents 15 and over: 54%, a higher share than 74% of Canadian towns
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Singles who have never married make up 24% of adults, beside a typical 27%. Set beside that, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. For Northern Lights County, the census puts common-law partners at 11%.
A smaller share of renter households than 72% of Canadian towns: 16%
Houses and apartments, owners and renters, older and newer homes. 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
Newer homes outnumber old: 28% date from 2001 or later, 5.4% from before 1961. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Measured more widely, a quarter of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. 14% of homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%.
The midpoint household income is $88,000 a year
Incomes are 2020’s, the census’s reference year, and include pandemic benefits such as CERB. What households took in before tax, at the middle and across income groups.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Northern Lights County had $88,000 before tax, near the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The figure for Alberta’s towns: $92,200. In 2020, 24% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
5.9% of residents are immigrants
Immigrants by continent of birth and when they arrived, citizenship, and who moved in recently.
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
Most immigrants were born in the Americas (44%) or in Europe (42%). On immigrants, Northern Lights County sits lower than 78% of Canadian towns: 5.9%. Set against 5.8% across Canada’s towns, 1.5% of residents are not Canadian citizens here.
Residents with no religion: 41%, a higher share than 69% of Canadian towns
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Where 15% of residents belong to a visible minority across Canada’s towns, Northern Lights County has 1.1%. The comparison figure for residents with no religion is 35% across Canada’s towns.
84% have English as their mother tongue; 4% also speak French
English, French and the other languages people grew up with or speak at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
Set against 7.5% across Canada’s towns, 4% of residents speak English and French in Northern Lights County. 8.4% most often speak a language other than English or French at home, and 0.7% speak neither official language.
Northern Lights County sits below 99% of Canadian towns for degree holders aged 25 to 64 (7.6%)
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Across Canada’s towns, 27% of 25- to 64-year-olds hold a degree; in Northern Lights County, 7.6%, and 38% have a college or trades credential (typical: 29%).
58% of residents 15 and over were in work
Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic: some of these rates are lower than in a usual year. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 58%, the share in work is about the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
The 10th youngest of 41 towns of 4,055 to 4,177 people
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
Mistissini is the youngest of them at 29; Barry's Bay, at 58.4, the oldest. Nearest to Northern Lights County in age: Tuxedo Park (37.7), Crossfield (38.4), Fort Nelson (39.6) and Woodlands (40).
Of the 5 towns nearest Northern Lights County, 3 are older
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page. Northern Lights County has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 17–72 km out.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Lights County | 4,115 | — | 39.2 | 16% | 5.9% |
| Manning | 1,153 | 17.5 km | 42 | 22% | 15% |
| Peace River | 7,220 | 64.6 km | 35.6 | 12% | 16% |
| Peace No. 135 | 1,581 | 67.4 km | 44 | 19% | 4.5% |
| Grimshaw | 2,799 | 69.8 km | 38.8 | 17% | 6.6% |
| Northern Sunrise County | 1,848 | 72.3 km | 41.6 | 18% | 9.4% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns. The middle of Alberta’s towns of 2,500 or more comes first, the middle of all Canadian towns second; cities as a whole and First Nations reserves stay out, and percentiles are within Canada.
- 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.
- 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.
Questions about Northern Lights County’s residents
What is the population of Northern Lights County?
Statistics Canada estimates 4,115 residents for July 2025; the 2021 Census counted 4,152 in Northern Lights County, 1% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Northern Lights County?
39.2 is the median age, younger than 69% of Canadian towns. Under 15: 22%. 65 and over: 16%.
Is Northern Lights County bilingual?
English and French: 4% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 95%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 1.3%.
How diverse is Northern Lights County?
Immigrants make up 5.9% of residents, against 17% across Canada’s towns. 1.1% are members of a visible minority, and 21% are First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What religion are people in Northern Lights County?
Christian: 57%. No religion: 41%. Another religion: 1.5%.
Is Northern Lights County good for families?
Across Canada’s towns, a typical 16% of residents are under 15; here, 22%. 61% of households are couple families and 9% one-parent families. Schools near Northern Lights County are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Northern Lights County?
$88,000 before tax, in 2020: the middle household’s income in Northern Lights County (Canada’s towns: $86,000).
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).