OldsAlberta
Statistics Canada places it in the Division No. 6 census division. A town in Alberta, home to 9,653 people.
Is Olds a good place to live?
Schools are its weak spot (C−). Olds ranks #382 of 473 in Alberta, with a C overall. On that grade it does better than 25% of Canadian towns. Households here earn well (A). Owners valued their homes at a median $340,000 in 2021, which is 4.1 years of the typical household’s pay. Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (A−).
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Olds grades
Each subject compares Olds 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 →
What makes Olds stand out
The 2 things Olds does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Olds.
Trips to work from Olds are shorter than from Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 19 min on average
At the census, 91% of commuters went by car.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Olds | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 19 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 91% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
Results around Olds lean low: 3 of 3 schools in the lower two fifths in Alberta
Within 3 km of Olds are 4 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade, teaching 1,722 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Olds Elementary SchoolLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–4 | Elementary · Grades K–4 | 555 | English public |
| École Olds High School Fourth fifth in AlbertaLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 611 | English public |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Measured against local pay, Olds costs more to live in than 79% of Canadian towns
Nearly a fifth of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below Alberta’s towns (21%) and close to Canadian towns (18%). The owner-occupied share of households is 72%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Olds | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $340,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 19% | 21% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
Olds’ hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 7.5% of area homes over the radon guideline
Area-wide: radon tests, counted over the David Thompson Regional Health Authority
For earthquakes Olds is middling, $0.019 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. No flood study for Olds is on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Olds | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.019 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 7.5% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Olds gets a C for safety
Violence accounts for 17.7 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Thefts, break-ins and damage came to 45.5 per 1,000 residents a year, about level with Alberta’s towns (45) and above Canadian towns (31.2).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Olds | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 17.7 | 14.2 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 45.5 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 86 | 109 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Olds has cooler summers than Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 22.8°C
Counting rain and snow alike, 496 mm falls in a year, above Alberta’s towns (431 mm) but below Canadian towns (883 mm). Winter lows in Olds average −18.0°C in January. Between the last spring frost, 13 June, and the first in autumn, 25 August, lie 72 days. Rain and snow peak in June, at 104 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Olds | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 233 | 193 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 22.8°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −18.0°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 496 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Sundre)
Life expectancy around Olds is 79.1 years, 2.4 less than for the typical Canadian town
Measured across the Central Zone: health survey and life expectancy
Smoking is commoner than in the province: 15% of adults, against 11% for Alberta. On average nearly a fifth of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, above both Alberta’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%). About as many adults call their health very good or excellent here as across Alberta, 52% against 53%. Closer to home, a hospital is just 1.3 km from the average resident of Olds, nearer than the usual 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Olds | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.1 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Olds in November: highs near 3°C, lows near −12°C
About 20 cm of snow falls in a normal November. A normal November brings 16 mm of rain and snow. Then December: −1°C by day, −17°C at night. Also worth knowing: for today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Sundre forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −1°C | −17°C | 42 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −5°C | 113 mm |
| Summer | 21°C | 6°C | 259 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | −5°C | 82 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Sundre); the forecast is on the Weather page
Olds’ MP is Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada), for Ponoka—Didsbury
Because the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s boundaries come with non-commercial terms, this page doesn’t say which riding Olds is in.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Olds Municipal Library and Newbrook Public Library are Olds’s two public libraries
From 2 branches, Parkland Regional Library system serves 9,184 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Big Hill Springs Provincial Park, 60 km away, is the closest provincial park to Olds
Banff National Park is the closest national park, 89 km from town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Olds | 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
Fewer of Olds’s people belong to a visible minority than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 9.1%
Just over one in ten residents came to Canada as immigrants, above both Alberta’s towns (8.9%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 5.7% of residents, above both Alberta’s towns (4.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 51.7% of Olds
Here the census found 4,765 women and 4,445 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.
| Olds | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 60% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 24% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 52% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Everything we know about Olds
Famous people from Olds
10 notable people were born in Olds.
Photo credits
Danielle Lappage: In-Ting Ho (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blake Richards: Robert Thivierge (Thivierr), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jay Rosehill: Jessica, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mike Barnett: Jjbarne1, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Olds
Town in Alberta
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Olds 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
- 9,653 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 6
- Census subdivision
- 4806034
Olds’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olds | 9,653 | — | C | C− | C | C+ |
| Didsbury | 5,185 | 15 | C+ | C− | B− | A+ |
| Bowden | 1,315 | 16 | — | C | C+ | C |
| Mountain View County | 14,802 | 18 | A− | C+ | B | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Olds
Is Olds a young town or an old one?
Half its people are older than 43.6 (the middle of Canadian towns: 45.2); children under 15 make up 17%, people 65 and over 24%.
Who are the people of Olds?
Visible minorities are 9% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 11%, and Indigenous people 6%.
Has Olds grown?
Yes: the census counted 9,184 in 2016 and 9,209 in 2021, a rise of 0.3%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 9,653.
What kind of homes are in Olds?
Mostly 61% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.3 people on average, and 29% have just one.
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).