Photo: Shogged · CC BY-SA 4.0A median age of 31.2: Opportunity No. 17 is younger than 99% of Canadian towns
Residents aged 15 to 24: 14%, above 85% of Canadian towns. The latest estimate, for July 2025, is 3,592 residents; the 2021 Census found 1,075 households. Across Opportunity No. 17, 13% of households are one-parent families. At 41%, the share of residents with no religion is higher than in 69% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Opportunity No. 17
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
An Indigenous identity is reported by 81% of residents, more than in 99% of Canadian towns. 72% are Registered or Treaty Indians and 22% grew up speaking an Indigenous language. Identity & religion ↓
Younger than most towns
Half of Opportunity No. 17’s residents are under 31.2 and half over; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 28% are under 15 and 11% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Slower than most: +4% since 2016, behind 51% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. Two census counts, five years apart, and Statistics Canada’s newest estimate.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 6%. Across Alberta’s towns the median is +1%, and across Canada’s towns +4%.
A larger share of children under 15 than 99% of Canadian towns: 28%
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns, against 11% in Opportunity No. 17. By way of comparison, 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ Opportunity No. 17, 31.2. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Opportunity No. 17 households average 3.1 people, larger than in 92% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
In Opportunity No. 17, 23% of households are one person living alone, beside 27% across Canada’s towns.
19% of residents 15 and over live common-law, more than in 83% of Canadian towns
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns, against 32% in Opportunity No. 17. The benchmark for common-law partners across Canada’s towns: 11%.
A higher share of renter households than 68% of Canadian towns, at 35%
The kinds of homes people live in, who owns and who rents, and how old the homes are. 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
18% of homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%. Across Canada’s towns, the share of renter households is 25%. Households in single-detached houses account for 66%.
Household income, middle of the range: $89,000 a year
Incomes are 2020’s, the census’s reference year, and include pandemic benefits such as CERB. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
Half of Opportunity No. 17’s households had a total income above $89,000 and half below, close to the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). $92,200 is the median household income across Alberta’s towns. COVID-19 benefits went to 40% of residents with an income (typical: 28%).
3.3% of residents are immigrants
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
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
Compared with 17% across Canada’s towns, 3.3% of residents are immigrants here. Residents without Canadian citizenship: 1.5% of the total. 11% lived at another address a year earlier, fewer than the typical 11% across Canada’s towns.
Indigenous residents: 81%, a higher share than 99% of Canadian towns
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
In Opportunity No. 17, 5.3% of residents belong to a visible minority, beside 15% across Canada’s towns. Set beside that, 2.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity across Canada’s towns.
English is the mother tongue of 65%, and 1.3% speak French as well
Who can speak English and French, mother tongue, and the language spoken most at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
At home, 12% mostly speak another language; 0.3% speak neither English nor French. Opportunity No. 17 has fewer bilingual residents than 99% of Canadian towns, at 1.3%. Residents whose mother tongue is French: 0.6%, near enough the figure across Canada’s towns.
Fewer degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 98% of Canadian towns: 7.9%
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
No diploma or degree: 43% here, 9.5% in the typical town. On average, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
In work on census day: 50% of adults
Counted in May 2021, during COVID-19, these rates catch the job market before it had recovered. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 50% is below the typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 11% of residents are 65 or over.
41 towns of 3,543 to 3,639 people: this is the 1st youngest
Towns of about this size, placed by median age.
Between Opportunity No. 17 (31.2) and South Tuxedo (57.7) lies the rest of the group. The towns whose median age is nearest to Opportunity No. 17’s: Rapperswill (32.2) and McMillan (33.5).
Opportunity No. 17 is younger than every town around it
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page. Distances here run 91–157 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Opportunity No. 17.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opportunity No. 17 | 3,592 | — | 31.2 | 11% | 3.3% |
| Lesser Slave River No. 124 | 2,980 | 91.1 km | 48.8 | 21% | 6% |
| Slave Lake | 7,334 | 97.8 km | 34 | 9.1% | 14% |
| Athabasca | 2,887 | 146.2 km | 42.8 | 22% | 10% |
| Big Lakes County | 5,106 | 154.4 km | 45.6 | 19% | 4.6% |
| Athabasca County | 7,280 | 156.6 km | 47.6 | 20% | 4.1% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns. Provincial and national yardsticks: Alberta’s towns and neighbourhoods of at least 2,500 residents, and all Canadian towns of that size. No whole city and no First Nations reserve is in either median.
- What these tables don’t give. Missing from the census as published: unpaid care, cars and internet access, and the shift in each age band since 2016. Ethnic origins past visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
- The census’s own words. The census takes “visible minority” from the Employment Equity Act: anyone other than Indigenous peoples who is non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are what residents reported, compared here with other towns and never used as a label.
Questions about Opportunity No. 17’s residents
Is Opportunity No. 17 bilingual?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 7.5% are bilingual; here 1.3% are. Another 0% speak only French and 99% only English, and French is the first language of 0.6%.
How diverse is Opportunity No. 17?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 3.3%. A visible minority makes up 5.3% and Indigenous residents 81%.
What religion are people in Opportunity No. 17?
Most often Christian (54%) or no religion (41%); other religions make up 5.1%.
Is Opportunity No. 17 good for families?
Children under 15 are 28% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 44% of households and one-parent families 13%. Schools near Opportunity No. 17 are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Opportunity No. 17?
Median total household income in Opportunity No. 17 was $89,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Opportunity No. 17?
The latest figure is an estimate: 3,592 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Opportunity No. 17 counted 3,382, 4% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Opportunity No. 17?
Half the residents are older than 31.2 and half younger, younger than 99% of Canadian towns; 28% are children under 15 and 11% are 65 or over.
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).