Ponoka CountyAlberta
10,670 people live in this town in Alberta. It lies in Division No. 8.
Is Ponoka County a good place to live?
Getting around depends on the car (D). Its schools fall short (C). At $440,000, the median home value in 2021 came to 4.8 times local household income. Hazard risk is its strong suit (A−). The overall grade lands at C−, #393 of 473 in Alberta. That leaves it better than 22% of Canadian towns. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B− for safety and B for jobs & income.
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. Safety is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. 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 Ponoka County grades
Each subject compares Ponoka County 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 Ponoka County stand out
The 2 things Ponoka County does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ponoka County.
Flood mapping exists for Ponoka County: 1 on record, latest by Government of Alberta
Radon around Ponoka County is ordinary for Canada: 7.5% of tested homes over the guideline (6.6% typical). Earthquakes matter little: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.014 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town. Ponoka County doesn’t get its own radon tests figures; the ones here come from the David Thompson Regional Health Authority.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Ponoka County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.014 | $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
5 of Ponoka County’s 8 tested schools score in the lower two fifths in Alberta
Boards running schools in the area: 2, below Alberta’s towns (3) and Canadian towns (3) alike. Counting a 3 km margin, Ponoka County has 2 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools and 8 schools for every grade, for 2,866 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponoka Elementary School Fourth fifth in AlbertaLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 540 | English public |
| St. Augustine School CatholicLargest secondary schoolAll grades · Grades K–12 | All grades · Grades K–12 | 749 | English Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Ponoka County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Nearest elementary school | 2.7 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Expect 79.1 years of life in the region around Ponoka County, 2.4 under the typical Canadian town
On self-rated health the region tracks the province: 52% very good or excellent, 53% for Alberta. 15% of adults smoke, daily or now and then, above both Alberta’s towns (12%) and Canadian towns (12%). The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Ponoka County’s is long: 13 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Ponoka County | 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 · Data for health survey and life expectancy covers the Central Zone
Ponoka County has cooler summers than Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 22.9°C
A normal year brings 483 mm of precipitation, above Alberta’s towns (431 mm) but below Canadian towns (883 mm). Winter lows in Ponoka County average −17.6°C in January. Frost usually lifts by 22 May and returns around 12 September: 112 days without it. Rain and snow peak in June, at 98 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Ponoka County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 22.9°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 212 | 193 | 159 |
| January night low | −17.6°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 483 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Red Deer)
Commuters in Ponoka County travel further than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns, 29 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Ponoka County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 29 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
More households own their home in Ponoka County than in Alberta’s towns or across Canadian towns: 89%
16% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below Alberta’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Ponoka County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 89% | 74% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 20% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 16% | 21% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.
Expect November days around 1°C in Ponoka County, nights around −11°C
Looking ahead to December, expect highs near −4°C and lows near −16°C. Snow is normal by November, about 20 cm over the month. A normal November brings 17 mm of rain and snow. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Lacombe forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −5°C | −17°C | 42 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −4°C | 106 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 8°C | 258 mm |
| Autumn | 10°C | −4°C | 77 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Red Deer); the forecast is on the Weather page
Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Ponoka County in Ottawa as MP for Ponoka—Didsbury
Ponoka County’s riding for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta can’t be shown, because the province’s boundary file is licensed for non-commercial use only.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
No public library stands in Ponoka County: the closest, Rimbey Municipal Library, is 22 km away
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Violent crime weighs less where Ponoka County is policed than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 54
Shared with the rest of the Ponoka detachment area: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000
Violent crime in the area its police cover: 7.2 per 1,000 people a year. Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 68 over 2023–25, lower than Alberta’s towns (110) and near Canadian towns (67). The force’s area logs 30 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Ponoka County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 54 | 109 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 7.2 | 14.2 | 12 |
| Crime Severity Index | 68 | 110 | 67 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 30 | 45 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Fewer of Ponoka County’s people belong to a visible minority than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 1.4%
20% are under 15, above both Alberta’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (16%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 18% of residents.
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 48.5% of Ponoka County
5,155 men and 4,845 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Ponoka County | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 18% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 46% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Ponoka County touches Town Creek Natural Area
OpenStreetMap shows 2 unnamed beaches within 5 km. The closest provincial park is Pigeon Lake Provincial Park, 14 km from the edge of town. The protected share within 10 km is 0.5%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. 4.8 km out lies the largest, Lloyd Creek Natural Area, at 579 ha.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Ponoka County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 12 | 2 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.5% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Ponoka County
The Rock and 2 more in and around Ponoka County
A first look at Ponoka County’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
About Ponoka County
Town in Alberta
TownRatings counts Ponoka County as Statistics Canada does, as one municipality in Alberta; the census, crime and housing figures all follow that boundary.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 10,670 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 8
- Census subdivision
- 4808038
Questions about Ponoka County
Who are the people of Ponoka County?
At the 2021 census, 8% were immigrants and 1% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 6% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What kind of homes are in Ponoka County?
94% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.7 people; 18% are one person living alone.
Is Ponoka County growing?
Yes: the census counted 9,806 in 2016 and 9,998 in 2021, a rise of 2%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 10,670.
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).