Photo: Mascdman · CC BY-SA 2.5Homes in Special Area No. 2 are worth 38% less than the median of Alberta’s towns
The 2021 census gives $250,000 as the median value; Alberta’s towns come to $400,000. No open sale prices are published in Alberta, so for Special Area No. 2 the census value is the measure. Assessors valued the median residential property at $156,000 for 2024.
What Special Area No. 2’s homes are worth, two ways
Two sources, each set against Alberta’s towns only: provinces measure value differently, so they don’t line up across borders. Self-assessed in May 2021, these values predate the rate rises that followed.
median, owners’ estimate
- Average
- $268K
- Owners
- 275
- Alberta’s towns
- $400K
- The typical Canadian town
- $406K
all residential
- Alberta’s towns
- $297K
Census 2021 (Statistics Canada); Canadian Housing Statistics Program, tables 46-10-0099 and 46-10-0093; Québec rôle d’évaluation foncière 2026 (MAMH).
Special Area No. 2’s detached houses are assessed 41% below the median of Alberta’s towns
Detached houses account for 72% of the 710 properties on Special Area No. 2’s 2024 roll.
Median assessment by type, 2024 the tick is the median of Alberta’s towns
Canadian Housing Statistics Program, table 46-10-0093 (2024): residential properties on the assessment roll, vacant land left out. The ticks are the median of Alberta’s towns with their own figure; assessments compare within a province only.
Single-detached houses are 96% of Special Area No. 2’s homes, against 64% for Alberta’s towns
At the 2021 census, Special Area No. 2 had 640 homes with someone living in them. At least half predate 2001.
Homes by period of construction the tick is the median of Alberta’s towns
Homes by kind
| Special Area No. 2 | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | under 1% | 15% | 8% |
| Needing major repairs | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Too small for the household | 2% | 4% | 3% |
| Households in core housing need | under 1% | 8% | 7% |
Census 2021 (Statistics Canada): occupied private dwellings; core housing need as Statistics Canada defines it. Ticks and columns are medians of the towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more.
Special Area No. 2 permitted 12.8 new homes a year per 1,000, above the 7.5 of Alberta’s towns
Over 2018–2023, 44 homes were permitted in Special Area No. 2, close to 7 each year. Houses dominate the permits, at 51% in single-unit buildings (Alberta’s towns: 69%).
A peak in 2022: 18 new homes
New homes a year per 1,000 homes
Statistics Canada, tables 46-10-0087 (building permits by census subdivision, 2018–2023: dwelling units created, new construction and conversions) and 34-10-0292 (monthly, metro areas). Per 1,000: units a year over 2019–2023 against occupied homes in 2021.
Special Area No. 2 against Alberta’s towns: 38% under the $400,000 median
478 of Alberta’s towns (2,500 people or more), by median value at the 2021 census, dearest first.
Census 2021, owners’ estimates; towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, no city as a whole, no reserve.
Lower values near Special Area No. 2: Hanna and Special Area No. 3
Next to Special Area No. 2: 2021 census values and the share of owners. No closer places have figures: these lie 24–78 km from Special Area No. 2.
| Town | Median home value | Average | Owners | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Area No. 2 | $250K | $268K | 84% | |
| Hanna | $166K | $179K | 74% | 24.4 |
| Special Area No. 3 | $100K | $153K | 88% | 58 |
| Special Area No. 4 | $250K | $286K | 85% | 63.2 |
| Starland County | $250K | $308K | 88% | 69 |
| Drumheller | $250K | $276K | 71% | 77.9 |
Census 2021 values; km.
Questions about property prices in Special Area No. 2
How many households in Special Area No. 2 are in core housing need?
Statistics Canada puts under 1% of Special Area No. 2’s households in core housing need, a smaller share than the 8% of Alberta’s towns.
Is Special Area No. 2 expensive for Alberta?
Cheaper than the middle: Alberta’s towns come to $400,000, Special Area No. 2 to less.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · Statistics Canada, Canadian Housing Statistics Program · Statistics Canada, building permits (tables 46-10-0087 and 34-10-0292). 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).