Photo: Mascdman · CC BY-SA 2.5Above 98% of Canadian towns: 96% of households live in a single-detached house
Residents who moved in within the year make up 4.5%, against 11% across Canada’s towns. Special Area No. 2 is home to some 1,837 people (July 2025 estimate), in 645 households at the 2021 Census. 23% of households are one person living alone. Visible minority residents are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Special Area No. 2
A town of families
21% of residents are under 15, more than in 88% of Canadian towns; 3.9% of households are one-parent families and households average 2.4 people. Ages ↓
Fewer people than before
Special Area No. 2 went from 1,905 people in 2016 to 1,860 in 2021, −2%: slower growth than in 90% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A −2% change since 2016: slower than 90% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Across Canada’s towns the median change is +4%; across Alberta’s towns, +1%.
Above 88% of Canadian towns: 21% of residents are under 15
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
No age band is larger than 60–64: 8.9% of residents, 1.3 times the share across Canada’s towns. The usual figure: 16% of residents are under 15 across Canada’s towns. Across Special Area No. 2, 19% of residents are 65 or over. Half of the town’s residents are under 40.8, younger than in 58% of Canadian towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About 105 men for every 100 women.
Smaller households than 53% of Canadian towns: 2.4 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.
3.9% of households are one-parent families (Canada’s towns: 8.2%).
Special Area No. 2 sits above 99% of Canadian towns for married residents 15 and over (64%)
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 21% of adults, beside a typical 27%. As a yardstick, 46% of residents 15 and over are married across Canada’s towns. Common-law partners: 5.8% of the total.
In Special Area No. 2, 17% of households rent their home, fewer than in 69% of Canadian towns
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
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. Across the comparison, 25% of households rent their home across Canada’s towns. 23% of homes were built before 1961 and 16% in 2001 or later.
The middle household earns $81,000 a year
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Special Area No. 2 had $81,000 before tax, 6% below the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Among Alberta’s towns, the typical figure is $92,200. In 2020, 15% of income recipients drew a COVID-19 emergency or recovery benefit; the typical town had 28%.
3.8% 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
The largest groups of immigrants were born in the Americas (64%) and in Europe (36%). Residents without Canadian citizenship are rarer here than in 95% of Canadian towns. Compared with 17% across Canada’s towns, 3.8% of residents are immigrants here.
Special Area No. 2 sits above 59% of Canadian towns for residents with no religion (38%)
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
3.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity; across Canada’s towns the figure is 2.8%. The wider picture: 35% of residents said they have no religion across Canada’s towns.
80% have English as their mother tongue; 1.1% 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
At home: English 88%, French 0.3%. On bilingual residents, Special Area No. 2 sits lower than 99% of Canadian towns: 1.1%. Here 0.5% of residents have French as their mother tongue, where the figure across Canada’s towns is 1.5%.
Special Area No. 2 sits below 88% of Canadian towns for degree holders aged 25 to 64 (13%)
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
12% have no certificate, diploma or degree (typical: 9.5%). As a reference point, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 71%
These rates date from May 2021, during the pandemic, and run lower than a normal year’s. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 71%, more residents are in work than the typical 58% across Canada’s towns.
Among its 5 nearest neighbours, 4 are older than Special Area No. 2
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page. No closer places have figures: these lie 24–78 km from Special Area No. 2.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Area No. 2 | 1,837 | — | 40.8 | 19% | 3.8% |
| Hanna | 2,665 | 24.4 km | 49.2 | 25% | 8.6% |
| Special Area No. 3 | 1,043 | 58.0 km | 45.2 | 20% | 3.8% |
| Special Area No. 4 | 1,171 | 63.2 km | 37.6 | 15% | 4.9% |
| Starland County | 1,820 | 69.0 km | 42.4 | 19% | 2.2% |
| Drumheller | 8,439 | 77.9 km | 44 | 21% | 12% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. “Visible minority” is the census’s term from the Employment Equity Act: people, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered. The page compares them with other towns and never labels a town by them.
- Against Alberta’s towns and Canada’s towns. A figure here is set beside two middles, the median across Alberta’s places of 2,500 people or more and the median across all Canadian towns that size; reserves and entire cities are excluded from both.
Questions about Special Area No. 2’s residents
What is the median income in Special Area No. 2?
Median total household income in Special Area No. 2 was $81,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Special Area No. 2?
The latest figure is an estimate: 1,837 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Special Area No. 2 counted 1,860, 2% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Special Area No. 2?
Half the residents are older than 40.8 and half younger; 21% are children under 15 and 19% are 65 or over.
Is Special Area No. 2 bilingual?
English and French: 1.1% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 99%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 0.5%.
How diverse is Special Area No. 2?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 3.8%. A visible minority makes up 0% and Indigenous residents 3.8%.
What religion are people in Special Area No. 2?
Most often Christian (62%) or no religion (38%); other religions make up 0%.
Is Special Area No. 2 good for families?
Children under 15 are 21% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 69% of households and one-parent families 3.9%. Schools near Special Area No. 2 are on its Schools page.
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).