St. PaulAlberta
It lies in Division No. 12. The town has 6,218 residents and lies in Alberta.
Is St. Paul a good place to live?
The data are hard on it. Its weakest subject is safety (D−). Pupils here do less well than most (C−). Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (A−). Owners valued their homes at a median $278,000 in 2021, which is 3.5 years of the typical household’s pay. Households here earn well (A−). All told, that adds up to a D overall and a rank of #434 of 473 in Alberta. That leaves it better than 13% of Canadian towns.
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 St. Paul grades
Each subject compares St. Paul 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 St. Paul stand out
The one thing St. Paul does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in St. Paul.
Violent crime weighs more on St. Paul than on Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 364
Police recorded 57.6 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, above Alberta’s towns (14.2) and Canadian towns (12) alike. Property crime runs at 218.2 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | St. Paul | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 364 | 109 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 57.6 | 14.2 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 218.2 | 45 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
The schools around St. Paul answer to 3 boards
The 3 km around St. Paul counts 1 elementary school, 3 secondary schools and 3 schools for every grade, 1,764 students between them. Of its 4 tested schools, 1 sit in the top two fifths in Alberta and 2 in the bottom two. Schooling in French is on offer at one of the 7; in Alberta, 2% of schools teach in it.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecole Elementaire St. Paul Elementary SchoolLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–5 | Elementary · Grades K–5 | 429 | English public |
| Glen Avon Protestant School Bottom fifth in AlbertaLargest secondary schoolAll grades · Grades K–9 | All grades · Grades K–9 | 364 | English public |
| École du Sommet FrenchTeaches in FrenchAll grades · Grades K–12 | All grades · Grades K–12 | 175 | French public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | St. Paul | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
St. Paul’s hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 9.6% of area homes over the radon guideline
Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.006 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). The national flood inventory has no study for St. Paul. For radon tests, the only official count covers all of the Aspen Regional Health Authority, St. Paul included.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | St. Paul | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 9.6% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.006 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Commuters in St. Paul have a short way to work, 17 min on average, less than in Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
85% of commuters drove, close to Alberta’s towns (88%) and below Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | St. Paul | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 17 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 85% | 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.
Life expectancy around St. Paul is 78.3 years, 3.2 less than for the typical Canadian town
Age-standardised, 48% of the region’s adults put their health at very good or excellent, below Alberta’s towns (51%) and Canadian towns (52%) alike. At 17%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 11% for Alberta. Measured from where St. Paul’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 0.9 km away, under the typical 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | St. Paul | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Smokers | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.3 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 48% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Not measured by town: health survey and life expectancy (the North Zone)
Home ownership in St. Paul, 68%, runs below Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
Just over a fifth of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, about level with Alberta’s towns (21%) and above Canadian towns (18%). A year’s rent came to a fifth of the median household income, close to both Alberta’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | St. Paul | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $278,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 68% | 74% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 21% | 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.
Winter nights bite in St. Paul: January lows of −19.0°C, colder than Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns
A normal July day peaks at 23.5°C, close to Alberta’s towns (23.5°C) and below Canadian towns (25.5°C). Frost usually lifts by 24 May and returns around 10 September: 108 days without it. July is the wettest month, with 71 mm of rain and snow on average. Most of the snow comes in January, about 23 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | St. Paul | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −19.0°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 388 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 209 | 193 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 23.5°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Vegreville)
More of St. Paul’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 21%
Retirement age and beyond: a fifth of residents are 65 or older. Immigrants make up just over one in ten residents, above both Alberta’s towns (8.9%) and Canadian towns (6.4%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
52.3% of St. Paul’s residents are women
Women numbered 3,070 and men 2,795 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| St. Paul | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 60% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 20% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 48% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
St. Paul in November: highs near −1°C, lows near −11°C
Expect about 17 mm of rain and snow over November. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Vegreville forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −7°C | −18°C | 47 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −4°C | 86 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 9°C | 181 mm |
| Autumn | 9°C | −4°C | 75 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Vegreville); the forecast is on the Weather page
St. Paul’s public library is St. Paul Municipal Library
St.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The nearest provincial park to St. Paul is Moose Lake Provincial Park, 34 km away
Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 0.5% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. The largest is Blue Quills National Wildlife Area: 97 ha, 3.3 km from the edge of town. 3 protected areas lie within 10 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | St. Paul | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.5% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about St. Paul
Famous people from St. Paul
11 notable people were born in St. Paul.
Photo credits
Kyle Brodziak: Resolute, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bernard Trottier: Luke23waltz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sylvie Van Brabant: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mike Wanchuk: Column author Bob Wagner, photographer unknown, Public domain
About St. Paul
Town in Alberta
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: St. Paul is one municipality in Alberta, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 6,218 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 12
- Census subdivision
- 4812018
St. Paul’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Paul | 6,218 | — | D | C | D− | C− |
| St. Paul County No. 19 | 6,462 | 10 | D− | C+ | D− | D |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about St. Paul
Do people in St. Paul speak French?
18% of residents can hold a conversation in both English and French, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns; 0.1% speak French but not English.
Who are the people of St. Paul?
14% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 21% have an Indigenous identity and 11% are immigrants.
What kind of homes are in St. Paul?
Single-detached houses make up 72% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 31% of households are one person, and the average is 2.4.
Is St. Paul growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 5,827 to 5,863 residents (up 0.6%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 6,218.
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).