Thorhild CountyAlberta
A town of 3,147 in Alberta. Between 2016 and 2021, its population shrank by 7%.
Is Thorhild County a good place to live?
Health is a weak point (D−). It does especially well on cost of living (A−). Overall, that makes a D, better than a tenth of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #446 of 473 in Alberta. Safety is weaker too (D).
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 less sure: no police service names this town, so its crime figure is the nearest police detachment's, shared with a wider area. 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 Thorhild County grades
Each subject compares Thorhild 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 Thorhild County stand out
The 3 things Thorhild County does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Thorhild County.
Thorhild County is graded a D− for health
On average just over a fifth of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, above Alberta’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike. The region has more smokers than Alberta, 17% of adults to 11%. Closer to home, a hospital is 22 km from the average resident of Thorhild County, further than the usual 3.7 km. People in the region live to 78.3 on average: 80.9 for women and 76.1 for men in 2022/2024.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Thorhild County | 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 · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the North Zone
For the force that serves Thorhild County, the Crime Severity Index is 168, above Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
A best guess: the nearest detachment’s figures, since none is filed under Thorhild County
Its police area recorded 23.5 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, above both Alberta’s towns (14.2) and Canadian towns (12). The force’s area logs 67 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Thorhild County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 168 | 110 | 67 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 67 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 23.5 | 14.2 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 127 | 109 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: the Redwater detachment area
Wildfire moderate, radon 9.6%: how Thorhild County stands on hazards
Some 4.1% of the land within 25 km of Thorhild County has burned since 1986; at 0.10% a year that is moderate, not high. Earthquakes matter little: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.007 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town. No one has filed a flood map for Thorhild County on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Thorhild County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 9.6% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.007 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Radon tests published for the Aspen Regional Health Authority, not by town
Rent takes less of local pay in Thorhild County than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 14% of household income
85% of households own their home, above Alberta’s towns (74%) and Canadian towns (74%) alike. Shelter took 30% or more of income for just over one in ten households, 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 | Thorhild County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 11% | 21% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 14% | 20% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 85% | 74% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $250,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Trips to work from Thorhild County take longer than from Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 34 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Thorhild County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 34 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Around Thorhild County, 1 elementary school and 2 schools for every grade: 3 schools in all
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ochre Park SchoolLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–4 | Elementary · Grades K–4 | 142 | English public |
| Thorhild Central School Middle fifth in AlbertaLargest secondary schoolAll grades · Grades K–12 | All grades · Grades K–12 | 343 | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Thorhild County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Winter nights bite in Thorhild County: January lows of −17.8°C, colder than Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns
Rain and melted snow add up to 473 mm a year, above Alberta’s towns (431 mm) but below Canadian towns (883 mm). Most of the snow comes in January, about 30 cm. Thorhild County sees July afternoons of 23.6°C on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Thorhild County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −17.8°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 473 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 199 | 193 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 23.6°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Fort Saskatchewan)
Older residents shape Thorhild County: 27% are 65 or over, above Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
5.5% of residents came to Canada as immigrants, below Alberta’s towns (8.9%) and Canadian towns (6.4%) alike. Children under 15 count for 14% of the people here.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
46.5% of Thorhild County’s residents are women
In 2021 there were 1,415 women to 1,630 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| Thorhild County | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 27% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 22% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 42% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Thorhild County, November normally means 1°C afternoons and −10°C nights
In November, the normal is 29 mm of rain and snow. Next comes December, with normal highs of −5°C and lows of −15°C. Snowfall in a normal November: 27 cm. July brings the warmest days, 24°C; January the coldest nights, −18°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −5°C | −16°C | 68 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −2°C | 98 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 10°C | 216 mm |
| Autumn | 10°C | −2°C | 92 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Fort Saskatchewan); the forecast is on the Weather page
A 30,730-vote win for Shannon Stubbs made Lakeland safer in 2021 than 98% of ridings
Thorhild County is a municipal district by Statistics Canada’s count of municipalities.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Each person Newbrook Library serves borrows 5.1 items, fewer than at 78% of Alberta’s town libraries
Newbrook Library has 3 branches for the 3,254 people it serves.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
A national park 29 km from Thorhild County: Elk Island National Park
1.2% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%). 19 areas within 10 km are protected for nature.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Thorhild County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 10 | 2 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.2% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Thorhild County: 1 historic place on Canada’s heritage registers
Homes from before 1961 make up 21% of the stock, above both Alberta’s towns (4.5%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
- Newbrook Observatory 1951
| Heritage | Thorhild County | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 21% | 4.5% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Thorhild County
Famous people from Thorhild County
5 notable people were born in Thorhild County.
About Thorhild County
Town in Alberta
TownRatings counts Thorhild 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
- 3,147 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- Census division
- Division No. 13
- Census subdivision
- 4813036
Questions about Thorhild County
Who are the people of Thorhild County?
At the 2021 census, 6% were immigrants and 2% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 8% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What kind of homes are in Thorhild County?
A household averages 2.2 people; 30% are one person living alone.
Has Thorhild County grown?
It went from 3,254 people in 2016 to 3,042 in 2021, down 6.5%, while the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 3,147.
How old are the people of Thorhild County?
At 52, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 14% of the population and seniors 27%.
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).