ExecutivePulse
Schedule a Demo
Official Canadian Data

Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta

AB Economic Region 4880 · Population 161,013
16 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
161,013 ▲
Population
$137,896 ▼
Median Income (CAD)
$84,000 national
6% ▲
Unemployment
$473.9B
Provincial GDP (CAD)
79,600
Total Employment
25% ▲
Bachelor's+
25% national
Community Data / Canada / Alberta / Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake

Demographics & Population

Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population

Household Income

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
Median Household Income
$137,896
Poverty Rate (LIM-AT) ⓘ
11.3%
Low Income Measure, after tax · Alberta 2024 · Canada: 12.5%
Median Income Comparison (CAD)
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake$137,896
National$84,000

Community Snapshot

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
161,013
Population
61,790
Total Dwellings
Total Employment
79,600
Unemployment Rate StatCan LFS 2024 annual
6% ▲ +1.0 pts YoY
Industry Sectors
10
Age Distribution
0-14: 20.4% (32,872 residents) 15-54: 58.1% (93,574 residents) 55-64 (near retirement): 10.8% (17,422 residents) 65+: 10.6% (17,145 residents) 35.9 Avg Age
0-14: 32,872
15-54: 93,574
55-64: 17,422
65+: 17,145
Visible Minority Composition
Filipino 5.8%
South Asian 4%
Black 3.8%
Arab 1.3%
Chinese 0.7%
Latin American 0.6%
Not a visible minority(complement) 82.6%
"Visible minority" is a Statistics Canada classification defined by the Employment Equity Act and refers to "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." "Not a visible minority" is the complement to the total visible minority population. Top 6 groups shown; smaller groups are included in totals but not charted.
Indigenous Identity
19.3% identify as Indigenous
First Nations 11.1%
Métis 7.5%
Multiple Indigenous responses 0.3%
Indigenous responses, n.i.e. 0.2%
Indigenous identity per Statistics Canada Census 2021 (Table 98-10-0293): First Nations (North American Indian), Métis, and Inuk (Inuit), plus multiple and other Indigenous responses. Counts use census random rounding, so categories may not sum exactly to the total.
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake's median household income sits 64% above the Canadian national median across 161,013 residents with a working-age-skewed age structure (65+: 10.6%, 0-14: 20.4%).
Source: Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Population via CensusMapper.ca
Key Takeaways
  • Income premium: Households earn well above the Canadian median.
  • Young population: Youth (0-14) materially exceed seniors (65+), workforce pipeline asset.

Educational Attainment

Source: Statistics Canada · Table 37-10-0130 · Alberta province-wide (ages 25-64)
94%
High School+
Canada: 93%
▲ +1.0 pts
25%
Bachelor's+
Canada: 25%
▲ +0.0 pts
11%
Graduate+
Canada: 14%
▼ 3.0 pts

Economy & Industry

Statistics Canada · Labour Force Survey · Provincial GDP

$473.9B
Provincial Gross Domestic Product (CAD)
Source: Statistics Canada · Provincial Economic Accounts
79,600
Total Employment
$137,896
Median Income
79,600
Total Employment
Source: StatCan Labour Force Survey
$137,896
Median Income (CAD)
Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Statistics Canada · Labour Force Survey
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top Sectors
1Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas		 19,700 24.7%
2Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers		 10,900 13.7%
3Wholesale and retail trade		 10,100 12.7%
4Health care and social assistance		 8,000 10.1%
5Construction		 7,800 9.8%
6General trades		 5,800 7.3%
7Educational services		 5,300 6.7%
8Public administration		 4,500 5.7%
9Accommodation and food services		 3,900 4.9%
10Other services (except public administration)		 3,600 4.5%
Seeing a change here?

EP customers get year-over-year deltas, WARN-equivalent layoff alerts, and federal/provincial filings for every sector tracked above, surfaced as proactive alerts, not after-the-fact news.

Get Deeper Trends
Track industry shifts with AI

ExecutivePulse monitors labour market changes, investment announcements, and industry trends for your top employers.

Learn More
Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas employs 19,700 workers (24.7% of total employment).
  • Diversified base: Top 5 sectors are Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas, Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers, Wholesale and retail trade, Health care and social assistance, and Construction.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey.
Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of the top sectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey · NAICS supersectors

Housing & Rental Market

Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0133 (Rents) - Table 34-10-0127 (Vacancy) - Reference year 2025

Note: figures are single-year vintages. StatCan and CMHC do not publish ACS-style rolling 5-year housing averages, the long-form Census of Population every 5 years (2016, 2021) plays the equivalent precision role.

CMHC Average Rents by Bedroom

Source: Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0133 - 2025
11.9%
Annual Rent (2BR) as % of Median Household Income - Affordable
30% threshold = "cost-burdened" (CMHC / HUD convention). Computed from $1,362 average 2BR rent × 12 / $137,896 household income.
Bachelor
$948/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,140/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,362/mo
3+ Bedroom
$1,643/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$3,447/mo), rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Note: CMHC Rental Market Survey figures cover the metropolitan area (CMA/CA) within this economic region, not the full region. CMHC surveys urban centres only.

Vacancy & Housing Stock

Source: Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0127 - 2021 Census Dwellings
4.4%
CMHC Vacancy Rate (apartment structures of 6+ units)
Near the 3% balanced-market benchmark.
Total Dwellings
61,790
Avg 2BR Rent
$1,362/mo
Vacancy Rate
4.4%
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable rental market: Annual 2BR rent eats 11.9% of median household income, well below the 30% cost-burdened threshold; supports talent attraction.
Source: CMHC RMS rent data and StatCan median household income.

Industry Concentration

Location Quotient: industries where Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake over- or under-indexes vs. the Canadian national average

Provincial NAICS-3 sub-sector basis (no ER-level NAICS-3 data is published by StatCan; provincial figures inherit to Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake).

Concentrated Industries
Source: Statistics Canada Table 33-10-0222-01 · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector, establishment basis, LQ computed vs. national share. Note: LFS-based or SEPH-based employment LQ may differ, StatCan publishes household and payroll employment series with different methodologies.
Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas
4.57x
19,700
General trades
2.38x
5,800
Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers
1.73x
10,900
Construction
1.51x
7,800
Other services (except public administration)
1.38x
3,600
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas concentrates at 4.57x the national norm, signature-sector territory.
  • Cluster depth: 5 sectors register LQ >= 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single sector.
Source: StatCan Table 33-10-0222-01 (NAICS-3 sub-sector establishment counts), provincial inheritance.

Workforce & Labour

Labour force composition from Statistics Canada population estimates and employment data

Source: StatCan Table 17-10-0137
110,996
Working Age (15-64)
Employment rate: 72% of working-age population (15-64) 72% Employment Rate

Labour Summary

Source: StatCan LFS + Population Estimates
Total Employment
79,600
Working Age Pop
110,996
Youth (0-14)
32,872
Seniors (65+)
17,145

Dependency & Aging

Source: StatCan population estimates
11%
Seniors (65+) Share
Youth / Senior Ratio
192:100

Aging Workforce

Source: StatCan 17-10-0150 · Population estimates by economic region, age
15.7%
55-64 of working-age (15-64)

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0416 NOC 2021 broad categories (2025 - province-level)
Management / Professional
55%
Sales & Service
21.7%
Trades / Transport
17.1%
Natural Resources
2.9%
Manufacturing
3.3%
Bars scaled 2x for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 2,590,100 employed workers across Alberta. Economic Region-level occupation data is not published by StatCan; this provincial breakdown is the closest available proxy.

Commute

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0457
Mean Commute 5.2 min above national avg
28.9 min

Work From Home

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0455
Worked At Home vs 24.3% national
11.7%
Census 2021 long-form: percent of employed labour force aged 15+ whose place of work is "at home".
Key Takeaways
  • Working-age base: 110,996 residents aged 15-64 (68.9% of population) form the labour pool.
  • Employment rate: 72% of working-age residents are employed (79,600 workers).
  • Pipeline strength: Youth (0-14) materially exceed seniors (65+); long-term workforce supply is a structural asset.
Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 + Labour Force Survey.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 16 Canadian data sources

Sample AI Insight

Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake's industrial base is anchored by Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas with 19,700 workers, followed by Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers and Wholesale and retail trade.

Illustrative example

Take it further

AI Insights: Built into ExecutivePulse. Continuous analysis tied to your own pipeline: industry-shift signals, prospect matches, retention prompts.

Managed Services: Prefer to hand it off? Our team delivers the analysis and consulting for you.

Schedule a Demo
Available as premium offerings.

Data Sources

All data from official Canadian government APIs. Updated from official Canadian government data.

Statistics Canada Census 20212021
StatCan Labour Force Survey2025
StatCan LFS Unemployment Rate (14-10-0393)2024
StatCan GDP Tables2024
CMHC Rental Market2025
CRTC Broadband Data2025
CensusMapper.ca2021
StatCan Education (37-10-0130)2025
StatCan Population (17-10-0150)2025
StatCan Postsecondary Enrolments (37-10-0277)2024
StatCan Top Occupations (14-10-0416)2025
StatCan Commute (98-10-0457/0458)2021
StatCan Place of Work (98-10-0455/0456)2021
StatCan Low Income (11-10-0135)2024
StatCan Visible Minority (98-10-0352)2021
StatCan Indigenous Identity (98-10-0293)2021

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta, from Statistics Canada.

What is the population of Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta?

161,013 (Statistics Canada, Population Estimates, Table 17-10-0150).

What is the median household income in Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta?

$137,896 (Statistics Canada, Census 2021).

What is the unemployment rate in Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alberta?

6% (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0393).