Wood Buffalo Profile

Explore population, households, income, employment, education, commute, occupation, industry, languages, and dwellings for Wood Buffalo. Compare trends since 2016 and dig into the full profile below.

National Rank:80 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Wood Buffalo Population

Total Population (2021)

72,326

Total Population (2016)

71,594

Population Growth

+1.0% (+732)

Growth Rank

#536 of 688Same geo level

Male

52.7%38,100

Female

47.3%34,225

Male-to-Female Ratio

1.113

Average Age

33.4

Median Age

34.4

Age Rank

#13 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

5,795(8.0%)

5–9

5,900(8.2%)

10–14

4,850(6.7%)

15–19

3,885(5.4%)

20–24

3,895(5.4%)

25–29

5,120(7.1%)

30–34

7,445(10.3%)

35–39

7,975(11.0%)

40–44

6,495(9.0%)

45–49

5,375(7.4%)

50–54

4,835(6.7%)

55–59

4,430(6.1%)

60–64

3,180(4.4%)

65–69

1,665(2.3%)

70–74

785(1.1%)

75–79

390(0.5%)

80–84

180(0.2%)

85+

130(0.2%)

Wood Buffalo Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.8

Total Private Dwellings

30,451

Occupied Private Dwellings

25,934

Size Distribution

1 Person

5,660 (21.8%)

2 Persons

7,670 (29.6%)

3 Persons

4,780 (18.4%)

4 Persons

4,620 (17.8%)

5+ Persons

3,205 (12.4%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

8,675(33.4%)

Couples without children

5,325(20.5%)

One-parent families

1,890(7.3%)

One-person households

5,660(21.8%)

Multigenerational

960(3.7%)

Multiple-family

250(1.0%)

Wood Buffalo Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$152,200After tax

Median Household Income

$144,000After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$75,200After tax

Median Individual Income

$61,600After tax

Income Rank

#1 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

93.2%

Employment Income

88.6%

Government Transfers

6.7%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

4,695(8.9%)

$10k–$20k

3,310(6.3%)

$20k–$30k

4,265(8.1%)

$30k–$40k

3,795(7.2%)

$40k–$50k

3,520(6.7%)

$50k–$60k

3,120(5.9%)

$60k–$70k

2,715(5.2%)

$70k–$80k

2,380(4.5%)

$80k–$90k

2,290(4.4%)

$90k–$100k

2,200(4.2%)

$100k+

20,195(38.5%)

Wood Buffalo Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

70.4%

Unemployment Rate

8.7%

Total Labour Force

42,650

Employed

38,920

Unemployed

3,730

Not in Labour Force

12,595

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

3.9%

Children (0–17)

5.3%

Adults (18–64)

3.3%

Seniors (65+)

4.8%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3020 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.270

Wood Buffalo Education

Highest certificate, diploma or degree for the population aged 15 and over, Census 2021. The highest-credential groups are mutually exclusive. Bachelor's degree, master's degree, and medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine sit inside “bachelor's degree or higher” and are not extra slices of the population. Shares are calculated on this site from the published counts. Statistics Canada randomly rounds census counts, so parts can miss the published total by a few people.

Highest credential

Population aged 15 and over

55,245

No certificate, diploma or degree

6,425 (11.6%)

High school diploma or equivalency

16,840 (30.5%)

Postsecondary credential

31,985 (57.9%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

7,800 (14.1%)72.3% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

1,970 (3.6%)18.3% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

195 (0.4%)1.8% of bachelor's or higher

Those credentials are published parts of bachelor's degree or higher. They do not add up to that count. Earned doctorates and other university credentials above the bachelor level stay inside the published total and are not separate columns in this extract.

Share of the population aged 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree

6,425(11.6%)

High school diploma or equivalency

16,840(30.5%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

8,025(14.5%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

11,445(20.7%)

University certificate below bachelor

1,725(3.1%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

10,790(19.5%)

Wood Buffalo Commute

Place of work for the employed labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021. Worked at home is the census count of people who worked at home, shown as a share of that employed labour force. Shares are calculated on this site from the published counts. Statistics Canada randomly rounds census counts, so parts can miss the published total by a few people.

Worked at home

11.8%

4,595 people

Share of 38,920 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

4,595(11.8%)

Usual place of work

26,280(67.5%)

No fixed workplace address

8,025(20.6%)

Worked outside Canada

25(0.1%)

Wood Buffalo Occupation

Broad category for the labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021, using the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021. Legislative and senior management is broad category 0, not every job with “manager” in the title. Shares use the published labour-force total. These categories do not add up to that total. Counts are randomly rounded, and people with no classified category stay in the published total. This page does not estimate that remainder.

Labour force

42,655

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

225(0.5%)

Business, finance and administration

5,505(12.9%)

Natural and applied sciences

3,530(8.3%)

Health

1,615(3.8%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

3,940(9.2%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

395(0.9%)

Sales and service

8,940(21.0%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

13,345(31.3%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

1,690(4.0%)

Manufacturing and utilities

2,595(6.1%)

Wood Buffalo Industry

Industry sector for the labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021. Shares use the published labour-force total. These categories do not add up to that total. Counts are randomly rounded, and people with no classified category stay in the published total. This page does not estimate that remainder.

Labour force

42,655

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

90(0.2%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

12,625(29.6%)

Utilities

245(0.6%)

Construction

3,420(8.0%)

Manufacturing

850(2.0%)

Wholesale trade

1,240(2.9%)

Retail trade

3,605(8.5%)

Transportation and warehousing

2,140(5.0%)

Information and cultural industries

200(0.5%)

Finance and insurance

530(1.2%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

955(2.2%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

1,490(3.5%)

Management of companies and enterprises

80(0.2%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

2,560(6.0%)

Educational services

2,340(5.5%)

Health care and social assistance

2,815(6.6%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

580(1.4%)

Accommodation and food services

2,170(5.1%)

Other services (except public administration)

1,785(4.2%)

Public administration

2,045(4.8%)

Wood Buffalo Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

67,405 (93.3%)

French Only

75 (0.1%)

English & French

4,310 (6.0%)

Neither

475 (0.7%)

Mother Tongue

English

55,090 (76.2%)

French

1,365 (1.9%)

Non-official languages

12,500 (17.3%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

55,090(76.2%)

Tagalog

3,040(4.2%)

French

1,365(1.9%)

Gujarati

875(1.2%)

Arabic

865(1.2%)

Urdu

770(1.1%)

Spanish

615(0.9%)

Mandarin

420(0.6%)

Punjabi

360(0.5%)

Hindi

250(0.3%)

Wood Buffalo Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

12,480(48.1%)

Semi-detached

1,225(4.7%)

Row house

2,745(10.6%)

Duplex

475(1.8%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

5,645(21.8%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

845(3.3%)

Movable

2,520(9.7%)

Housing · Wood Buffalo (CA), Alta.

These figures are published for Wood Buffalo (CA), Alta., a census agglomeration, reference period 2021. They are not counts for Wood Buffalo alone. Shares are calculated on this site from the published household counts in tables 98-10-0252-01 and 98-10-0253-01.

Tenure

Private households

25,935

Owner households

17,375 (67.0%)

Renter households

8,560 (33.0%)

Owners with a mortgage

14,970 (86.2%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

2,400 (13.8%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

825 (9.6%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

7,735 (90.4%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$2,300All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$2,356All households, 2021

Owners, median

$2,780

Renters, median

$1,530

Owners with a mortgage, median

$2,960

Owners without a mortgage, median

$680

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

3,325 (12.8%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

1,875 (10.8%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

1,450 (16.9%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

40 (0.2%)

Monthly shelter cost

Published household counts by shelter-cost band. Census counts are randomly rounded, so the bands can differ slightly from the household total.

Less than $500

990(3.8%)

$500 to $749

1,255(4.8%)

$750 to $999

1,025(4.0%)

$1,000 to $1,249

1,840(7.1%)

$1,250 to $1,499

1,765(6.8%)

$1,500 to $1,999

3,660(14.1%)

$2,000 to $2,499

3,825(14.7%)

$2,500 to $2,999

3,745(14.4%)

$3,000 and over

7,830(30.2%)

Shelter cost is the census monthly amount. For owners it includes mortgage payments, property taxes and condominium fees, along with electricity, heat, water and other municipal services. For renters it includes rent and those utility payments when the tenant pays them. Current consumer prices are a separate series on the cost-of-living page. Data sources.

Community snapshot

About Wood Buffalo

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is a specialized municipality in northeastern Alberta, covering a vast boreal territory larger than many countries. Fort McMurray is the urban service area, not a separate city; hamlets such as Anzac, Janvier, and Fort Chipewyan sit far from that core. Oil-sands work camps and fly-in industry shape the regional economy along the Athabasca and Clearwater rivers. About 72,000 people live in Wood Buffalo.

Known for

Fort McMurray as an urban service area, not a standalone city
Athabasca oil-sands industry and work camps
Huge northern land area including Fort Chipewyan
Clearwater and Athabasca river confluence
Fly-in and highway gateway to remote hamlets

See & do

Oil Sands Discovery Centre
Industry interpretation centre in Fort McMurray.
Heritage Park
Historic buildings and river-valley site in the urban service area.
MacDonald Island Park
Recreation complex on an island in the Clearwater River.
Clearwater River and the Snye
Riverfront trails and the waterway at the heart of Fort McMurray.
Beacon Hill lookout
Hilltop view over the Clearwater and Athabasca valleys.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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Data sources → Census profiles, housing tables, and consumer prices