Strathcona County Census Results
An interactive guide to the municipal census results
Overview
This application provides an overview of the results from the most recent municipal census (2022) conducted by Strathcona County, as well as historical census data, and interactive mapping tools that allow you to:
- view and analyze census data by various geographies (urban and rural, ward and neighbourhood); and
- compare census data by year
To view previous census reports by year please visit the census report page.
To download the census data sets please visit the Strathcona County open data portal.
To obtain a copy of this story map please click the ellipsis in the top right corner and select print preview, print, then print to pdf.
Why is the census important to our community?
The census count serves as a foundation for planning new community services and enhancing existing ones. With the correct census information we can better plan community projects such as schools, libraries, police stations, health and childcare, and transportation.
The census data is also important to businesses that operate throughout the County. Census information can assist businesses in deciding where to locate warehouses, shopping centres, movie theatres, banks and offices -- activities that often lead to new jobs while enhancing the quality of life in Strathcona County.
2022 census overview
The data presented in this section includes overall totals for Strathcona County, as well as geographic breakdowns for:
- Sherwood Park, which is designated as the Urban Service Area; and
- The rural area of Strathcona County (which includes farms, country residential communities and other hamlets).
Population breakdown
This section includes:
- Total population
- Population growth
- Population of the rural hamlets
2022 total population
Total population: 100,362(▲ 1,981people, + 2% since 2018)
Urban Service Area population: 73,000 (▲ 1,668 people, + 2.3% since 2018)
Rural Area population: 27,362 (▲ 313 people, + 1.2% since 2018)
Of the 27,362 residents living in the Rural Area, 2,453 live in the 8 hamlets noted in the figure above. The population of all hamlets stayed relatively the same since 2018, but has increased in Ardrossan by 387 people.
Age and gender breakdowns
This section includes:
- Gender breakdowns
- The average age
- Age and gender comparisons
Gender breakdowns
The 'prefer not to answer' option was selected by 2,718 residents and no response was recieved from 104 surveys.
In the 2022 census a third choice of 'prefer to self identify' was provided as an option for gender. Respondents who chose ‘prefer to self identify’ had the option to type in their gender identity. The three most common results were: 'non-binary', 'transgender', and 'they/them'.
Average age
The average age is based on the year of birth.
Urban Service Area: 42.2 years old (▲ 1.1 year since 2018)
Rural Area: 42.4 years old (▲ 2.6 years since 2018)
The average age of residents in the Urban Service Area and Rural Area have both increased slightly since the 2018 municipal census.
Age and gender comparison
Age ranges are estimates based on year of birth by assuming a birth date of January 1 for all respondents. Age was not provided by 1,854 residents and gender was not provided by 2,822 residents.
Household statistics
This section includes the results for:
- Number of dwellings
- Dwelling occupancy rates
- Dwelling types
- Dwelling ownership
- Annual household income
- Number of vehicles per household
Number of dwellings
Total number of dwellings: 40,362
Urban dwellings: 30,089 (average of 2.45 people per household)
Rural dwellings: 10,273 (average of 2.7 people per household)
Dwelling occupancy Rates
Total occupied dwellings: 38,575 (95.6%)
Total vacant dwellings: 117 (0.3%)
Total under construction: 236 (0.8%)
A breakdown of where the dwellings are located throughout Strathcona County, along with a breakdown of the number of dwellings that are occupied, vacant, under construction, and unoccupied or non-residential are shown in the table below.
*Percentages add up to 100% by column.
Dwelling types
The table above provides the breakdown comparing the dwelling types in the Urban Service Area and Rural Area. 4,132 households did not provide a response to this question.
Dwelling ownership status
4,201 households did not report Owned or Rented status and the 'prefer not to answer' option was selected in 1,072 surveys.
Annual household income
9,831 households chose the 'prefer not to answer option' and 4,204 households gave no response to this question.
Number of vehicles
Individual statistics
This section includes:
- School support
- Length of residency
- Canadian citizenship
- Marital status
- Employment/student status
- Work/school location
- Highest level of education
- Primary mode of transportation
- Length of residency
- Race and ethnicity distribution
- Indigenous identity
The 'prefer not to answer' option was selected by 12,333 residents and no response was recieved from 1,280 surveys.
School support
The 'prefer not to answer' option for length of residency was not provided by 4,013 residents and no response was recieved from 1,112 residents.
Canadian citizenship
No response was provided by 1,276 residents and the 'prefer not to answer' option was selected 3,004 times.
Marital status
The 'prefer not to answer' option was selected in 5,120 surveys and no response was recieved from 1,112 residents.
Employment and student status
Those classified as not in the workforce include residents aged 18 to 64 who were not in school and did not indicate that they were working either full time or part-time. A response to employment/student status was not provided by 3,883 residents and 4,741 chose the 'prefer not to answer' option.
Work/school location
The data in this chart excludes children who are not yet in school, those not in the workforce, and those who are retired (33,353 residents).
Highest level of education
3,793 residents did not report education level status and the 'prefer not to answer' option was selected 6,157 times.
Primary mode of transportation
The data in this excludes children who are not yet in school, those not in the workforce, those who are retired, and those who did not respond to this question (32,282 residents). 4,829 residents chose the 'prefer not to answer option'.
Race and ethnicity distribution
Race and Ethnicity groups with less than 100 reported people (<0.1%) were not included in the chart. 7,032 residents chose "prefer not to answer' and 1,250 did not provide a response to this question. More detailed descriptions of the categories are below.
- Black includes all who reported African, Afro-Caribbean, and African Canadian descent.
- East/Southeast Asian includes Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese descent or Filipino, Vietnamese, and Cambodian descents.
- The breakdown for those who reported Indigenous identity is detailed in the section below.
- Latino includes all those who reported Latin American and Hispanic descent.
- Middle Eastern includes people of Arab, Persian, and West Asian descent [e.g., Afghan, Egyptian, Iranian, Lebanese, and Turkish].
- South Asian includes East Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, and Indo-Caribbean descents.
- White includes those residents who reported European descent.
- Black & White (Mixed descent) includes all those who reported African, Afro-Caribbean, African Canadian descent as well as European descent.
- Indigenous & White (Mixed descent) includes all those who reported both Indigenous and European descent.
- Latino & White (Mixed descent) includes those who reported Latin American, Hispanic, and European descent.
- Another race category includes all other race categories not listed above.
- Do not know includes those who reported that they do not know their descent.
Indigenous identity
Respondents who selected Indigenous above were asked if they identify as Metis, First Nations, or Inuk/Inuit. This pie chart shows the results from the 2358 residents who responded.
2022 census maps
The following mapping applications use the raw census household results for their area summaries. The data has not been altered from the actual results collected in the 2022 municipal census. The results have been removed from any area with a total population of less than 50 people
- Urban and Rural results
- Ward results
- Urban neighbourhood and Hamlet result
Maps by:
Changes over time
Population change from 2005 to 2022
The population of Strathcona County has grown steadily for the past 17 years. The rate of growth has been decreasing since the 2012 municipal census.
Strathcona County saw its largest growth in the 2008 municipal census.
Number of dwellings from 2005 to 2022
The dwelling count in Strathcona County has continued to grow since 2005. Dwelling data before 2005 is unavailable.
The Urban Service Area has seen the most growth in number of dwellings.
The Rural Area has seen relatively slow growth in dwelling counts over the past 17 years.
Dwelling types from 2005 to 2022
The majority of housing stock in Strathcona County has consistently been single detached dwellings. This trend has continued since 2005.
The majority of multi-family dwellings such as row houses, duplexes and apartments are within the Urban Service Area.
In 2022 we introduced a "prefer not to answer' option, so the reduction in single detached dwellings was due to a change in methodology rather than real decline in the number of dwellings.
Single detached dwellings
Row houses
Duplexes
Apartments
Manufactured homes
Suite in single detached
Movable dwellings
Single dwelling attached to a non-residential structure
Collective dwellings
Household size from 2005 to 2022
The household size in both the Urban Service Area and Rural Area have declined slightly since 2005.
The median (mid-point) household size for both areas has decreased from three people per household in 2005 to two people per household in 2022.
Average age from 2005 to 2022
The average age of residents in both the Urban Service Area and the Rural Area has been increasing over the past 13 years.
Average age is based on the year of birth.
Gender from 2005 to 2022
Overall, Strathcona County has consistently reported more females than males. The numbers of males and females has increased or decreased by similar rates between each census.
Note: Decline in population from 2015 to 2022 is due to residents choosing not to answer the question and not from actual population decline. Also, in the 2022 census a third choice of "prefer to self-identify" was provided as an option for gender. Due to the small number of individuals (244) that chose this option the data is not presented in the following graphs.
Hamlet and Urban Service Area population changes from 2005 to 2022
Strathcona County is a specialized municipality with nine hamlets - both urban and rural. Sherwood Park is the urban area (home to over 73,000 residents) and is designated as an Urban Service Area.
The surrounding rural region is home to the communities of Antler Lake, Ardrossan, Collingwood Cove, Half Moon Lake, Hastings Lake, Josephburg, North Cooking Lake and South Cooking Lake.
Scroll through to see the location of each hamlet and how its population has changed since 2005.
Disclaimer: Population decreases in the rural hamlets between 2012 and 2015 may be due to a change in technology rather than real population decline.
Antler Lake
The hamlet of Antler Lake is a community situated on the shores of Antler Lake, just 15 minutes east of Sherwood Park, Alberta.
Antler Lake has had slight growth since 2005, growing by 79 people in 17 years.
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a growing community of 919 people. Located about four kilometres south of the Yellowhead Highway (Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway 16). Ardrossan can be accessed on Secondary Highway 824, south of Highway 16, or north from Baseline or Wye Road.
Ardrossan has grown by 614 people since 2005. It is the largest rural hamlet in Strathcona County.
Collingwood Cove
Collingwood Cove is located on the northern shores of Cooking Lake, just 15 minutes east of Sherwood Park along Highway 630 (Wye Road).
Collingwood Cove has grown by 56 people since 2005.
Half Moon Lake
The hamlet of Half Moon Lake is on a crescent-shaped body of water located just north of Highway 629, approximately 13 kilometres southeast of Sherwood Park.
Half Moon Lake's population has fluctuated slightly since 2005. Overall the hamlet has decreased in population by 41 people over the 17 years.
Hastings Lake
The hamlet of Hastings Lake is located approximately 40 kilometres east of Sherwood Park and can be reached either by taking Highway 14 or Wye Road.
Hastings Lake has grown slightly since 2005. Overall the population has increased by 14 people in 17 years.
Josephburg
The hamlet of Josephburg is the northernmost hamlet in Strathcona County. It is 10 minutes southeast of the City of Fort Saskatchewan.
Josephburg's population has decreased by 117 people since 2005.
North Cooking Lake
The hamlet of Deville-North Cooking Lake is located 26 kilometres southeast of Sherwood Park along Highway 630 (Wye Road).
North Cooking Lake's population has stayed relatively flat over the past 17 years. It has decreased in population by 5 people since 2005.
Urban Service Area
Over two-thirds of Strathcona County residents reside in the Urban Service Area. It is the largest hamlet in Strathcona County. Sherwood Park is located directly east of Edmonton, Alberta.
The Urban Service Area's population has grown continuously since 2005. The population increased by 17,937 people in 17 years.
County Council approved an expansion of the Urban Service Area to include the rural community of Bremner in 2016.
South Cooking Lake
South Cooking Lake is located 19 kilometres southeast of Sherwood Park on Highway 14.
South Cooking Lake's population has fluctuated slightly since 2005. Overall the population has decreased by 2 people in the 17 years.
Historical census map
The following mapping application uses the raw census household results for its area summaries. The data has not been altered from the actual results collected in the municipal census. The results have been removed from any area with a total population of less than 50 people
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