Alberta · Census Metropolitan Area
Red Deer by the numbers
Red Deer is Canada's 40th largest metro area, home to about 115K people, growing faster than the country since 2021 (+10.4% vs +9.3%). A two-bedroom rents for about $1,418, the median age is 38.8 and January averages -12°C.
People
Population of Red Deer
The Red Deer census metropolitan area had an estimated 115,273 people on July 1, 2025, up +10.4% since 2021 (Canada grew +9.3%). The 2021 Census counted 100,844 people, +0.4% more than in 2016.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0148-01, Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0155-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0003-01
2021 Census
Who lives in Red Deer
Age
Median age is 38.8 (Canada: 41.6). 15.1% of residents are 65 or older and 18.2% are under 15.
Languages
5.4% can speak both official languages. At home, 88.3% speak mostly English, 0.3% mostly French and 8.7% mostly another language.
Immigration
16.9% of residents are immigrants (Canada: 23.0%), and 4.0% arrived between 2016 and 2021.
Education: 22.0% of 25 to 64 year olds hold a bachelor's degree or higher; 23.6% have a college or CEGEP diploma and 11.0% a trades certificate.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0030-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0223-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0227-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0302-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0384-01
Money
Income and jobs in Red Deer
Half of Red Deer households made more than $85,000 in 2020 and half made less. Across Canada the median was $84,000.
Unemployment rate
In September 2026, the unemployment rate was 6.9% and 65.6% of adults had a job.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0061-01, Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0459-01
Housing
Housing in Red Deer
Average rent (October 2025)
A two-bedroom apartment rented for $1,418 a month on average, +5.7% from a year earlier and +38.7% over five years.
New homes being built
Builders started 375 new homes in the Red Deer area in the 12 months to September 2026, -0.5% from the year before. That is 3.2 new homes per 1,000 residents. Source: Statistics Canada, Table 34-10-0154-01 (CMHC housing starts)
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0258-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0256-01, Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0253-01, Statistics Canada, Table 34-10-0133-01, Statistics Canada, Table 34-10-0127-01
Commuting
Getting around Red Deer
Census day 2021 fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, so transit use is lower than in normal years.
Open the live road map → Traffic cameras, incidents and road conditions.
Safety
Crime in Red Deer
The Crime Severity Index weighs each police-reported crime by how serious it is. Canada in 2006 = 100. Red Deer's index fell -3.4% in the latest year.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0026-01
Every crime type in Red Deer → Car theft, break-ins, fraud, homicides and more.
Climate
Red Deer weather and climate
30-year averages (1981–2010) from the Red Deer A weather station, 11.5 km from the city centre.
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010
Official city data
Red Deer open data & fun facts
Red Deer Open Data · 22 datasets
- Building Permits Building permits issued by the City of Red Deer, updated daily.
- Business Licences Business licences issued by the City of Red Deer.
- Traffic Intersection Counts Traffic counts at Red Deer intersections.
- E-Scooter No Go Zone Areas where shared e-scooters may not be ridden.
Out of all Canadian metro areas with data
How Red Deer ranks
Compare
Cities near Red Deer
Interactive timeline
History of Red Deer
Red Deer lies on the traditional territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut'ina, Stoney Nakoda, Cree, Saulteaux and Métis peoples, at a river crossing on the old Calgary–Edmonton Trail, and straddles the lands of Treaties 6 and 7. A settlement began at the crossing in 1882, moved to the new railway in 1891 and became a city in 1913. The city's history includes a residential school, the provincial training school whose residents were sterilized under Alberta's eugenics law, and oil and petrochemical booms.
FAQ
Red Deer questions, answered
What is the population of Red Deer?
The Red Deer metro area had an estimated 115,273 people on July 1, 2025 (Statistics Canada).
How much is rent in Red Deer?
In October 2025 the average rent in Red Deer was $1,220 for a one-bedroom and $1,418 for a two-bedroom apartment (CMHC Rental Market Survey).
What is the average household income in Red Deer?
The median household income in Red Deer was $85,000 before tax in 2020 ($75,000 after tax), according to the 2021 Census. The average was $103,500.
What is the unemployment rate in Red Deer?
The unemployment rate in Red Deer was 6.9% in September 2026 (Labour Force Survey, three-month moving average, seasonally adjusted).
How cold does it get in Red Deer?
January averages -11.6°C, with average lows of -17.6°C. Red Deer gets about 120 cm of snow a year, and in July the average daily high is 22.7°C (1981–2010 climate normals).
Is Red Deer bilingual?
5.4% of people in Red Deer can speak both English and French; 93.9% speak English only and 0.0% French only (2021 Census).
What is the median age in Red Deer?
The median age in Red Deer was 38.8 in the 2021 Census, compared with 41.6 for Canada.
Is Red Deer safe?
Red Deer had a Crime Severity Index of 114.4 in 2025, compared with 75.0 for Canada as a whole. A lower number means less, and less serious, police-reported crime.
Built October 30, 2026 from the latest published official data.