Region at a glance

The North East region covers an area of 41,209 square kilometers, similar in size to the Netherlands.  The region accounts for 6.4% of Alberta’s land mass and for 3.1% of Alberta’s population.  

According to Statistics Canada’s latest estimates, the region’s population totaled 115,300 in 2010, an increase of 3.7% from 2006.  The region’s unemployment rate was 4.1% in 2010, down from 4.6% in 2009, and the number of employees was just over 60,000. 

The region’s largest industry on an employment basis is oil and gas (and forestry)1, which together accounted for 16% of total employment in 2010, followed by retail trade at 12%.  The construction, public administration, and health care and social assistance industries are also well represented in this region.  The fastest growing industry between 2006 and 2010 was the oil and gas sector, which increased its employment level by about 1,600.  Employment in the agricultural sector, which has been on a long and steady decline in the province, fell sharply over the same period. 

According to personal income taxfiler data the average individual income was $34,400 in 2007, a large 46% increase from 2003.  Average income for couples was $101,700 in 2007, a 50% rise from 2003.

North East Alberta is one of Alberta’s top agricultural regions, accounting for about 10% of the province’s cropland, livestock and number of farms in Census year 2006; its largest crops are canola and alfalfa.  It is also the province’s second largest crude oil producer, accounting for 23% of total Alberta oil production, because of its vast in-situ oil sands reserves, and the top region for drilling activity.

Although very few current indicators are available on a regional basis, it is clear that the impacts of the global economic crisis have also subsided in this region; for instance the number of Employment Insurance beneficiaries receiving regular benefits in the North East region fell by 4% between 2009 and 2010.  Moreover, the number declined by 26% between June 2010 and June 2011.

1 Forestry accounts for a relatively small number of employees; most employees are in the oil and gas sub-sector.

Date Updated:
RDP-2458