Region at a glance

The Slave Lake region in northern Alberta covers an area of 53,614 square kilometers, larger in size than the Netherlands.  The region accounts for 8.4% of Alberta’s land mass and for 0.8% of Alberta’s population.  

According to Statistics Canada’s latest estimates, the region’s population totaled 28,100 in 2010, an increase of 4.5% from 2006.  According to the 2006 federal Census, the number of employees was 11,930, and the unemployment rate was 9.3%. 

The region’s largest industry on an employment basis is retail trade, accounting for 12% of total employment in Census year 2006, followed by oil and gas at 10%, and construction and manufacturing at about 8.5% each.  The region’s manufacturing sector is concentrated in the forest product sector.  The fastest growing industry between Census years 2001 and 2006 was the retail sector, which increased its employment by 44%, followed by oil and gas with a 27% increase.  Employment in the agricultural and forestry sectors fell sharply in the Slave Lake region between the two Census years. 

According to personal income taxfiler data the average individual income in the region was $29,300 per taxfiler in 2007, a 33% increase from 2003.  Average income for couples was $84,500 in 2007, a 35% rise from 2003.

The Slave Lake region is one of Alberta’s leading forest product producing regions. It accounts for about 9% of the total volume of logs consumed in the province, most of it used in the manufacturing of oriented strand board and lumber in the Slave Lake region.  In 2010, the region also accounted for 4.9% of the province’s crude oil production and for 6.2% of the total number of wells drilled in Alberta.  It is also a major producer of oats, hay and alfalfa.  The region has a vibrant hospitality sector, accounting for 1.4% of Alberta’s supply of hotel rooms.

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 Slave Lake region fell by 12% between 2009 and 2010.  Moreover, the number declined by 25% between June 2010 and June 2011.

Date Updated:
RDP-2461