Region at a glance

The Palliser region in south eastern Alberta covers an area of 43,515 square kilometers, larger in size than the Netherlands.  The region accounts for 6.8% 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 116,300 in 2010, an increase of 6.8% from 2006.  The region’s unemployment rate was 5.3% in 2010, down from 5.7% in 2009, and well below Alberta’s 6.5% rate.  According to the 2006 federal Census, the number of employees was 58,995 in 2006. 

The region’s largest industries on an employment basis are retail trade, agriculture and oil and gas, each accounting for just over 10% of total employment, followed by health care and social services and construction.  The accommodation and food services industry is also well represented in this region, and the region also has a sizeable manufacturing base, which is concentrated in the food products sector.  The fastest growing industry between Census years 2001 and 2006 was the oil and gas sector, which increased its employment by 68%.  Employment in the agricultural sector, which has been on a long and steady decline in the province, fell by 12% in the Palliser Region between the two Census years. 

The Palliser Region is one of the top three agricultural regions in Alberta, accounting for more than 10% of the province’s farm cash receipts, livestock and cropland, has the province’s largest agricultural area, and is the province’s largest producer of wheat and one of the top two producers of specialty crops.  The region also accounts for the second largest number of wells drilled in Alberta, and is the province’s number four natural gas producing region.

According to personal income taxfiler data the average individual income was $32,100 in 2007, a 28% increase from 2003.  Average income for couples was $96,100 in 2007, a 34% rise from 2003.

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 fell by 19% in the Palliser region between 2009 and 2010, and declined by 41% between June 2010 and June 2011.

Date Updated:
RDP-2459