Region at a glance

The South Central region covers an area of 18,605 square kilometers, larger in size than the state of Hawaii.  The region accounts for 2.9% of Alberta’s land mass and for 3.9% of Alberta’s population.  

According to Statistics Canada’s latest estimates, the region’s population totaled 145,000 in 2010, an increase of 7.0% from 2006.  According to the 2006 federal Census, the number of employees was 67,755 and the region’s unemployment rate was 4.2%.

The region’s largest industry on an employment basis is health care and social services, accounting for about 12% of total employment in Census year 2006, followed by agriculture and retail trade at 11% each.  The region also has a sizeable manufacturing industry, concentrated in the food and beverage and transportation equipment sectors.  The fastest growing industries between Census years 2001 and 2006 were the utilities (including wind energy) and oil and gas sectors, each of which grew its employment level by about 45%, followed by administrative support, waste management and remediation services which increased its employment by one-third.  Employment in the transportation and warehousing sector fell by 3% in the South Central region between the two Census years. 

According to personal income taxfiler data the average individual income in the region was $27,400 per taxfiler in 2007, a 28% increase from 2003.  Average income for couples was $87,000 in 2007, a 33% rise from 2003.

The South Central region is one of Alberta’s top two agricultural regions.  It accounts for 20% of the province’s farm receipts and for 15% of the total number of cattle and calves.  It is the province’s largest producer of durum wheat, potatoes, corn and pulse crops, such as peas and beans, and is also a major producer of barley, wheat, hogs and poultry.  The region is a large producer of wind energy and conventional crude oil.

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: although the number of Employment Insurance beneficiaries receiving regular benefits in the South Central region fell by a mere 1% between 2009 and 2010, it declined by 26% between June 2010 and June 2011.

 

Date Updated:
RDP-2462