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Community Profile

The Town of Claresholm is a municipality of 3780 residents, with a service area of  7000 when including surrounding residents. Claresholm is predominantly English-speaking, with a growing immigrant population that has added to its diversity. The Town enjoys a moderate climate.  The Town has an average personal income, and a skilled workforce, far above the national median average. An abundant land bank for potential development, ease of access to natural resources and markets, low housing costs, ample amenities and services, and a unique focus on active living and thrilling events position the town for industrial, consumer and residential attraction.

Demographics

Population
The Town of Claresholm has a population of 3,780 and a service area of approximately 7,000. The immigrant population of Claresholm is 200 and of predominantly European and Asian descent (2011 National Household Survey).

Language
English is the first language of 93% of the population, followed by German, French and Tagalog (Filipino) in descending order of prevalence (2011 National Household Survey).

Skilled Workforce
68% of Claresholm residents aged 25-64 have some form of postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree. This includes 23% in apprenticeship or trades, 27% at the College certificate/diploma level, and 15% with a Bachelor’s Degree or above. 56.8% of Claresholm residents participate in the workforce and 18% of those are self-employed (2011 National Household Survey).

Income
The median employment income of persons over the age of 15 who worked full-time in 2010 was $47,809, with a median family income of $65,100 (2011 National Household Survey). The median personal employment income is far higher than the $29,250 for all of Canada and the small disparity between personal and family implies a number of families are enjoying single-earner or part-time spousal earnings with a potential focus on child-rearing.

Housing
As of May 18, 2017, the average home sale in Alberta was $398,582 YTD for 2017. The Calgary average was $475,516 and the Lethbridge average was $271,053. The average for south central Alberta, including Claresholm, was $195,416 (Alberta Real Estate Association). The average residential rental rate for attached facilities in a 3+ unit property is $675 and 76% of residents spend 30% or less of their income on housing (2011 National Household Survey).

Climate
Claresholm enjoys some the warmest weather regionally and nationally. All months except January experience daily average highs above 0 degrees Celsius, with Chinooks regularly bringing winter temperatures into the plus teens. Highs in July and August average a comfortably warm 25 and 26 degrees Celsius. There are 361 millimetres of annual precipitation that fall mainly during the rainy season of May and June.

Commuter Flow
Claresholm enjoys a net influx of 530 commuters for the purpose of employment. This adds to the daytime service area, with the majority of commuters coming from the MD of Willow Creek, followed by neighbouring communities and Lethbridge. The median commute time for Claresholm residents is 5.8 minutes (2011 National Household Survey).