Growth Study

The Growth Study is a comprehensive examination of future growth anticipated for Camrose. The findings of the Growth Study are based on the City’s historical growth rate and future growth projections, with considerations for demographic shifts and employment forecasting.

In combination with existing land supply analysis, the Growth Study provides varied future growth scenarios for population and employment. The Growth Study also establishes potential land that Camrose may require to accommodate future growth and identifies priority areas of the City that should be developed based on a variety of factors. A significant aspect of the MDP project was understanding how Camrose would grow and the impacts of that growth on the community.

The updated Growth Study key findings shape and inform the policies in the MDP.

Some of those key findings are:

• International migration, which was already a large source of population growth in the past, has further increased in recent years.
• Camrose is expected to grow by 0.9% per year on average from 2023 to 2048. This growth rate is 40% less than the growth rate of the provincial average, but 28% greater than the growth rate for Census Division-10 (CD-10). This results in a net population growth of 4,865 over the next 25 years and 2,390 new jobs.
• 18% of the population is over 70, and the median age in Camrose is 43.2. The current labour force participation rate in Camrose is 61.6%, significantly below the province’s average of 69.7%.
• 67.1% of commutes are less than 15 minutes. This is substantially shorter commute time than the provincial average of only 30.9% of commute times being less than 15 minutes.
• Household size continues to decline, albeit at a slower rate than in previous decades. The growth plan forecasts household size to decline from 2.3 residents per household to 2.2 per household, on average.
• In total, the Growth Study estimates that 140 hectares of new residential land will be required to build new communities. As well, 134 hectares of industrial land will be required, and 12 hectares of commercial land.

At the September 23, 2024, Council meeting, Council passed a motion to approve the Growth Study as a guiding document with the effective date of January 1, 2025.