Population Change, Rural and Small Town Alberta

This Alberta Official Statistic describes the percent change in Alberta’s population between 1986 and 2011 by 5-year census cycles. The population is divided into "Larger Urban Centres" and Rural and Small Town areas. Within rural Alberta, the population is divided into four categories with each category consecutively representing lesser integration with urban economies. The four categories are called Metropolitan Influenced Zones (MIZ) and capture urban integration based on the percent of the working population commuting to urban centers. The categories are: Strong MIZ (where 30% or more of the workforce commutes to an urban core) Moderate MIZ (where 5% to 29% commute to any urban core) Weak MIZ (where greater than 0% but less than 5% commute to any urban core) No MIZ (where there are no residents commuting to an urban core)