Edmonton Has Alberta's Lowest Share of Homes in Flood Zones

Statistics Canada released a new national dataset on September 3, 2026, that measures, for the first time, how many residential properties sit in high flood hazard areas across Canada. The data comes from 2022 property records matched to flood modelling built by Public Safety Canada and JBA Risk Management in 2024, and it does not account for existing flood defences like dikes and berms.

In Edmonton, 0.8% of residential properties, or 3,775 homes, sat in a high flood hazard area as of 2022. That is the lowest share among Alberta's major census metropolitan areas. Calgary came in at 1.3%, or 6,560 homes.

The contrast sharpens outside the two big cities. High River sat at 20.2%, Canmore at 14.4%, and Wood Buffalo, home to Fort McMurray, at 6.3%. Each of those communities carries several times Edmonton's exposure.

For Edmonton buyers, the takeaway is straightforward: citywide flood exposure is low relative to other Alberta communities, but that is a city-level average, not a guarantee for any single address near the river valley.

Information last verified on September 3, 2026. Figures reflect Statistics Canada's 2022 reference-year data and change over time.

What did Statistics Canada find?

The study matched 2022 Canadian Housing Statistics Program property records to a 100-year floodplain model built by Public Safety Canada and JBA Risk Management in 2024. A property is counted as being in a "high flood hazard area" when it sits in a dissemination block where 80% or more of the land area overlaps that 100-year floodplain. A dissemination block is a small geographic unit, often a single city block, so this is a fairly precise measure.

Nationally, Manitoba had the highest share of homes in high flood hazard areas at 39.5%, followed by British Columbia at 7.1%, Yukon at 5.1%, Saskatchewan at 3.1%, Ontario at 1.9%, and Alberta at 1.3%.

Two caveats matter for reading these numbers correctly. First, the data reflects the 2022 reference year; it is a snapshot, not a live measure. Second, and importantly, the flood hazard estimates do not account for existing flood defences such as dikes and berms. The study measures exposure as if those structures were not there. That matters most in places like High River and Fort McMurray, both of which built flood mitigation infrastructure after past flood events. A high hazard share does not mean those homes are expected to flood; it means they sit in floodplain terrain absent protective works. The study also excludes reserves, non-residential properties, and vacant land, and it does not cover Quebec.

How Alberta's regions compare

Edmonton's 0.8% share stands apart from the rest of the province's flood-exposed communities. The gap between Edmonton and a place like High River is more than 20 times in relative terms.

These figures are exposure statistics tied to geography, not a statement about any individual property, and they are not an insurance quote. A property's actual flood risk and its insurance cost depend on its specific location, elevation, and the coverage a licensed broker can assess.

The roughly 3,775 flood-exposed Edmonton homes identified in the StatCan data sit within this broader market. If you are browsing Edmonton listings and want to check how a specific neighbourhood compares, our Edmonton property search lets you filter by area.

What the build-period data shows

Statistics Canada also broke the numbers down by when a home was built. In Alberta, homes built before 2005 had a 1.3% flood hazard share, homes built between 2006 and 2015 had a 1.5% share, and homes built between 2016 and 2022 had a 0.7% share. In other words, Alberta's newest homes were less likely to sit in a high flood hazard area than older ones.

That pattern runs opposite to what StatCan found in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, where homes built between 2016 and 2022 were more likely to be in high flood hazard areas than older housing stock. Alberta stands out for moving in the other direction over that same build period.

Clay figure with a clipboard beside a cut-away house showing rooms

What This Means for Edmonton

Edmonton's citywide numbers are reassuring in a relative sense: a 0.8% share is the lowest among Alberta's major CMAs, and it sits below the provincial average of 1.3%. But a citywide average describes the city, not your street. Homes closer to the North Saskatchewan River valley and its ravines can carry different exposure than the city average suggests, and this dataset does not name individual addresses.

This data also lands inside an active Alberta insurance story. Home insurance costs in the province have already been rising, a trend we covered in our piece on Alberta's home insurance increases. Flood exposure is one of several factors insurers weigh, alongside age of home, construction type, and claims history in the area. None of that is set by government policy; it is priced by private insurers on a property-by-property basis.

If you are evaluating a specific Edmonton property, whether you are buying or already own one, the right next step is to check that property's individual flood risk and talk to a licensed insurance broker about coverage and cost. A home value estimate can be a useful starting point when weighing a purchase or a sale alongside those questions, and our buyer resources walk through due-diligence steps worth pairing with a flood-risk check.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Edmonton homes are in a flood zone? As of 2022, Statistics Canada found 3,775 Edmonton CMA residential properties, or 0.8% of the total, in a high flood hazard area. That is the lowest share among Alberta's major CMAs.

Which Alberta towns have the most homes in flood hazard areas? High River had the highest share at 20.2% of residential properties, followed by Canmore at 14.4% and Wood Buffalo/Fort McMurray at 6.3%, all well above Edmonton's 0.8% and Calgary's 1.3%.

Does living in a flood hazard area mean my home will flood? No. It means the property sits in terrain that overlaps a 100-year floodplain model, and the estimate does not account for dikes, berms, or other flood defences already in place. It is an exposure measure, not a prediction for any specific home.

Does the StatCan flood data account for dikes and flood defences? No. The study measures flood hazard as if those defences did not exist, which is especially relevant for communities like High River and Fort McMurray that built flood mitigation infrastructure after past floods.

How do I check the flood risk of a specific Edmonton property? This dataset reports citywide and community-level shares only; it does not identify individual addresses. For a specific property, talk to a licensed insurance broker, who can assess flood risk and coverage options for that address directly.

This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance, fact-checked against the primary sources listed below, and reviewed by the hômm editorial team before publication. Market data is live from the MLS®.