Oilsands region renters surpass Edmonton, Calgary as one of the most 'financially comfortable' in Canada, new data finds

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeHomesNewsLocal News Oilsands region renters surpass Edmonton, Calgary as one of the most 'financially comfortable' in Canada, new data finds According to the data, the average household income in the oilsands sits at $131,676, surpassing both Calgary (at $120,566) and Edmonton (at $112,565) Author of the article: By Itoro Umanah Published Sep 23, 2026 Last updated 1 hour ago 5 minute read Join the conversation Christina Lake oilsands facility near Fort McMurray, Alberta. Handout MEG Energy ORG. PHOTO BY HANDOUT MEG ENERGY /Postmedia Network Article content Fort McMurray is known for being Alberta’s oil rich region, and new data reveals that wealth continues to trickle down to residents – renters specifically, who are keeping more money in their pockets even after making rent payments. Article content The Rent Cheque: 2026 Rental Intelligence Report, by Single Key – a Canadian risk intelligence platform – showed rent as a share of household income is one of the lowest of any market in the country, at just 20.5 per cent – a number that is nearly 10 per cent below the 28.1 per cent national average. Article content Article content Article content According to the report, data was analyzed by parsing through “hundreds of thousands” of rental applications processed via the platform across numerous data points to determine who the average renter was, affordability and risk signals for the second quarter of 2026. Article content Headline News Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content The report highlights income as a major factor playing into this wealth index. Article content A man rides a bike past Manning Apartments, downtown Fort McMurray, Alta. Sept. 22, 2026. PHOTO BY ITORO UMANAH /Postmedia Network Article content Household incomes are “gross household incomes,” the report defines, which means that they are a total of all incomes earned in any singular rented home. While personal incomes are “single household applicants” where “applicants with a co-signer are excluded, since their rent is financially backed by someone else.” Article content Fort McMurray, amongst its neighboring regions, has the highest household and personal incomes of any Alberta market: The…