Due to spending restraint Calgary and Edmonton spend significantly less per person than Alberta's highest-spending municipalities

CALGARY, AB, Aug. 7, 2025 /CNW/ - The per-person municipal government spending levels in Calgary and Edmonton—Alberta's largest and most populous cities—are near the average spending level of the province's major municipalities, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

"While there's always room for improvement, the municipal governments in Calgary and Edmonton have done a better job at restraining spending than many other municipalities in Alberta," said Austin Thompson, senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute and author of Comparing Per-Person Expenditure and Revenue in Major Albertan Municipalities, 2009-2023. 

According to the study, which compares the finances of 25 Alberta municipalities, in 2023 (the latest year of comparable data), Edmonton ($3,241) and Calgary ($3,144) spent close to the per-person spending average ($3,239) among the 25 municipalities, and significantly less than the highest spenders, which include Grande Prairie County ($5,413), Red Deer County ($4,619) and Lethbridge ($4,423).

Subsequently, in terms of per-person spending, Edmonton ranked 12^th highest and Calgary ranked 13^th highest.

Moreover, despite significant population growth, both cities restrained spending.

From 2009 to 2023, Edmonton's population grew by 38.2 per cent and Calgary's population grew by 33.7 per cent, yet per-person spending (after adjusting for inflation) grew by 4.8 per cent in Edmonton and 2.1 per cent in Calgary.

"It's ultimately up to Albertans to decide if they get good value for their municipal tax dollars, but it helps to compare spending levels among municipalities across the province," said Jake Fuss, director of fiscal policy at the Fraser Institute.

Municipal government spending per person in Alberta (2023)

Municipality	spending per person	rank of 25
Grande Prairie County	$5,413	1
Red Deer County	$4,619	2
Lethbridge	$4,423	3
Canmore	$4,154	4
Strathcona County	$4,106	5
Red Deer	$3,788	6
Cold Lake	$3,646	7
Leduc	$3,452	8
Rocky View County	$3,419	9
Grande Prairie	$3,342	10
Fort Saskatchewan	$3,259	11
Edmonton	$3,241	12
Calgary	$3,144	13
Parkland County	$3,141	14
St. Albert	$3,129	15
Sylvan Lake	$2,859	16
Spruce Grove	$2,760	17
Camrose	$2,744	18
Stony Plain	$2,695	19
Beaumont	$2,626	20
Foothills County	$2,570	21
Okotoks	$2,456	22
Airdrie	$2,187	23
Cochrane	$2,142	24
Chestermere	$1,652	25
Municipal government average	$3,239

Note: This ranking excludes Medicine Hat due to its unique status as the only Alberta municipality
operating both an electricity and natural gas utility. Further details are available in the study.  

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The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org

SOURCE The Fraser Institute

MEDIA CONTACTS: Jake Fuss, Director of Fiscal Policy, Fraser Institute, Austin Thompson, Senior Policy Analyst, Fraser Institute; To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact: Bryn Weese, Director of Communications, Fraser Institute, 604-688-0221 ext. 589 [email protected]