BrokenheadManitoba
With 5,931 residents, it is a town in Manitoba. It grew by 6% between the 2016 and 2021 censuses.
Is Brokenhead a good place to live?
With a C− overall, Brokenhead is better than 15% of Canadian towns and ranks #159 of 181 in Manitoba. Health is its weak spot (C−). Its best grade is for hazard risk (B). Homes were valued at a median $324,000 at the 2021 census, 3.5 times the typical household’s income.
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Safety less sure: no police service names this town, so its crime figure is the nearest police detachment's, shared with a wider area. No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Brokenhead grades
Each subject compares Brokenhead with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Brokenhead stand out
The one thing Brokenhead does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Brokenhead.
Brokenhead’s region trails the typical Canadian town by 3.0 years: life expectancy 78.5
Closer to home, a hospital is 9.9 km from the average resident of Brokenhead, further than the usual 3.7 km. The region has more smokers than Manitoba, 17% of adults to 12%. Arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure affect 20% of the region’s adults on average, above Manitoba’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike. On self-rated health the region tracks the province: 50% very good or excellent, 51% for Manitoba.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Brokenhead | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.5 | 80.0 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 50% | 52% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy: the Interlake-Eastern Health Region
Brokenhead is a town of owners: 95% of households own their home, above Manitoba’s towns and Canadian towns
Shelter took 30% or more of income for just over one in ten households, lower than both Manitoba’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (18%). Rent took a fifth of household income, near both Manitoba’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Brokenhead | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 95% | 75% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 11% | 15% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
Commuters in Brokenhead travel further than in Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns, 38 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Brokenhead | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 38 min | 24 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
High radon around Brokenhead: 21% of homes tested in the area exceed 200 Bq/m³
Fire reaches the land around Brokenhead now and then: 3.9% within 25 km since 1986 (0.15% a year), below the high band. Earthquakes matter little: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.005 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town. No one has filed a flood map for Brokenhead on the national inventory. Brokenhead doesn’t get its own radon tests figures; the ones here come from the North Eastman health region.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Brokenhead | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 21% | 12% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.005 | $0.006 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Hardly any Canadian towns see harsher January nights than Brokenhead
Snow peaks in December: 27 cm in a normal year. Frosty days number 194 in a normal year, close to Manitoba’s towns (193) and above Canadian towns (159). For the wettest month, look to June: 99 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Brokenhead | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −21.7°C | −21.2°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 571 mm | 519 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 194 | 193 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 25.2°C | 25.8°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Pinawa)
More of Brokenhead’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns: 16%
Children under 15 make up 20%, above Manitoba’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (16%) alike. 1.2% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Manitoba’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (15%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
48.6% of Brokenhead’s residents are women
Here the census found 2,630 women and 2,785 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.
| Brokenhead | Manitoba | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 65% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 16% | 17% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 48% | 52% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Manitoba and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
The force covering Brokenhead records less serious violence than Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns, at 39
These figures come from the closest detachment: none reports for Brokenhead itself
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 59 over 2023–25, lower than both Manitoba’s towns (129) and Canadian towns (67). The force’s area logs 7.7 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Property crime in the area its police cover: 27.8 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Brokenhead | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 39 | 198 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 59 | 129 | 67 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 27.8 | 58.8 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 7.7 | 18 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: one figure for all of the Oakbank Area detachment area
What November brings in Brokenhead: −8°C at night, freezing by day
For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Winnipeg (The Forks) forecast. November normally sees 24 mm of precipitation. Snow is normal by November, about 21 cm over the month. Over the year, July is warmest at 25°C by day and January coldest at −22°C by night.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −9°C | −20°C | 68 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −4°C | 128 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 11°C | 248 mm |
| Autumn | 10°C | 0°C | 126 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Pinawa); the forecast is on the Weather page
Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman gave James Bezan a 18,704-vote lead in 2021, bigger than in 88% of ridings
Brokenhead is a rural municipality by Statistics Canada’s count of municipalities.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Brokenhead is Brokenhead River Regional Library, 10 km away
After it comes Gaynor Family Regional Library (Selkirk), 17 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Mars Hill Wildlife Management Area begins at the edge of Brokenhead
Within 100 km there is no national park. 9.8 km from town is Birds Hill Provincial Park, the nearest provincial park. 1.2% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%). For a swim, Echo Beach is the nearest of 4 beaches within 5 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Brokenhead | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 6 | 12 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.2% | 1.1% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
2 schools serve Brokenhead, 1 elementary school and 1 school for every grade
Measured from the centre, the closest high school lies 11 km off, above Manitoba’s towns (1.1 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km) alike.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gillis SchoolIn BrokenheadElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| École Edward-Schreyer SchoolNearest secondary school, 0.6 kmAll grades | All grades | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Brokenhead | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 11 km | 1.1 km | 1.2 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · The schools grade is given only where results are open; in Manitoba, the province publishes no results school by school.
Everything we know about Brokenhead
Saint Boniface Cathedral and 10 more within 40 km
Nothing to visit is mapped within 5 km of Brokenhead; these are the best known within 40 km.
CathedralSaint Boniface Cathedral40 km southwest
MuseumMarine Museum of Manitoba16 km northwest
MuseumUkrainian Cultural and Educational Centre40 km southwest
CathedralHoly Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral39 km southwest
FortFort Gibraltar39 km southwest
MuseumGrey Nuns' Convent40 km southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Saint Boniface Cathedral: Dondon83~commonswiki, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Marine Museum of Manitoba: photo by Brian Westhouse, uploaded in en.wikipedia by Wrecksdale Wreck, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre: Ccyyrree, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral: noricum from Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Gibraltar: Peter Rindisbacher, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Grey Nuns' Convent: Colincan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from around Brokenhead
No notable person born in Brokenhead is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Edward Schreyer: House of Commons, Public domain · Harry Oliver: Unknown author, Public domain · Murray Sinclair: Archkris, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andrew Murray: 5of7, CC BY-SA 2.0
About Brokenhead
Town in Manitoba
Brokenhead is a municipality in Manitoba, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 5,931 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Manitoba
- Census division
- Division No. 12
- Census subdivision
- 4612054
Brokenhead’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brokenhead | 5,931 | — | C− | C | B | C− |
| Beausejour | 3,565 | 10 | C | C | B | C |
| St. Clements | 12,029 | 16 | D | C | B− | C− |
| Selkirk | 11,570 | 18 | D− | C− | D | C |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Brokenhead
Who are the people of Brokenhead?
At the 2021 census, 6% were immigrants and 1% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 16% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What kind of homes are in Brokenhead?
18% of households are one person, and the average is 2.6.
Is Brokenhead growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 5,122 to 5,414 residents (up 5.7%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 5,931.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).