Russellin Russell-Binscarth, Manitoba
Population 2,715: a town in Manitoba. It grew by 6% between the 2016 and 2021 censuses.
Is Russell a good place to live?
What it saves you on housing, it gives back elsewhere. The local economy does well (A+). Russell’s overall grade, B+, puts it better than 72% of Canadian towns. It ranks #13 of 181 in Manitoba. Crime is the sore point (D). Health is a weak point (C+).
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. 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 Russell grades
Each subject compares Russell 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 Russell stand out
The 3 things Russell does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Russell.
Trips to work from Russell are shorter than from Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns: 19 min on average
The car took 88% of commuters, in line with Manitoba’s towns (87%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Russell | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 19 min | 24 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 88% | 87% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Russell’s Violent Crime Severity Index is 183 (Manitoba’s towns: 198; Canadian towns: 86)
Each year brings 65.2 property incidents per 1,000 residents. Police recorded 36.4 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Manitoba’s towns (18) and Canadian towns (12).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Russell | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 36.4 | 18 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 65.2 | 58.8 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 183 | 198 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Renting in Russell costs 14% of household income, less than in Manitoba’s towns and across Canadian towns
Home ownership covers 81% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Russell | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 14% | 20% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 81% | 75% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Russell’s one school is Major Pratt School
From the town centre, high school starts 31 km away, higher than both Manitoba’s towns (1.1 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major Pratt SchoolIn RussellAll grades | All grades | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Russell | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest elementary school | 31 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
| Nearest secondary school | 31 km | 1.1 km | 1.2 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Why no schools grade in Manitoba? The province publishes no results school by school.
Russell has cooler summers than Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 23.7°C
Frost comes on 206 days a year, above both Manitoba’s towns (193) and Canadian towns (159). Midwinter nights in Russell bottom out at −22.3°C on average. Most of the snow comes in December, about 20 cm. The most precipitation falls in June: 88 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Russell | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 23.7°C | 25.8°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −22.3°C | −21.2°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 448 mm | 519 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 206 | 193 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Roblin)
Lives run shorter around Russell: 78.8 years, 2.7 below the typical Canadian town’s region
Source area for health survey and life expectancy: the Prairie Mountain Health Region
About as many adults call their health very good or excellent here as across Manitoba, 51% against 51%. 15% of adults smoke, daily or now and then, above both Manitoba’s towns (10%) and Canadian towns (12%). Closer to home, a hospital sits 4.3 km from the average resident of Russell, about the norm of 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Russell | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.8 | 80.0 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
A normal November in Russell runs from −11°C to −2°C
The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Shoal Lake. November usually brings some 13 cm of snow. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 18 mm. Next comes December, with normal highs of −10°C and lows of −19°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −10°C | −21°C | 49 mm |
| Spring | 8°C | −5°C | 94 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 10°C | 229 mm |
| Autumn | 8°C | −3°C | 76 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Roblin); the forecast is on the Weather page
Riding Mountain, which takes in Russell, is held by Dan Mazier (Conservative Party of Canada)
From Manitoba come 14 MPs, 7 of them with the Conservative Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Binscarth Library and Russell Library are Russell’s two public libraries
Visits and loans aren’t published as open data in Manitoba, so this page has none for Russell.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
More of Russell’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Manitoba’s towns or Canadian towns: 13%
18% are under 15, close to Manitoba’s towns (17%) and above Canadian towns (16%). People 65 and over make up 24% of the town.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 51.3% of Russell
Of the 2021 count, 1,330 were women and 1,265 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).
| Russell | Manitoba | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 58% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 24% | 17% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 47% | 52% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Manitoba and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A national park 10 km from Russell: Riding Mountain National Park
For a provincial park, Asessippi Provincial Park lies 9.4 km off.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Russell | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 4.9% | 1.1% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 12 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Radon is Russell’s main hazard: 35% of tested homes in its area top Health Canada’s guideline
Measured across the Assiniboine health region: radon tests
Flood mapping exists: a study by Hydrologic Forecasting and Water Management Branch of Manitoba Transporation and Infrastructure . Seismic risk runs low: $0.005 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Russell | Manitoba | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 35% | 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
Everything we know about Russell
Famous people from Russell
7 notable people were born in Russell.
Photo credits
Jon Montgomery: thelastminute (Duncan Rawlinson), CC BY 2.0 · Cody McLeod: Lisa Gansky from New York, NY, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Red Dutton: Unknown author, Public domain · Brodie Dupont: Sarah Connors, CC BY 2.0 · James Bezan: Paul Shapka of US Embassy Canada, CC BY 2.0
About Russell
Town in Manitoba
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Russell is one census subdivision in Manitoba, and TownRatings describes all of it.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,715 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Manitoba
- Census division
- Division No. 16
- Census subdivision
- 4616030
Questions about Russell
What kind of homes are in Russell?
83% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.3 people; 33% are one person living alone.
Who are the people of Russell?
Visible minorities are 12% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 11%, and Indigenous people 13%.
Has Russell grown?
It grew from 2,442 people in 2016 to 2,596 in 2021, up 6.3%; the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 2,715.
Is Russell a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 43.2, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 18% of residents; over-65s, 24%.
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).