BathurstNew Brunswick
The town, home to 4,840 people, lies in New Brunswick. It is part of Gloucester, a census division.
Is Bathurst a good place to live?
Housing is within reach (B+). Its weakest is walkability (D). It lags on hazard risk as well (D). Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for health and B− for jobs & income.
Bathurst has no overall grade because safety isn’t graded here.
No Safety Grade: no police service publishes a crime rate for this place on its own. 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 Bathurst grades
Each subject compares Bathurst with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Bathurst has no overall grade because safety isn’t graded here.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Bathurst stand out
The 3 things Bathurst does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bathurst.
Hazard risk in Bathurst is higher than in 93% of Canadian towns
Earthquake risk in Bathurst is ordinary: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.055 a year per $1,000 of value, close to the typical town’s $0.030. Wildfire is rare near Bathurst: 1.7% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, a burn rate of 0.05% a year. Radon is higher than usual: two fifths of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. The national inventory holds one flood map for it, from Service New Brunswick - GeoNB.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Bathurst | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 40% | 20% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.055 | $0.036 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Radon tests: one figure for all of the Region 6 health region
More of the land around Bathurst is protected than around 9 in 10 Canadian towns
The 10 km around town hold 42 protected areas. Kouchibouguac National Park is the closest national park, 61 km from town. The closest provincial park is Mount Carleton Provincial Park, 39 km from the edge of town. Within 5 km are 23 beaches; Beresford Beach is the nearest.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Bathurst | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 38 | 7 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 13% | 6% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Bathurst is a town of owners: 92% of households own their home, above New Brunswick’s towns and Canadian towns
Source area for rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom: the Bathurst metro area
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 6% of households, below New Brunswick’s towns (9%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Bathurst | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 6% | 9% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 92% | 86% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 18% | 20% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.
Winter nights bite in Bathurst: January lows of −16.0°C, colder than New Brunswick’s towns or Canadian towns
Snowfall adds up to 337 cm a year, above New Brunswick’s towns (310 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. Gardeners get 127 frost-free days, from 20 May to 26 September. October is the wettest month, with 120 mm of rain and snow on average. A normal January brings 71 cm of snow, the most of any month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Bathurst | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 337 cm | 310 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −16.0°C | −13.3°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 181 | 170 | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 1,118 mm | 1,121 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Bathurst)
More people in Bathurst speak English and French than in New Brunswick’s towns or Canadian towns: 63%
Visible minorities make up 0.7% of the population, below New Brunswick’s towns (2.3%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. The under-15s are 11% of the population here. Retirement age and beyond: 27% of residents are 65 or older.
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 49.2% of Bathurst
The 2021 census counted 2,340 women and 2,420 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Bathurst | New Brunswick | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 63% | 64% |
| 65+ | 27% | 23% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 22% | 18% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 49% | 50% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; New Brunswick and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure are commoner around Bathurst (20% against 17% for the typical Canadian town)
Measured across the Zone 6 (Bathurst area): health survey and life expectancy
Adults here are more upbeat about their health than the province: 49% very good or excellent, against 44% in New Brunswick. At 11%, the share of adults who smoke sits under the 14% for New Brunswick. Across the region, life runs to 80.2 years on average: women 82.7, men 77.8, in 2022/2024. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Bathurst’s is long: 11 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Bathurst | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 49% | 43% | 52% |
| Smokers | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.2 | 80.1 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
10 schools serve Bathurst, 7 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade
In French: 4 of the 10 schools, where in New Brunswick the share is 28%. The closest elementary school is 5.5 km away, higher than both New Brunswick’s towns (1.6 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janeville Elementary SchoolNearest elementary school, 0.5 kmElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Bathurst High SchoolNearest secondary school, 2.4 kmSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
| Place-des-Jeunes FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Bathurst | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Nearest elementary school | 5.5 km | 1.6 km | 0.5 km |
| Nearest secondary school | 6.2 km | 4.5 km | 1.2 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · The schools grade is given only where results are open; in New Brunswick, the province publishes no results school by school.
What November brings in Bathurst: −4°C at night, 5°C by day
The month after, December, normally sees −2°C afternoons and −11°C nights. November usually brings some 22 cm of snow. Precipitation in November averages 97 mm. ECCC’s forecast for Bathurst is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −14°C | 254 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −3°C | 273 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 12°C | 286 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 2°C | 305 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Bathurst); the forecast is on the Weather page
Bathurst’s MP is Serge Cormier (Liberal Party of Canada), for Acadie—Bathurst
No provincial riding is named for Bathurst, as no open boundary file exists for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick that we could find.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
No public library stands in Bathurst: the closest, Smurfit-Stone Public Library, is 8.3 km away
The next is Petit-Rocher Public Library (Petit-Rocher), 18 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Commuters in Bathurst have a short way to work, 19 min on average, less than in New Brunswick’s towns and across Canadian towns
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Bathurst | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 19 min | 21 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Everything we know about Bathurst
Sacred Heart Cathedral and 2 more in and around Bathurst
What there is to see in Bathurst and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
CathedralSacred Heart Cathedral2.7 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumNepisiguit Museum2.6 km outside town, to the eastArt galleryArt galleryBay Breeze Art Gallery2.9 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Sacred Heart Cathedral: Diablo2003, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from around Bathurst
No notable person born in Bathurst is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Natasha St-Pier: Ronny Martin Junnilainen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Joe De Grasse: Motion Picture News, Inc.; Universal Pictures, Public domain · Sam De Grasse: Unknown author, Public domain · Stephanie Horner: JD Lasica from Pleasanton, CA, US, CC BY 2.0 · Gerald Hannon: Sima Sahar Zerehi, CC BY 2.5
About Bathurst
Town in New Brunswick
TownRatings counts Bathurst as Statistics Canada does, as one municipality in New Brunswick; the census, crime and housing figures all follow that boundary.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 4,840 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- New Brunswick
- Census division
- Gloucester
- Census subdivision
- 1315008
Bathurst’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
Questions about Bathurst
Do people in Bathurst speak French?
English and French are both spoken by 63% of residents, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%. French alone: 5.3%.
What kind of homes are in Bathurst?
95% 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; 22% are one person living alone.
Is Bathurst growing?
It went from 4,797 people in 2016 to 4,761 in 2021, down 0.8%, while the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 4,840.
How old are the people of Bathurst?
At 52.4, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 11% of the population and seniors 27%.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · 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).