BrightNew Brunswick
3,648 people call this town in New Brunswick home. It is part of the Fredericton metro area.
Is Bright a good place to live?
A tough set of grades. Health is a weak point (C−). Work and incomes lag (C−). The overall grade lands at D−, better than 4% of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #58 of 59 in New Brunswick.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. 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 Bright grades
Each subject compares Bright 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 Bright stand out
The 2 things Bright does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bright.
Fewer adults feel healthy around Bright: 45% say very good or excellent (52% for the typical Canadian town)
Measured from where people live, the nearest hospital is 23 km away, higher than both New Brunswick’s towns (11 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km). Smoking is commoner than in the province: 15% of adults, against 14% for New Brunswick. Lives in the region last 80.1 years on average (2022/2024): 81.9 for women, 78.2 for men.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Bright | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 45% | 43% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.1 | 80.1 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Area behind the health survey and life expectancy figures: the Zone 3 (Fredericton area)
Trips to work from Bright take longer than from New Brunswick’s towns or Canadian towns: 29 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Bright | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 29 min | 21 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
High radon around Bright: 17% of homes tested in the area exceed 200 Bq/m³
Measured across the Region 3 health region: radon tests
One flood study covers the town, by Service New Brunswick - GeoNB. NRCan expects $0.034 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in Bright, near the typical $0.030.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Bright | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 17% | 20% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.034 | $0.036 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Bright earns a C for safety
No police detachment reports under Bright’s name, so these are the nearest detachment’s figures, not the town’s own
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 82 over 2023–25, above New Brunswick’s towns (73) and Canadian towns (67) alike. Violence across its police area runs at 14.5 per 1,000 residents a year. Bright doesn’t get its own Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures; the ones here come from the Nackawic detachment area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Bright | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 82 | 73 | 67 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 34.1 | 30.9 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Bright’s teenagers travel 23 km to the nearest high school
From the middle of town, the first elementary school is 6.9 km off, higher than both New Brunswick’s towns (1.6 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keswick Ridge SchoolIn BrightElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Bright | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 23 km | 4.5 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 6.9 km | 1.6 km | 0.5 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Towns in New Brunswick aren’t in the schools rankings: the province publishes no results school by school.
Within 10 km of Bright: 38 public protected areas
No national park lies within 100 km. Within 10 km, 7.1% of the land is protected, above New Brunswick’s towns (6%) and Canadian towns (2.3%) alike. The largest named area nearby is Nashwaak River, 3,984 ha, 6.7 km away. Also worth knowing: for a swim, Mactaquac Beach is the nearest of 5 beaches within 5 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Bright | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 38 | 7 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 7.1% | 6% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
July afternoons in Bright reach 25.9°C (New Brunswick towns 25.1°C, Canadian towns 25.5°C)
Between the last spring frost, 14 May, and the first in autumn, 27 September, lie 135 days. A normal winter brings 241 cm of snow, between New Brunswick’s towns (310 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). January is the snowiest month, with 64 cm on average. For the wettest month, look to October: 106 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Bright | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 241 cm | 310 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 25.9°C | 25.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,022 mm | 1,121 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −14.6°C | −13.3°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Fredericton (Airport))
In Bright, November normally means 6°C afternoons and −3°C nights
Precipitation in November averages 97 mm. About 13 cm of snow falls in a normal November. Then December: freezing by day, −10°C at night. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Fredericton forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −13°C | 242 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −1°C | 245 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 12°C | 243 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 2°C | 293 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Fredericton (Airport)); the forecast is on the Weather page
Bright’s MP is Richard Bragdon (Conservative Party of Canada), for Tobique—Mactaquac
Statistics Canada lists Bright as a parish.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Bright is New Brunswick Library of Craft And Design, 24 km away
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
12% of Bright’s residents speak English and French (New Brunswick’s towns: 27%; Canadian towns: 7.5%)
Just over a fifth of residents are 65 or over, near New Brunswick’s towns (23%) and higher than Canadian towns (19%). The under-15s are 16% of the population here.
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 50.5% of Bright
1,675 women and 1,640 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Bright | New Brunswick | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 61% | 63% | 64% |
| 65+ | 22% | 23% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 24% | 18% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 46% | 50% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; New Brunswick and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Bright is a town of owners: 93% of households own their home, above New Brunswick’s towns and Canadian towns
Area-wide: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom, counted over the Fredericton metro area
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 7% of households, below New Brunswick’s towns (9%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. Rent took nearly a quarter of household income, higher than both New Brunswick’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Bright | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 7% | 9% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 93% | 86% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 23% | 20% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.
Everything we know about Bright
Crabbe Mountain Ski Resort and 5 more within 40 km
2 places to visit are mapped within 5 km of Bright; with them, the best known within 40 km.
Art galleryBeaverbrook Art Gallery26 km east · 25K visitors a year
AttractionWorld's Largest Axe22 km southwest
MuseumKings Landing Historical Settlement17 km south
CathedralChrist Church Cathedral26 km eastHistoric shipHistoric shipAvenger Crash Site1 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Beaverbrook Art Gallery: Vascobattuta at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- World's Largest Axe: Share Bear, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kings Landing Historical Settlement: Neelix at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Christ Church Cathedral: Vascobattuta at en.wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Bright
3 notable people were born in Bright.
Photo credits
Frederic McGrand: Government of New Brunswick, Public domain · James Wilfred Estey: A. Beaver, Public domain
About Bright
Town in New Brunswick
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Bright is one census subdivision in New Brunswick, and TownRatings describes all of it.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 3,648 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- New Brunswick
- Census division
- York
- Metro area
- Fredericton
- Census subdivision
- 1310026
Bright’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bright | 3,648 | — | D− | B− | C | C− |
| Queensbury | 1,421 | 10 | — | C+ | C | D |
| Douglas | 6,840 | 13 | C | B− | B− | C− |
| Kingsclear | 3,158 | 15 | B− | A− | B− | C− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Bright
Who are the people of Bright?
2% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 2% have an Indigenous identity and 3% are immigrants.
What kind of homes are in Bright?
Mostly 90% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.5 people on average, and 22% have just one.
Do people in Bright speak French?
Many do: 12% are bilingual in English and French (Canadian towns’ median: 8%), and 0.2% speak French only.
Is Bright growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 3,289 to 3,317 residents (up 0.9%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 3,648.
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).