Haut-MadawaskaNew Brunswick
In New Brunswick, this town has 4,098 residents. Its census division is Madawaska.
Is Haut-Madawaska a good place to live?
What it saves you on housing, it gives back elsewhere. Where it does best is safety (A). With a B+ overall, Haut-Madawaska sits #5 of 59 in New Brunswick. Nationally, it does better than 70% of Canadian towns. The trade-off is health (C−). Hazards are a real consideration (D). Its other grades sit near the middle: C+ for jobs & income and C+ for walkability.
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 is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. 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 Haut-Madawaska grades
Each subject compares Haut-Madawaska 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 Haut-Madawaska stand out
The 3 things Haut-Madawaska does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Haut-Madawaska.
High radon around Haut-Madawaska: 29% of homes tested in the area exceed 200 Bq/m³
Flood mapping exists: a study by Service New Brunswick - GeoNB. For earthquakes Haut-Madawaska is middling, $0.054 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Haut-Madawaska | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 29% | 20% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.054 | $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 4 health region
For the force that serves Haut-Madawaska, the Crime Severity Index is 36, below New Brunswick’s towns and Canadian towns
Property crime in its police area ran at 13.7 per 1,000 residents a year, below both New Brunswick’s towns (30.9) and Canadian towns (31.2). For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 9.3 violent incidents are reported each year. Haut-Madawaska shares its Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 numbers with the rest of the Clair detachment area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Haut-Madawaska | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 13.7 | 30.9 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 36 | 73 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 45 | 82 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 9.3 | 14.9 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Renting in Haut-Madawaska costs 17% of household income, less than in New Brunswick’s towns and across Canadian towns
9% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, about level with New Brunswick’s towns (9%) and below Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers 80% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Haut-Madawaska | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 9% | 9% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 20% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 80% | 86% | 74% |
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.
18% of adults smoke in the health region around Haut-Madawaska, against 12% for the typical Canadian town
A baby born in the region can expect 79.1 years, 80.7 for a girl and 77.3 for a boy (2022/2024). The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 15% of adults, below both New Brunswick’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%). The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 48%, ahead of the 44% for New Brunswick. Measured from where Haut-Madawaska’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 23 km away, beyond the typical 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Haut-Madawaska | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 48% | 43% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.1 | 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 4 (Edmundston area)
Winter nights bite in Haut-Madawaska: January lows of −19.1°C, colder than New Brunswick’s towns or Canadian towns
Most of the snow comes in February, about 70 cm. The thermometer drops below freezing on 198 days a year, higher than both New Brunswick’s towns (170) and Canadian towns (159). Also worth knowing: a normal July brings 107 mm of precipitation, more than any other month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Haut-Madawaska | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 329 cm | 310 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −19.1°C | −13.3°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 198 | 170 | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 1,012 mm | 1,121 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Edmundston)
Haut-Madawaska’s household incomes are lower than in 79% of Canadian towns
The average trip to work took 21 min, near New Brunswick’s towns (21 min) and lower than Canadian towns (26 min). By car: that was how 94% of commuters travelled at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Haut-Madawaska | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 21 min | 21 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 94% | 95% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
In Haut-Madawaska, 91% of residents learned French as their first language
Over-65s are nearly a quarter of the population. 13% are under 15, lower than both New Brunswick’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (16%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
47.7% of Haut-Madawaska’s residents are women
Of the 2021 count, 1,775 were women and 1,945 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).
| Haut-Madawaska | New Brunswick | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 63% | 63% | 64% |
| 65+ | 23% | 23% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 30% | 18% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 38% | 50% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; New Brunswick and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
What November brings in Haut-Madawaska: −5°C at night, 4°C by day
Precipitation in November averages 87 mm. By December, a normal day reaches −3°C and a night falls to −13°C. A typical November adds 25 cm of snow. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Edmundston forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −5°C | −17°C | 223 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −4°C | 216 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 10°C | 294 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 0°C | 279 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Edmundston); the forecast is on the Weather page
Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault (Liberal Party of Canada) holds Madawaska—Restigouche, the riding that includes Haut-Madawaska
From New Brunswick come 10 MPs, 6 of them with the Liberal Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Haut-Madawaska has two public libraries, Fort Kent Public Library and Mgr. Plourde Public Library
Library statistics aren’t published openly in New Brunswick, so there are no visit or loan figures for Haut-Madawaska.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Grew Brook begins at the edge of Haut-Madawaska
7 beaches are mapped within 5 km, none with a name. National parks are all over 100 km off. Lac-Témiscouata National Park (Québec) is the closest provincial park, at 20 km. The protected share of the 10 km around the town is 2.2%, below New Brunswick’s towns (6%) and close to Canadian towns (2.3%).
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Haut-Madawaska | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 2.2% | 6% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 8 | 7 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
No high school in or near Haut-Madawaska: the closest is 23 km off
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centre d'apprentissage du Haut-Madawaska FrenchIn Haut-MadawaskaElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| École communautaire Ernest-Lang FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Schools within 3 km | Haut-Madawaska | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 23 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.
Everything we know about Haut-Madawaska
Famous people from Haut-Madawaska
3 notable people were born in Haut-Madawaska.
Photo credits
Jocelyne Saucier: Séance de photos pour dossier de presse de Jocelyne Saucier par Ariane Ouellet en 2019., CC BY-SA 4.0
About Haut-Madawaska
Town in New Brunswick
For Haut-Madawaska, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in New Brunswick, and every figure on its pages covers that whole area.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 4,098 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- New Brunswick
- Census division
- Madawaska
- Census subdivision
- 1313031
Questions about Haut-Madawaska
Do people in Haut-Madawaska speak French?
Many do: 52% are bilingual in English and French (Canadian towns’ median: 8%), and 46% speak French only.
Who are the people of Haut-Madawaska?
4% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 2% have an Indigenous identity and 7% are immigrants.
What kind of homes are in Haut-Madawaska?
Single-detached houses make up 76% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 30% of households are one person, and the average is 2.2.
Has Haut-Madawaska grown?
Yes: the census counted 3,714 in 2016 and 3,720 in 2021, a rise of 0.2%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 4,098.
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).