#1Wellington
New Brunswick · 3,458 peopleOverall A−·#514 of 2,556
Strongest: cost of living A+, safety A·lowest: walkability D
Wellington, #1 on this list · Photo: P199 (CC BY-SA 3.0)New Brunswick · 2026
Best small towns in New Brunswick
New Maryland is second (B+) and Haut-Madawaska third (B+). Of the 47 on the list, only one earns an A. The list ends with Alnwick, at D−. Wellington is #298 of 1,524 on the list for all of Canada. No place in New Brunswick makes the national top 100 on this list. First place in New Brunswick goes to Wellington, with A−.
Overall grade, the ranked towns under 10,000 How grades work
#1A−Overall
#2New Maryland
New Brunswick · 4,455 peopleOverall B+·#626 of 2,556
Strongest: jobs & income A+, cost of living A·lowest: hazard risk C−
#3Haut-Madawaska
New Brunswick · 4,098 peopleOverall B+·#688 of 2,556
Strongest: safety A, cost of living A−·lowest: hazard risk D
All 47, ranked in New Brunswick
Best first in New Brunswick; beside each place, its rank on the same list for all of Canada.
47 places
#TownOverallCanada rankWhat drives it
2New Maryland4,455 peopleB+#356 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income A+, cost of living A·lowest: hazard risk C−
3Haut-Madawaska4,098 peopleB+#399 of 1,524Strongest: safety A, cost of living A−·lowest: hazard risk D
5Starlight Village5,108 peopleB#505 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income A+, cost of living A−·lowest: walkability C−
6Grand Bay-Westfield5,202 peopleB#517 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living A, jobs & income A−·lowest: health C−
9New Maryland3,198 peopleB#610 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income A, cost of living A−·lowest: walkability D
11Burton5,424 peopleB−#805 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living A, jobs & income B·lowest: hazard risk D
12Kingsclear3,158 peopleB−#837 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living A−, jobs & income B+·lowest: walkability D
13Caraquet4,572 peopleC+#867 of 1,524Strongest: walkability B, jobs & income B−·lowest: hazard risk D
14Shippagan3,073 peopleC+#917 of 1,524Strongest: walkability A−, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk D
16Lincoln8,093 peopleC+#977 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income B+, cost of living B·lowest: walkability D
17Shediac5,699 peopleC+#985 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income B+, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk C−
20Grand Manan2,648 peopleC+#999 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income A, cost of living A−·lowest: safety C−
21Saint Marys5,701 peopleC+#1,003 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income B+, cost of living B·lowest: walkability D
22Oromocto9,451 peopleC#1,049 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income A+, cost of living B−·lowest: hazard risk D
23Grand Falls / Grand-Sault5,465 peopleC#1,071 of 1,524Strongest: walkability A−, safety B−·lowest: hazard risk D
25Salisbury2,585 peopleC#1,095 of 1,524Strongest: walkability B+, jobs & income B−·lowest: hazard risk C−
26Beaubassin East / Beaubassin-est8,138 peopleC#1,098 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B+, jobs & income B−·lowest: walkability D
29Wakefield2,749 peopleC#1,130 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income A−, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk C−
30Douglas6,840 peopleC#1,149 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income B, cost of living B−·lowest: walkability D
31Cap-Pelé3,092 peopleC−#1,172 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income B, cost of living C+·lowest: hazard risk C−
32Hampton4,754 peopleC−#1,200 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B, jobs & income B−·lowest: health D
33Coverdale5,167 peopleC−#1,236 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income B−, cost of living B−·lowest: walkability D
34Studholm3,668 peopleC−#1,302 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living A−, hazard risk C+·lowest: walkability D
35Atholville3,346 peopleC−#1,316 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living A−, walkability C+·lowest: health D
36Sussex4,994 peopleD#1,387 of 1,524Strongest: walkability A, hazard risk C+·lowest: jobs & income C−
37Dalhousie3,255 peopleD#1,391 of 1,524Strongest: walkability A−, cost of living B+·lowest: health D−
38Shediac9,849 peopleD#1,405 of 1,524Strongest: walkability B+, jobs & income C+·lowest: cost of living C−
41St. Stephen4,876 peopleD#1,442 of 1,524Strongest: walkability A−, cost of living C+·lowest: safety D
42Sussex2,742 peopleD#1,446 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B−, hazard risk C+·lowest: walkability C−
43Campbellton7,485 peopleD#1,452 of 1,524Strongest: walkability A, cost of living C+·lowest: safety C−
44Saint George2,675 peopleD#1,472 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B, jobs & income C·lowest: walkability D
Rankings
More lists for New Brunswick
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Province by province
Best small towns elsewhere
Photos: Wellington, P199 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · New Maryland, Scott Worsley (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Haut-Madawaska, Fralambert (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking Canadian towns against each other only, run #73 of 10 November 2026. 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).