#1Grand Manan
New Brunswick · 2,648 peopleOverall C+·#1,733 of 2,556
Strongest: jobs & income A, cost of living A−·lowest: safety C−
Grand Manan, #1 on this list · Photo: Meantimeus (Public domain)New Brunswick · 2026
Towns with the most civic life in New Brunswick
Of the 60 on the list, 7 earn an A. The list ends with Moncton, at C−. Grand Manan is #372 of 2,582 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 Grand Manan, with A−. St. Stephen takes second place with A−; Saint George is third with A−.
Civic life grade: library visits per resident, registered charities per 1,000 residents and the province’s volunteering rate How grades work
#1A−Civic life
#2St. Stephen
New Brunswick · 4,876 peopleOverall D·#2,450 of 2,556
Strongest: walkability A−, cost of living C+·lowest: safety D
#3Saint George
New Brunswick · 2,675 peopleOverall D·#2,493 of 2,556
Strongest: cost of living B, jobs & income C·lowest: walkability D
All 60, ranked in New Brunswick
Best first in New Brunswick; beside each place, its rank on the same list for all of Canada.
60 places
#TownCivic lifeCanada rankWhat drives it
1Grand Manan2,648 peopleA−#372 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income A, cost of living A−·lowest: safety C−
2St. Stephen4,876 peopleA−#373 of 2,582Strongest: walkability A−, cost of living C+·lowest: safety D
3Saint George2,675 peopleA−#374 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living B, jobs & income C·lowest: walkability D
4Wakefield2,749 peopleA−#415 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income A−, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk C−
6Miramichi19,402 peopleA−#420 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living B−, walkability B−·lowest: hazard risk D
8Grand Falls / Grand-Sault5,465 peopleB+#451 of 2,582Strongest: walkability A−, safety B−·lowest: hazard risk D
9Fredericton74,655 peopleB+#452 of 2,582Strongest: walkability A, jobs & income A−·lowest: hazard risk C−
11New Maryland4,455 peopleB+#505 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income A+, cost of living A·lowest: hazard risk C−
12Starlight Village5,108 peopleB+#506 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income A+, cost of living A−·lowest: walkability C−
13New Maryland3,198 peopleB+#507 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income A, cost of living A−·lowest: walkability D
14Kingsclear3,158 peopleB+#508 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living A−, jobs & income B+·lowest: walkability D
15Saint Marys5,701 peopleB+#509 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income B+, cost of living B·lowest: walkability D
16Douglas6,840 peopleB+#510 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income B, cost of living B−·lowest: walkability D
20Haut-Madawaska4,098 peopleB#562 of 2,582Strongest: safety A, cost of living A−·lowest: hazard risk D
23Campbellton7,485 peopleB#630 of 2,582Strongest: walkability A, cost of living C+·lowest: safety C−
24Grand Bay-Westfield5,202 peopleB#1,051 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living A, jobs & income A−·lowest: health C−
28Studholm3,668 peopleB#1,055 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living A−, hazard risk C+·lowest: walkability D
29Sussex4,994 peopleB#1,056 of 2,582Strongest: walkability A, hazard risk C+·lowest: jobs & income C−
30Sussex2,742 peopleB#1,057 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living B−, hazard risk C+·lowest: walkability C−
31Moncton102,378 peopleB#1,074 of 2,582Strongest: walkability A, jobs & income B·lowest: hazard risk C−
33Edmundston18,174 peopleB−#1,409 of 2,582Strongest: walkability B, cost of living B−·lowest: hazard risk D
34Riverview22,614 peopleB−#1,457 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income A, walkability B+·lowest: safety C−
35Shediac5,699 peopleB−#1,537 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income B+, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk C−
37Salisbury2,585 peopleB−#1,539 of 2,582Strongest: walkability B+, jobs & income B−·lowest: hazard risk C−
38Beaubassin East / Beaubassin-est8,138 peopleB−#1,540 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living B+, jobs & income B−·lowest: walkability D
40Cap-Pelé3,092 peopleB−#1,542 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income B, cost of living C+·lowest: hazard risk C−
41Shediac9,849 peopleB−#1,543 of 2,582Strongest: walkability B+, jobs & income C+·lowest: cost of living C−
42Salisbury3,806 peopleB−#1,544 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living B+, health C·lowest: walkability D
43Beresford4,389 peopleC+#1,739 of 2,582Strongest: safety A+, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk D
44Beresford6,543 peopleC+#1,740 of 2,582Strongest: safety A+, cost of living B+·lowest: hazard risk D
45Caraquet4,572 peopleC+#1,741 of 2,582Strongest: walkability B, jobs & income B−·lowest: hazard risk D
46Shippagan3,073 peopleC+#1,742 of 2,582Strongest: walkability A−, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk D
47Shippagan4,721 peopleC+#1,743 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living A, health B−·lowest: walkability D−
48Coverdale5,167 peopleC+#1,744 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income B−, cost of living B−·lowest: walkability D
49Bathurst4,840 peopleC+#1,745 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living B+, jobs & income B−·lowest: walkability D
50Burton5,424 peopleC+#2,004 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living A, jobs & income B·lowest: hazard risk D
51Lincoln8,093 peopleC+#2,005 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income B+, cost of living B·lowest: walkability D
52Oromocto9,451 peopleC+#2,006 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income A+, cost of living B−·lowest: hazard risk D
53Wellington3,458 peopleC+#2,053 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living A+, safety A·lowest: walkability D
56Bouctouche2,678 peopleC+#2,056 of 2,582Strongest: walkability B−, health C+·lowest: hazard risk C−
58Tracadie16,453 peopleC#2,174 of 2,582Strongest: cost of living B, health B−·lowest: hazard risk D−
60Moncton12,238 peopleC−#2,339 of 2,582Strongest: jobs & income A, cost of living B·lowest: walkability D
Rankings
More lists for New Brunswick
All listsBest places to liveBest small townsMost affordableSafestHealthiestJobs & incomeMost walkableLowest hazard riskCivic lifeHighest incomesFastest-growingMost historicMost bilingualYoungestOldestMildest wintersColdest wintersWarmest summersCoolest summersFewest frostsLeast snowSnowiestDriestWettest
Province by province
Civic life elsewhere
Photos: Grand Manan, Meantimeus (Public domain) · St. Stephen, Quintin Soloviev (CC BY 4.0) · Saint George, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson S… (Public domain), 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).