#1Sackville
New Brunswick · 6,572 peopleOverall C·#1,943 of 2,556
Strongest: walkability A, health B−·lowest: hazard risk C
Sackville, #1 on this list · Photo: Larry from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada (CC BY 2.0)New Brunswick · 2026
Fastest-growing towns in New Brunswick
Nationally, Sackville ranks #78 of 1,117. A single place in New Brunswick reaches the top 100 for all of Canada. Nowhere in New Brunswick does better on this list than Sackville, at +14.4%. Shediac is second (+13.1%) and Dieppe third (+10.8%). The middle of the list is Sussex, with +2.5%. The list ends with Atholville, at −7.8%.
Population change between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, on 2021 boundaries, for places of 2,500 people or more in 2016 (a city’s neighbourhoods have no 2016 count, so they are not on this list) How grades work
#1+14.4% Growth, 2016–2021
#2Shediac
New Brunswick · 9,849 peopleOverall D·#2,398 of 2,556
Strongest: walkability B+, jobs & income C+·lowest: cost of living C−
#3Dieppe
New Brunswick · 35,986 peopleOverall C+·#1,718 of 2,556
Strongest: jobs & income A, walkability B−·lowest: safety C−
All 55, ranked in New Brunswick
Best first in New Brunswick; beside each place, its rank on the same list for all of Canada.
55 places
#TownGrowth, 2016–2021Canada rankWhat drives it
2Shediac9,849 people+13.1%#103 of 1,117Strongest: walkability B+, jobs & income C+·lowest: cost of living C−
5Moncton102,378 people+10.5%#170 of 1,117Strongest: walkability A, jobs & income B·lowest: hazard risk C−
7Moncton12,238 people+9.1%#231 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income A, cost of living B·lowest: walkability D
8New Maryland3,198 people+7.7%#299 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income A, cost of living A−·lowest: walkability D
9Fredericton74,655 people+7.5%#311 of 1,117Strongest: walkability A, jobs & income A−·lowest: hazard risk C−
10Shediac5,699 people+7.4%#314 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income B+, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk C−
11Wellington3,458 people+6.9%#340 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living A+, safety A·lowest: walkability D
12Coverdale5,167 people+6.7%#349 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income B−, cost of living B−·lowest: walkability D
13Woodstock6,260 people+6.2%#374 of 1,117Strongest: walkability B, jobs & income C+·lowest: safety D
15Beaubassin East / Beaubassin-est8,138 people+5.4%#443 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living B+, jobs & income B−·lowest: walkability D
16Memramcook5,616 people+5.3%#449 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income B, safety B·lowest: walkability D
17Saint Marys5,701 people+5.1%#457 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income B+, cost of living B·lowest: walkability D
18Lincoln8,093 people+4.8%#483 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income B+, cost of living B·lowest: walkability D
19Riverview22,614 people+4.7%#491 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income A, walkability B+·lowest: safety C−
21Douglas6,840 people+4.1%#534 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income B, cost of living B−·lowest: walkability D
22Sussex4,994 people+3.7%#560 of 1,117Strongest: walkability A, hazard risk C+·lowest: jobs & income C−
23Shippagan3,073 people+3.6%#569 of 1,117Strongest: walkability A−, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk D
24Saint John79,371 people+3.4%#575 of 1,117Strongest: walkability A, hazard risk C+·lowest: health C
25Dalhousie3,255 people+3.1%#603 of 1,117Strongest: walkability A−, cost of living B+·lowest: health D−
28Sussex2,742 people+2.5%#657 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living B−, hazard risk C+·lowest: walkability C−
29Hampton4,754 people+2.5%#658 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living B, jobs & income B−·lowest: health D
30Campbellton7,485 people+2.4%#662 of 1,117Strongest: walkability A, cost of living C+·lowest: safety C−
32St. Stephen4,876 people+2.2%#681 of 1,117Strongest: walkability A−, cost of living C+·lowest: safety D
34Burton5,424 people+1.1%#766 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living A, jobs & income B·lowest: hazard risk D
35Starlight Village5,108 people+0.9%#777 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income A+, cost of living A−·lowest: walkability C−
36Miramichi19,402 people+0.9%#779 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living B−, walkability B−·lowest: hazard risk D
37Caraquet4,572 people+0.9%#782 of 1,117Strongest: walkability B, jobs & income B−·lowest: hazard risk D
39Kingsclear3,158 people+0.6%#800 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living A−, jobs & income B+·lowest: walkability D
40Haut-Madawaska4,098 people+0.2%#832 of 1,117Strongest: safety A, cost of living A−·lowest: hazard risk D
41Studholm3,668 people+0.1%#834 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living A−, hazard risk C+·lowest: walkability D
42Beresford4,389 people+0.1%#835 of 1,117Strongest: safety A+, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk D
43Grand Bay-Westfield5,202 people+0.1%#841 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living A, jobs & income A−·lowest: health C−
44Salisbury3,806 people−0.3%#868 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living B+, health C·lowest: walkability D
45Beresford6,543 people−0.4%#873 of 1,117Strongest: safety A+, cost of living B+·lowest: hazard risk D
46Shippagan4,721 people−0.4%#876 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living A, health B−·lowest: walkability D−
47Tracadie16,453 people−0.4%#882 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living B, health B−·lowest: hazard risk D−
48New Maryland4,455 people−0.5%#889 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income A+, cost of living A·lowest: hazard risk C−
49Alnwick3,767 people−0.7%#917 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living A, walkability C−·lowest: health D−
50Bathurst4,840 people−0.8%#925 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living B+, jobs & income B−·lowest: walkability D
51Edmundston18,174 people−0.9%#932 of 1,117Strongest: walkability B, cost of living B−·lowest: hazard risk D
52Wakefield2,749 people−1.6%#968 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income A−, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk C−
53Oromocto9,451 people−1.9%#978 of 1,117Strongest: jobs & income A+, cost of living B−·lowest: hazard risk D
54Grand Falls / Grand-Sault5,465 people−2.0%#980 of 1,117Strongest: walkability A−, safety B−·lowest: hazard risk D
55Atholville3,346 people−7.8%#1,104 of 1,117Strongest: cost of living A−, walkability C+·lowest: health 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
Fastest-growing elsewhere
Photos: Sackville, Larry from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada (CC BY 2.0) · Shediac, Quintin Soloviev (CC BY 4.0) · Dieppe, Shamus7792003 (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).