FortuneNewfoundland and Labrador
Some 1,249 people live in this town, in Newfoundland and Labrador. It lies in Division No. 2.
Is Fortune a good place to live?
Fortune’s strongest subject is cost of living (A+). Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (A−). Health is its weak spot (D−). Natural hazards are less of a worry than in most Canadian towns (A).
Fortune has subject grades but no overall grade: Canadian towns get one from 2,500 residents.
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 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 Fortune grades
Each subject compares Fortune with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Fortune has subject grades but no overall grade: Canadian towns get one from 2,500 residents.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Fortune stand out
The 3 things Fortune does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fortune.
Health in Fortune trails almost every Canadian town
Measured across the Eastern Rural Zone: health survey and life expectancy
Smoking takes in 17% of adults, age-standardised, above both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (12%). Across the region, 44% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Newfoundland and Labrador as a whole reaches 52%. Lives in the region last 78.6 years on average (2022/2024): 80.8 for women, 76.4 for men. Closer to home, a hospital is 36 km from the average resident of Fortune, and 100% live more than 30 km away.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Fortune | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 24% | 22% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 44% | 50% | 52% |
| Smokers | 17% | 15% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.6 | 78.6 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Rent takes less of local pay in Fortune than in Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns or Canadian towns: 14% of household income
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 7% of households, lower than both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (18%). The owner-occupied share of households is 82%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Fortune | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 7% | 15% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 14% | 17% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 82% | 78% | 74% |
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.
Fortune faces fewer hazards than nine in ten Canadian towns
Fewer homes than usual carry radon here, 4% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.013 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). No flood study for Fortune is on the national inventory. Fortune doesn’t get its own radon tests figures; the ones here come from the Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Fortune | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 4% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.013 | $0.011 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Households in Fortune earn less than those in 94% of Canadian towns
The car took just over four in five commuters, below both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (92%) and Canadian towns (89%). The average trip to work takes 18 min.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Fortune | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 18 min | 19 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 81% | 92% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
Fortune has cooler summers than Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 18.8°C
The coldest nights come in January, when Fortune averages a low of −6.9°C. A normal year brings 1,505 mm of precipitation, above both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (1,305 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm). Most of the snow comes in January, about 54 cm. The most precipitation falls in October: 162 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Fortune | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 18.8°C | 21.2°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,505 mm | 1,305 mm | 883 mm |
| Snowfall a year | 173 cm | 363 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −6.9°C | −8.7°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (St. Lawrence)
2 schools serve Fortune, 1 elementary school and 1 secondary school
An elementary school stands 26 km from the centre, above Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (3.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km) alike. From the town centre, high school starts 5.9 km away, between Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (25 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake AcademyIn FortuneElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| John Burke High SchoolNearest secondary school, 2.8 kmSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Fortune | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest elementary school | 26 km | 3.5 km | 0.5 km |
| Nearest secondary school | 5.9 km | 25 km | 1.2 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Source note: the province publishes no results school by school, so there’s no schools grade in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The police who cover Fortune record less serious crime than Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns or Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 54
These figures come from the closest detachment: none reports for Fortune itself · Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over the Harbour Breton detachment area
Where it is policed, thefts, break-ins and damage came to 13.2 per 1,000 a year, lower than both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (34.8) and Canadian towns (31.2). Violence across its police area runs at 12.5 per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Fortune | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 13.2 | 34.8 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 54 | 81 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 69 | 82 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 12.5 | 16.7 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
An older town: 32% of people in Fortune are 65 or over, more than in Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns and across Canadian towns
Children under 15 make up 11%, lower than both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (16%). First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 5.4% of residents, higher than both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (3.7%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
51.0% of Fortune’s residents are women
630 men and 655 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Fortune | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 13% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 57% | 61% | 64% |
| 65+ | 32% | 26% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 37% | 21% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 35% | 53% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
What November brings in Fortune: 1°C at night, 8°C by day
Snowfall in a normal November: 7 cm. December follows at 3°C by day and −4°C by night. November normally sees 153 mm of precipitation. At the extremes, August afternoons reach 20°C and February nights −7°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −6°C | 401 mm |
| Spring | 6°C | −2°C | 338 mm |
| Summer | 18°C | 10°C | 320 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 5°C | 447 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (St. Lawrence); the forecast is on the Weather page
Jonathan Rowe (Conservative Party of Canada) holds Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, the riding that includes Fortune
With no licence on the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador’s ridings map, Fortune isn’t placed in a riding here.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Fortune’s public library is Fortune Public Library
It sits 0.2 km from the centre of Fortune.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Fortune Head Ecological Reserve reaches Fortune
The nearest national park is more than 100 km away. Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 0.3% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. Frenchman's Cove Provincial Park is the closest provincial park, at 32 km. Within 5 km is one beach, Trimms Beach.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Fortune | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Fortune
Fortune Head Geology Centre and 3 more in and around Fortune
Museums, historic sites, parks, gardens and days out in and near Fortune, the best known first.
Famous people from around Fortune
2 notable people were born in Fortune; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
About Fortune
Town in Newfoundland and Labrador
For Fortune, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in Newfoundland and Labrador, 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
- 1,249 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Census division
- Division No. 2
- Census subdivision
- 1002018
Fortune’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortune | 1,249 | — | — | A+ | B | D− |
| Grand Bank | 2,082 | 6.2 | — | A | B | D− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Fortune
Is Fortune growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 1,401 to 1,285 residents (8.3% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 1,249.
Who are the people of Fortune?
Visible minorities are 0% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 0%, and Indigenous people 5%.
What kind of homes are in Fortune?
30% of households are one person, and the average is 2.1.
Is Fortune a young town or an old one?
At 54.8, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 11% of the population and seniors 32%.
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).