HolyroodNewfoundland and Labrador

Some 2,749 people live in this town, in Newfoundland and Labrador. It sits within the St. John's census metropolitan area.

4 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rebfoto/ Emile Baddour · CC0

Population

2,749

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

49.2

years · Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns: 49.4

Postsecondary

60%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

Is Holyrood a good place to live?

More weak spots than strong ones. Holyrood’s overall grade, D−, puts it better than 2% of Canadian towns. It ranks #32 of 32 in Newfoundland and Labrador. Residents’ health trails most towns (D−). The local economy is weaker than most (C−). Owners valued their homes at a median $320,000 in 2021, which is 3.6 years of the typical household’s pay. Where it does best is hazard risk (A).

Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.

Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. 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.

StrongestAHazard riskWeakestD⁻Health C⁻Walkability

How Holyrood grades

Each subject compares Holyrood 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 grading works

HealthBased on how healthy residents are for their agesD⁻Open →Hazard riskNatural hazards pose little risk hereAOpen →WalkabilityBelow the middle of the towns comparedC⁻Open →Jobs & incomeBased on what households earn, poverty and workC⁻Open →SafetyMore crime than in most townsCOpen →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnC⁺Open →

SchoolsIn Newfoundland and Labrador, there’s no schools grade: the province publishes no results school by school.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Holyrood stand out

The 3 things Holyrood does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Immigrants

Who lives here

1% are immigrants

Half of Canadian towns are above 6%, half below

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

Health

Behind 99%

of Canadian towns on health

Its health grade: D−.

Residents 65 and over

Who lives here

26% are 65 or over

Compare 19% for the median of Canadian towns

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Holyrood.

HealthHealth D⁻

For health, Holyrood sits behind almost every Canadian town

44%very good or excellent healthD⁻Health Grade

Statistics Canada puts the region’s life expectancy at 78.6, women 80.8 and men 76.4 (2022/2024). Smoking is commoner than in the province: 17% of adults, against 15% for Newfoundland and Labrador. Arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure affect 24% of the region’s adults on average, higher than both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (17%). Across the region, 44% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Newfoundland and Labrador as a whole reaches 52%.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Holyrood44%

Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns50%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Holyrood	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

78.6

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

31 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

17%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

3.1 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageHolyrood’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey44% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care31 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 3.1 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 80.8, men 76.4 Conditions and habits24% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Data for health survey and life expectancy covers the Eastern Rural Zone

Natural hazardsHazard risk A

Few places are as safe from hazards as Holyrood: it beats 88% of Canadian towns

Lowwildfire bandAHazard risk Grade

Wildfire is rare near Holyrood: 0.2% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, a burn rate of 0.005% a year. In Health Canada’s survey, just 4% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). The national flood inventory has no study of the town. For radon tests, the only official count covers all of the Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority, Holyrood included.

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Holyrood4%

Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns4%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Holyrood	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	4%	4%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.015	$0.011	$0.030

Low

wildfire band

0.3 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

Full pageHolyrood’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

WildfireLow wildfire band · 0.2% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986 FloodNo flood study on record Earthquakes$0.015 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon4% of tests above the guideline Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

Work & commuteJobs & income C⁻

Trips to work from Holyrood take longer than from Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns or Canadian towns: 29 min on average

4%walk, cycle or take transit

Driving is how 93% of commuters got to work at the census.

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van93%

Walk3%

Public transit1%

Census 2021	Holyrood	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
Average trip	29 min	19 min	26 min
Car or van	93%	92%	89%

$87,000

median household income, 2020

14%

worked from home, May 2021

27%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageHolyrood’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment12% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work4% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to220 commuters · The biggest flow out: to St. John's

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.

Climate

Hardly any Canadian towns collect more precipitation than Holyrood: 1,748 mm a year

21.1°CJuly afternoons

For the wettest month, look to January: 192 mm on average. A normal July day peaks at 21.1°C, close to Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (21.2°C) and below Canadian towns (25.5°C). On a January night, the temperature in Holyrood falls to about −8.7°C. Most of the snow comes in January, about 91 cm.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter1.1°C

Spring7.3°C

Summer19.7°C

Autumn12.4°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Holyrood	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
Precipitation a year	1,748 mm	1,305 mm	883 mm
July afternoon high	21.1°C	21.2°C	25.5°C
Snowfall a year	321 cm	363 cm	141 cm
January night low	−8.7°C	−8.7°C	−13.5°C

321 cm

of snow a year

176

days with frost a year

182

days with precipitation a year

Full pageHolyrood’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

Rain and snow1,748 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm The yearJuly highs 21.1°C, January lows −8.7°C Snow321 cm of snow a year Weather station30 km to the station · Whitbourne

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Whitbourne)

SafetySafety C

Holyrood gets a C for safety

90Crime Severity Index

Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 90 over 2023–25, above both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (81) and Canadian towns (67). Its police area records 13.4 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202395

202497

202579

2023–2025	Holyrood	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
Crime Severity Index	90	81	67
Violent Crime Severity Index	68	82	86
Violent crime	13.4	16.7	12

100

non-violent Crime Severity Index

25%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageHolyrood’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety90 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Holyrood’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Holyrood safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: one figure for all of the Holyrood detachment area

Schools

Holyrood’s teenagers travel 28 km to the nearest high school

1school within 3 km

Young children have 18 km to the nearest elementary school, above both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (3.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).

School	Level	Students	System
Holy Cross ElementaryIn HolyroodElementary	Elementary	–	English public

Schools within 3 km	Holyrood	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
Nearest elementary school	18 km	3.5 km	0.5 km
Nearest secondary school	28 km	25 km	1.2 km

28 km

to the nearest secondary school

18 km

to the nearest elementary school

Full pageHolyrood’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Every school1 elementary school Language0 of 1 teach in French · 2% of schools in Newfoundland and Labrador Questions“What schools are there in Holyrood?”

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.

HousingCost of living C⁺

Holyrood is a town of owners: 84% of households own their home, above Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns and Canadian towns

$320,000median home value, 2021C⁺Cost of living Grade

Area-wide: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom, counted over the St. John's metro area

14% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, close to Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (15%) and below Canadian towns (18%).

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Holyrood$320,000

Newfoundland and Labrador$215,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Holyrood	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
Households owning their home	84%	78%	74%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	14%	15%	18%
Median home value, 2021	$320,000	$215,000	$406,000
Rent as a share of income	18%	17%	20%

$1,348

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$1,010

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageHolyrood’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Owners and renters84% own their home Cost of living3.6 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $320,000, against the median household income Renting$1,348 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey

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.

Who lives here

Who lives in Holyrood: a median age of 49.2, 995 households

49.2median age

First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 2.3% of residents, below Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (3.7%) and Canadian towns (2.8%) alike.

HolyroodNewfoundland and LabradorCanada

Newfoundland and LabradorCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

16%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree14%

Postsecondary qualification60%

Women and men · all residents

50.2% of Holyrood’s residents are women

Of the 2021 count, 1,240 were women and 1,230 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).

Who lives in Holyrood
	Holyrood	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
Under 15	16%	13%	16%
15 to 64	58%	61%	64%
65+	26%	26%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	14%	21%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	60%	53%	56%

Full pageHolyrood’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages49.2 median age · 26% are 65 or over Households995 households · 2.4 people per household Immigrants1% are immigrants · 0% belong to a visible minority English and French2% speak both · 0% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

Weather

What November brings in Holyrood: −1°C at night, 7°C by day

7°Ca normal November afternoon

Snowfall in a normal November: 13 cm. A normal November brings 171 mm of rain and snow. December follows at 3°C by day and −5°C by night. ECCC’s forecast for Bay Roberts is on the Weather page, hour by hour.

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November7°C

December3°C

January0°C

February0°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	1°C	−8°C	529 mm
Spring	7°C	−2°C	376 mm
Summer	20°C	9°C	347 mm
Autumn	12°C	4°C	497 mm

−1°C

a normal November night

171 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageHolyrood’s weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest August, coldest February

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Whitbourne); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Holyrood’s MP is Paul Connors (Liberal Party of Canada), for Avalon

Statistics Canada lists Holyrood as a town.

Full pageHolyrood’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade C⁺

Holyrood Public Library is Holyrood’s public library

It sits 3.4 km from the centre of Holyrood.

Full pageHolyrood’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

The libraries1 Libraries Places to belong0.4 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Outdoors

Protected land around Holyrood beats 9 in 10 Canadian towns

19%of the land within 10 km protected

For walks, the Butter Pot PP runs within 2 km. National parks are all over 100 km off. Within 5 km are 3 beaches; Lewis Beach is the nearest.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Holyrood19%

Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns0.4%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Holyrood	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	19%	0.4%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	4	1	4

At the edge

to Butter Pot Provincial Park

beaches within 5 km

Full pageHolyrood’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas4 protected areas within 10 km · Avalon Wilderness Reserve National & provincial parksAt the edge to a provincial park · Butter Pot Provincial Park Footpaths & routes1 named route · Butter Pot PP

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Holyrood

15pages on Holyrood

The big questions

SafetyCCrime Severity Index 90 Housing & costC⁺Homes 3.6 × income Property pricesSchoolsOne school within 3 km HealthD⁻Life expectancy 78.6 in its region Work & commuteC⁻48% of adults in work Natural hazardsAWildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors19% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 21°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 49.2 HistoryTown hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Salmonier Nature Park and 11 more within 40 km

One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Holyrood; with it, the best known within 40 km.

All attractions →

ZooZooSalmonier Nature Park3.2 km outside town, to the south

Museum · Parks CanadaSignal Hill39 km northeast

MuseumThe Rooms37 km northeast · 87K visitors a year (2017)

ChurchBasilica of St. John the Baptist37 km northeast

MuseumFormer Newfoundland Railway Headquarters37 km northeast

CathedralSt. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral37 km northeast

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (5)

Signal Hill: Tolivero~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Rooms: David P Janes, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Basilica of St. John the Baptist: Paul from Hacketts Cove, Canada, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Former Newfoundland Railway Headquarters: The original uploader was Jcmurphy at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral: Jcmurphy at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Famous people from Holyrood

3 notable people were born in Holyrood.

See all 3 →

Kate CorbettCanadian actress · born 1992

Albert WalshCanadian politician · 1900–1958

John LewisNewfoundland politician from Canada, born 1867

Photo credits

Kate Corbett: George Pimental, CC BY 2.0

About Holyrood

Town in Newfoundland and Labrador

For Holyrood, 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: 2,749 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Newfoundland and Labrador
Census division: Division No. 1
Metro area: St. John's
Census subdivision: 1001472

Holyrood’s neighbours

The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada

Harbour Main-Chapel's Cove-LakeviewDivision No. 1, Subdivision MConception Bay SouthClarke's BeachHolyrood

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Holyrood	2,749	—	D⁻	C⁺	C	D⁻
Harbour Main-Chapel's Cove-Lakeview	1,180	3.3	—	A	C	D⁻
Division No. 1, Subdivision M	1,270	16	—	—	C⁺	D⁻
Conception Bay South	29,725	16	B⁻	B	C	C⁺
Clarke's Beach	1,555	18	—	C⁻	C⁺	D⁻

People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.

Questions about Holyrood

What kind of homes are in Holyrood?

91% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.4 people; 22% are one person living alone.

Is Holyrood a young town or an old one?

The median resident is 49.2 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 16% are under 15 and 26% are 65 or over.

Is Holyrood growing?

Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 2,463 to 2,471 residents (up 0.3%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 2,749.

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).