PlacentiaNewfoundland and Labrador
A town in Newfoundland and Labrador, home to 3,374 people. It shrank by 6% between the 2016 and 2021 censuses.
Is Placentia a good place to live?
Easy on the wallet, harder on other counts. The weak point is health (D). Placentia’s overall grade is C, better than 31% of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #15 of 32 in Newfoundland and Labrador. It lags on jobs & income as well (D). Buying a home costs less than in most towns (A).
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 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.
How Placentia grades
Each subject compares Placentia 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 TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Placentia stand out
The 3 things Placentia does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Placentia.
Few places are as safe from hazards as Placentia: it beats 90% of Canadian towns
Radon is lower than usual: 4% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. One flood study covers the town, by Department of Environment and Climate Change. Seismic risk runs low: $0.013 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Placentia | 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 · Radon tests published for the Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority, not by town
One school serves Placentia: Laval High School
Secondary school means a trip of 48 km at the nearest, above both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (25 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laval High SchoolIn PlacentiaSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Placentia | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 48 km | 25 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 48 km | 3.5 km | 0.5 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Why no schools grade in Newfoundland and Labrador? The province publishes no results school by school.
More long-term illness in Placentia’s health region: 24% on the three conditions, the typical Canadian town 17%
The health survey and life expectancy numbers here cover the Eastern Rural Zone
People in the region live to 78.6 on average: 80.8 for women and 76.4 for men in 2022/2024. Adults who call their own health very good or excellent: 44%, lower than both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (50%) and Canadian towns (52%). At 17%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 15% for Newfoundland and Labrador. The town’s own part is the trip to care: residents of Placentia live 3.6 km from a hospital on average, close to the typical town’s 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Placentia | 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
Working-age people in Placentia are less likely to have a job than in 91% of Canadian towns
The average trip to work took 22 min, between Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (19 min) and Canadian towns (26 min). The car carried 92% of commuters at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Placentia | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 19 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 92% | 92% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Rent takes less of local pay in Placentia than in Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns or Canadian towns: 15% of household income
Owners make up 82% of households, near Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (78%) and higher than Canadian towns (74%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 11% of households, lower than both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Placentia | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 11% | 15% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 15% | 17% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 82% | 78% | 74% |
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.
Placentia has cooler summers than Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 17.4°C
The frost-free season runs from 10 May to 4 November, 176 days. The coldest nights, in January, bottom out at −5.6°C, above Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (−8.7°C) and Canadian towns (−13.5°C) alike. January is the snowiest month, with 91 cm on average. For the wettest month, look to December: 123 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Placentia | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 17.4°C | 21.2°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 321 cm | 363 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −5.6°C | −8.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 133 | 171 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Dunville/Argentia)
Placentia gets a C for safety
Shared with the rest of the Placentia detachment area: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000
The force’s area logs 19.9 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. The violent index for its police area came to 66, lower than both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (82) and Canadian towns (86). Property crime in the area its police cover: 24.8 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Placentia | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 19.9 | 16.7 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 24.8 | 34.8 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 66 | 82 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Older than 96% of Canadian towns: half of Placentia is over 56.4
0.9% of residents belong to a visible minority, below Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (1.2%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 2.2% of residents, below Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (3.7%) and Canadian towns (2.8%) alike.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 49.9% of Placentia
Of the 2021 count, 1,640 were women and 1,645 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).
| Placentia | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 13% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 61% | 64% |
| 65+ | 33% | 26% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 21% | 21% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 55% | 53% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Placentia in November: highs near 8°C, lows near 2°C
A normal December brings highs of 3°C, lows of −2°C. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 122 mm. Snowfall in a normal November: 13 cm. August brings the warmest days, 19°C; February the coldest nights, −6°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −5°C | 308 mm |
| Spring | 6°C | 0°C | 225 mm |
| Summer | 17°C | 11°C | 274 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 6°C | 326 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Dunville/Argentia); the forecast is on the Weather page
Jonathan Rowe (Conservative Party of Canada) holds Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, the riding that includes Placentia
The House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador’s riding map is published without a licence, so this page doesn’t place Placentia in a riding.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Placentia Library is Placentia’s public library
The library is 0.4 km from the centre of Placentia.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Placentia is 3.7 km from Fitzgerald's Pond Provincial Park
The protected share within 10 km is 0.2%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. No national park lies within 100 km. Within 5 km lie 5 beaches, unnamed on the map.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Placentia | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.2% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Placentia keeps a building from 1692: Castle Hill
At the 2021 census, a quarter of homes dated from before 1961, above Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. All told the heritage lists hold 3 historic places within the town, and one sits in the top tier. On the list: 2 provincial or municipal listings.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Placentia | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 25% | 17% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Placentia
Castle Hill and 5 more in and around Placentia
A first look at Placentia’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
MuseumCastle Hillin town
Fort · Parks CanadaFort Royalin town
MuseumO’Reilly Housein townMuseumMuseumPlacentia Cultural Centrein townHistoric siteHistoric siteDetached Redoubtin townHistoric siteHistoric siteGaillarding Redoubtin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Castle Hill: HobbsTravels, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Royal: HobbsTravels, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- O’Reilly House: Lee Everts, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Placentia
7 notable people were born in Placentia.
Photo credits
Sylvana Windsor, Countess of St Andrews: veryamateurish, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alastair Ralphs: Yagobo79 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Tony Wakeham: Dougj765, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Patricia Murphy: Unknown author, Public domain
About Placentia
Town in Newfoundland and Labrador
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Placentia is one municipality in Newfoundland and Labrador, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 3,374 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Census division
- Division No. 1
- Census subdivision
- 1001240
Questions about Placentia
What kind of homes are in Placentia?
Single-detached houses make up 90% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 35% of households are one person, and the average is 2.1.
How old are the people of Placentia?
The median resident is 56.4 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 11% are under 15 and 33% are 65 or over.
Has Placentia grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 3,496 to 3,289 residents (5.9% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 3,374.
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).