WhitbourneNewfoundland and Labrador
A town in Newfoundland and Labrador, home to 1,126 people. Between 2016 and 2021, its population grew by 7%.
Is Whitbourne a good place to live?
Cost of living is its strong suit (A). Health is a weak point (D−). The rest of its grades are middling: B− for safety and B− for walkability. Hazard risk is lower than in most Canadian towns (A−).
Whitbourne is graded subject by subject, but Canadian towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
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 Whitbourne grades
Each subject compares Whitbourne with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Whitbourne is graded subject by subject, but Canadian towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Whitbourne stand out
The 3 things Whitbourne does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Whitbourne.
Health in Whitbourne trails almost every Canadian town
In the health survey, 44% of adults in the region rated their health very good or excellent, below Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (50%) and Canadian towns (52%) alike. Smoking is commoner than in the province: 17% of adults, against 15% for Newfoundland and Labrador. Women in the region live to 80.8 and men to 76.4, 78.6 years taken together (2022/2024). Measured from where Whitbourne’s residents live, a hospital is 38 km away on average and 100% of them are over 30 km out.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Whitbourne | 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 · Not measured by town: health survey and life expectancy (the Eastern Rural Zone)
Rent takes less of local pay in Whitbourne than in Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns or Canadian towns: 14% of household income
Owners make up just over four in five households, above Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (78%) and Canadian towns (74%) alike. Shelter took 30% or more of income for 13% of households, below 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 | Whitbourne | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 14% | 17% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 13% | 15% | 18% |
| 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.
A quiet place for hazards: low wildfire, little earthquake risk, and 4% of tested homes over the radon guideline in Whitbourne’s area
Seismic risk in Whitbourne sits near the middle: $0.026 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. Fire seldom reaches Whitbourne: since 1986, 0.1% of the land within 25 km has burned (0.003% a year). No one has filed a flood map for Whitbourne on the national inventory. Whitbourne 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 | Whitbourne | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 4% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.026 | $0.011 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Few Canadian towns get more rain and snow than Whitbourne: 1,748 mm a year
A July afternoon in Whitbourne typically reaches 21.1°C. Snowfall adds up to 321 cm a year, lower than Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (363 cm) yet higher than Canadian towns (141 cm). The most precipitation falls in January: 192 mm in a normal year. A normal January brings 91 cm of snow, the most of any month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Whitbourne | 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 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Whitbourne)
Whitbourne has a smaller share of its working-age people in jobs than nine in ten Canadian towns
The commute to work averages 21 min. The car took 86% of commuters, lower than Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (92%) and near Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Whitbourne | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 21 min | 19 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 86% | 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.
No high school in or near Whitbourne: the closest is 56 km off
The closest elementary school is 17 km away, higher than both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (3.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitbourne ElementaryIn WhitbourneElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Whitbourne | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 56 km | 25 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 17 km | 3.5 km | 0.5 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Schools grade in Newfoundland and Labrador: none (the province publishes no results school by school).
Older than 89% of Canadian towns: half of Whitbourne is over 51.6
Children are 13% of the town. A quarter of residents are 65 or over, near Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (26%) and higher than Canadian towns (19%).
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 51.8% of Whitbourne
Here the census found 460 men and 495 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Whitbourne | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 13% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 61% | 64% |
| 65+ | 25% | 26% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 25% | 21% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 49% | 53% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Whitbourne, November normally means 7°C afternoons and −1°C nights
A normal November brings 171 mm of rain and snow. A typical November adds 13 cm of snow. Into December, the normals move to 3°C and −5°C. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Bay Roberts forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| 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 |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Whitbourne); the forecast is on the Weather page
Whitbourne’s MP is Jonathan Rowe (Conservative Party of Canada), for Terra Nova—The Peninsulas
With no licence on the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador’s ridings map, Whitbourne isn’t placed in a riding here.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Whitbourne has one public library, Whitbourne Public Library
It sits 0.7 km from the centre of Whitbourne.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The force covering Whitbourne records less serious violence than Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns or Canadian towns, at 55
The force’s area logs 21.5 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 61 over 2023–25, lower than both Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns (81) and Canadian towns (67). Violent crime in the area its police cover: 11.7 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Whitbourne | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 21.5 | 34.8 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 55 | 82 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 61 | 81 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 11.7 | 16.7 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Area behind the Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures: the Whitbourne detachment area
The nearest provincial park, Fitzgerald's Pond Provincial Park, is 13 km from Whitbourne
Within 10 km is a single protected area. The nearest national park is more than 100 km away. Protected areas cover 0.8% of the land within 10 km; for the typical Canadian town it is 2.3%. Biggest among them: Whitbourne Municipal PA, 430 ha, 0.9 km off.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Whitbourne | Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.8% | 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 Whitbourne
Castle Hill and 3 more within 40 km
Nothing to visit is mapped within 5 km of Whitbourne; these are the best known within 40 km.
MuseumCastle Hill39 km southwest
Fort · Parks CanadaFort Royal39 km southwest
FortFort Plaisance32 km southeast
MuseumHawthorne Cottage27 km northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Castle Hill: HobbsTravels, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Royal: HobbsTravels, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Plaisance: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Hawthorne Cottage: Lukester878, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Whitbourne
Town in Newfoundland and Labrador
Statistics Canada treats Whitbourne as a single census subdivision in Newfoundland and Labrador, and TownRatings keeps to that line.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 1,126 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Census division
- Division No. 1
- Census subdivision
- 1001298
Whitbourne’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitbourne | 1,126 | — | — | A | B− | D− |
| Division No. 1, Subdivision Y | 1,374 | 9.2 | — | B+ | B− | D− |
| Division No. 1, Subdivision M | 1,270 | 14 | — | — | C+ | D− |
| Clarke's Beach | 1,555 | 19 | — | C− | C+ | D− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Whitbourne
Who are the people of Whitbourne?
At the 2021 census, 3% were immigrants and 3% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 2% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What kind of homes are in Whitbourne?
95% 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 2.3 people; 26% are one person living alone.
Is Whitbourne growing?
It grew from 890 people in 2016 to 955 in 2021, up 7.3%; the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 1,126.
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).