Colchester County, Subdivision CNova Scotia
Home to 14,211 people, this town lies in Nova Scotia. Statistics Canada counts it in the Truro metro area.
Is Colchester County, Subdivision C a good place to live?
More weak spots than strong ones. Health is a weak point (D). With a D overall, Colchester County, Subdivision C is better than 8% of Canadian towns and ranks #72 of 88 in Nova Scotia. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B− for cost of living and B− for hazard risk.
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.
What makes Colchester County, Subdivision C stand out
The 3 things Colchester County, Subdivision C does most differently from other towns.
How Colchester County, Subdivision C grades
Each subject compares Colchester County, Subdivision C 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 →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Colchester County, Subdivision C.
Colchester County, Subdivision C’s grade for health: a D
Statistics Canada puts life expectancy at 79.3, below Nova Scotia’s towns (80.0) and Canadian towns (81.5) alike. Across the region, just over two in five adults say their health is very good or excellent; Nova Scotia as a whole reaches 48%. At 17%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 14% for Nova Scotia. Closer to home, a hospital is 10 km from the average resident of Colchester County, Subdivision C, further than the usual 3.7 km. Colchester County, Subdivision C doesn’t get its own health survey and life expectancy figures; the ones here come from the Zone 2 - Northern.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Colchester County, Subdivision C | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 42% | 49% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| Smokers | 17% | 15% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.3 | 80.0 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Colchester County, Subdivision C has 0.5 jobs for every resident in work, so most commute out
Workers spend 25 min getting to work, on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Colchester County, Subdivision C | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 25 min | 23 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
Precipitation in Colchester County, Subdivision C tops that of 92% of Canadian towns: 1,277 mm a year
The coldest nights, in January, bottom out at −11.6°C, below Nova Scotia’s towns (−8.9°C) but above Canadian towns (−13.5°C). For the wettest month, look to December: 133 mm on average. Between the last spring frost, 2 June, and the first in autumn, 21 September, lie 109 days. A July afternoon in Colchester County, Subdivision C typically reaches 25.1°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Colchester County, Subdivision C | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 175 | 133 | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 1,277 mm | 1,393 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 25.1°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 187 cm | 215 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Upper Stewiacke)
Colchester County, Subdivision C’s grade for safety: a C+
Measured across the Colchester County detachment area: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000
For violence alone, its police area’s index was 101, higher than both Nova Scotia’s towns (94) and Canadian towns (86). Property crime in the area its police cover: 29.4 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Colchester County, Subdivision C | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 29.4 | 36.2 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 101 | 94 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Within 10 km of Colchester County, Subdivision C: 117 public protected areas
There is a beach within 5 km, unnamed on the map. The closest provincial park is Mount William Provincial Park, 4.2 km from the edge of town. Within 10 km, 1.7% of the land is protected, below both Nova Scotia’s towns (8.7%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). No national park lies within 100 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Colchester County, Subdivision C | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 117 | 23.5 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.7% | 8.7% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
In and around Colchester County, Subdivision C, 18 schools: 14 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade
Teenagers have 9.3 km to go to the closest secondary school, above Nova Scotia’s towns (4.3 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km) alike. Boards running schools in the area: 2, higher than Nova Scotia’s towns (1) yet lower than Canadian towns (3).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookfield Elementary SchoolIn Colchester County, Subdivision CElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Central Colchester Junior HighNearest secondary school, 0.6 kmAll grades · Grades 6–9 | All grades · Grades 6–9 | – | English public |
| École acadienne de Truro FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Colchester County, Subdivision C | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 9.3 km | 4.3 km | 1.2 km |
| School boards | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Nearest elementary school | 4.4 km | 1.9 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Schools grade in Nova Scotia: none (the province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20).
A normal November in Colchester County, Subdivision C runs from −1°C to 8°C
A typical November adds 7 cm of snow. Then December: 3°C by day, −7°C at night. Expect about 123 mm of rain and snow over November. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Truro forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −10°C | 349 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −2°C | 294 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 11°C | 280 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 3°C | 354 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Upper Stewiacke); the forecast is on the Weather page
Alana Hirtle (Liberal Party of Canada) represents Colchester County, Subdivision C in Ottawa as MP for Cumberland—Colchester
11 of the 11 MPs from Nova Scotia belong to the Liberal Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
No public library stands in Colchester County, Subdivision C: the closest, Colchester - East Hants Public Library, is 8.6 km away
After it comes Stewiacke Library (Stewiacke), 19 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Colchester County, Subdivision C’s grade for cost of living: a B−
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 11% of households, below Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. 81% of households own their home.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Colchester County, Subdivision C | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 11% | 13% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 81% | 82% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates. · Area behind the rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom figures: the Truro metro area
Fewer of Colchester County, Subdivision C’s people belong to a visible minority than in Nova Scotia’s towns or Canadian towns: 1.6%
Just over a fifth of residents are 65 or over. Immigrants make up 3.4% of residents, lower than both Nova Scotia’s towns (4.3%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). Also worth knowing: under-15s account for 15% of the population.
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 50.6% of Colchester County, Subdivision C
6,160 men and 6,315 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Colchester County, Subdivision C | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 63% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 22% | 25% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 52% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Nova Scotia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Colchester County, Subdivision C is on Canada’s flood inventory: 4 listed, led by Halifax Regional Municipality
Radon tests for the Zone 3 health region
Of the homes tested for radon, 13% were over 200 Bq/m³, near Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) and higher than Canadian towns (6.6%). Earthquake risk in Colchester County, Subdivision C is ordinary: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.018 a year per $1,000 of value, close to the typical town’s $0.030. Little of the land around Colchester County, Subdivision C has burned: 0.2% within 25 km since 1986, or 0.004% a year.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Colchester County, Subdivision C | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 13% | 13% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.018 | $0.018 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Shubenacadie Wildlife Park and 7 more in and around Colchester County, Subdivision C
What there is to see in Colchester County, Subdivision C and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
MuseumLawrence House1.7 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumBrookfield Railway Station And Heritage Societyin townMuseumMuseumShubenacadie Tinsmith Museum200 m outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumLittle White Schoolhouse1.6 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumColchester Historeum1.7 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Lawrence House: Verne Equinox, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Colchester County, Subdivision C
Famous people from Colchester County, Subdivision C
8 notable people were born in Colchester County, Subdivision C.
Photo credits
Fleming Blanchard McCurdy: William James Topley, Public domain · Edith Rogers: Unknown author, Public domain
Colchester County, Subdivision C’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester County, Subdivision C | 14,211 | — | D | B− | C+ | D |
| Millbrook 27 | 1,122 | 6.5 | — | — | C+ | C− |
| Truro | 14,652 | 8 | D | C− | C− | C− |
| Colchester County, Subdivision B | 21,578 | 17 | D | C+ | C+ | D |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Colchester County, Subdivision C
Who are the people of Colchester County, Subdivision C?
2% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 5% have an Indigenous identity and 3% are immigrants.
What kind of homes are in Colchester County, Subdivision C?
82% 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; 25% are one person living alone.
Is Colchester County, Subdivision C growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 13,098 to 12,476 residents (4.7% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 14,211.
About Colchester County, Subdivision C
Town in Nova Scotia
TownRatings counts Colchester County, Subdivision C as Statistics Canada does, as one municipality in Nova Scotia; the census, crime and housing figures all follow that boundary.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 14,211 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Nova Scotia
- Census division
- Colchester
- Metro area
- Truro
- Census subdivision
- 1210001
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).