DigbyNova Scotia
7,528 residents make their home in this town in Nova Scotia.
Is Digby a good place to live?
More weak spots than strong ones. Its lowest grade is for health (D). Jobs and pay trail most towns (D). Natural hazards are few (B+). The overall grade comes out at D−, behind almost every Canadian town. It ranks #88 of 88 in Nova Scotia. Crime is the sore point (D).
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 Digby grades
Each subject compares Digby 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 Digby stand out
The 3 things Digby does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Digby.
Digby’s grade for health: a D
Life expectancy at birth in the region is 80.0 years, near Nova Scotia’s towns (80.0) and lower than Canadian towns (81.5). In the health survey, 44% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, fewer than Nova Scotia’s 48%. At 19%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 14% for Nova Scotia. Closer to home, a hospital is 18 km from the average resident of Digby, further than the usual 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Digby | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 19% | 15% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 44% | 49% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.0 | 80.0 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy published for the Zone 1 - Western, not by town
Households in Digby have lower incomes than those in 97% of Canadian towns
The average trip to work takes 22 min. The car took 93% of commuters, near Nova Scotia’s towns (92%) and higher than Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Digby | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 23 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 93% | 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.
The police who cover Digby record more serious crime than Nova Scotia’s towns or Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 130
Measured across the Digby detachment area: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000
Violent crime in the area its police cover: 30.2 per 1,000 people a year. The violent index for its police area came to 158, above both Nova Scotia’s towns (94) and Canadian towns (86).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Digby | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 30.2 | 14.5 | 12 |
| Crime Severity Index | 130 | 71 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 158 | 94 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Digby is on Canada’s flood inventory: 3 listed, led by Province of Nova Scotia
Shared with the rest of the Zone 1 health region: radon tests
6.2% of radon tests in the survey area came in above the guideline, below Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (6.6%) alike. Shaking is about as much of a worry in Digby as in most places, at $0.027 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Little of the land around Digby has burned: 0.1% within 25 km since 1986, or 0.002% a year.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Digby | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 6.2% | 13% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.027 | $0.018 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
The nearest high school to Digby is 75 km away
Young children have 14 km to the nearest elementary school, higher than both Nova Scotia’s towns (1.9 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islands Consolidated SchoolIn DigbyElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Digby | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 75 km | 4.3 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 14 km | 1.9 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Why no schools grade in Nova Scotia? The province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20.
Digby’s grade for cost of living: a C+
A year’s rent came to 23% of the median household income, above Nova Scotia’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (20%) alike. Households that own their home make up 81%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Digby | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 12% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 23% | 21% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 81% | 82% | 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.
July afternoons in Digby reach 25.5°C (Nova Scotia towns 23.1°C, Canadian towns 25.5°C)
Most of the snow comes in January, about 64 cm. Rain and melted snow add up to 1,453 mm a year, near Nova Scotia’s towns (1,393 mm) and higher than Canadian towns (883 mm). Midwinter nights in Digby bottom out at −9.6°C on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Digby | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 1,453 mm | 1,393 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 25.5°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 205 cm | 215 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −9.6°C | −8.9°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Kejimkujik)
Older residents shape Digby: 29% are 65 or over, above Nova Scotia’s towns and Canadian towns
First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 7.7% of residents, above Nova Scotia’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (2.8%) alike. The under-15s are 13% of the population here.
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 51.1% of Digby
By the 2021 count the town had 3,700 women and 3,545 men, while Canada has 50.9% women.
| Digby | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 58% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 29% | 25% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 26% | 18% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 45% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Nova Scotia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site reaches Digby
Inside the town itself, 33% of the land is protected. Protected areas cover 27% of the land within 10 km, above Nova Scotia’s towns (8.7%) and Canadian towns (2.3%) alike. 43 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. For a swim, Brooks Beach is the nearest of 15 beaches within 5 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Digby | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 27% | 8.7% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 23 | 23.5 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
What November brings in Digby: freezing at night, 8°C by day
Over the year, July is warmest at 26°C by day and January coldest at −10°C by night. Then December: 3°C by day, −5°C at night. A normal November brings 161 mm of rain and snow. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Digby forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −8°C | 422 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 344 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 12°C | 266 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 4°C | 421 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Kejimkujik); the forecast is on the Weather page
Acadie—Annapolis, which takes in Digby, is held by Chris d'Entremont (Liberal Party of Canada)
The Liberal Party of Canada has 11 of the 11 MPs elected in Nova Scotia.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Westport Branch Library and Weymouth Waterfront Library are Digby’s two public libraries
Without open library statistics in Nova Scotia, the page names Digby’s libraries but shows no visits or loans.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
45% of Digby’s homes were built before 1961
The record has 3 heritage lighthouses. The oldest dated place, Bear River Lighthouse, goes back to 1905.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Digby | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 45% | 28% | 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 Digby
Islands Museum and 2 more in and around Digby
A first look at Digby’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
MuseumAdmiral Digby Museum1.1 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Admiral Digby Museum: Dan Conlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Digby
13 notable people were born in Digby.
Photo credits
Sam Langford: Unknown author, Public domain · Mysterious Billy Smith: Unknown author, Public domain · Alfred William Savary: William James Topley, Public domain · Herbert Ladd Jones: William Cochrane (1831-1898) and John Castell Hopkins (1864-1923), Public domain
About Digby
Town in Nova Scotia
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Digby is one municipality in Nova Scotia, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 7,528 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Nova Scotia
- Census subdivision
- 1203004
Digby’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
Questions about Digby
What kind of homes are in Digby?
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 2.1 people; 33% are one person living alone.
Who are the people of Digby?
Visible minorities are 6% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 5%, and Indigenous people 8%.
Is Digby growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 7,107 to 7,242 residents (up 1.9%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 7,528.
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).