Lower SackvilleHalifax

TownGrade

B⁻

#1,411 of 2,556

It is one of the 36 neighbourhoods that make up Halifax. The neighbourhood has 20,171 residents and lies in Halifax.

6 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: The original uploader was Sprocket at English Wikipedia . · CC BY-SA 2.5

Population

20,171

people, Census 2021

Median age

43.6

years · Nova Scotia’s towns: 51.6

Postsecondary

53%

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 Lower Sackville a good place to live?

Real strengths, and real weak spots. Lower Sackville’s overall grade, B−, puts it better than 48% of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #10 of 88 in Nova Scotia. The weak point is cost of living (C−). Fewer journeys need a car (A−). Add health to its strengths (B+). The rest of its grades are middling: C+ for safety, B for jobs & income and B− for hazard risk.

Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: this is the whole city's figure, because the city doesn't publish open neighbourhood crime rates. 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.

StrongestA⁻WalkabilityWeakestC⁻Cost of living

How Lower Sackville grades

Each subject compares Lower Sackville 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

WalkabilityAhead of most towns comparedA⁻Open →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesC⁻Open →HealthResidents are healthier than in most townsB⁺Open →Jobs & incomeGraded on incomes, poverty and employmentBOpen →SafetyClose to the middle of the towns comparedC⁺Open →Hazard riskBased on earthquake losses and radon in homes; a high wildfire risk can pull it downB⁻Open →

SchoolsBecause the province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20, towns in Nova Scotia aren’t graded on schools.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Lower Sackville.

HousingCost of living C⁻

Rent takes more of local pay in Lower Sackville than in Nova Scotia’s towns or Canadian towns: 26% of household income

$276,000median home value, 2021C⁻Cost of living Grade

15% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, between Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers 71% of households. Figures for rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom are published for the Halifax metro area as a whole, not for Lower Sackville alone.

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

Lower Sackville$276,000

Nova Scotia$250,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Lower Sackville	Nova Scotia	Canada
Rent as a share of income	26%	21%	20%
Households owning their home	71%	82%	74%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	15%	13%	18%
Median home value, 2021	$276,000	$250,000	$406,000

$1,828

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

Full pageLower Sackville’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$1,828 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey Cost of living3.3 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $276,000, against the median household income Owners and renters71% own their home

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.

HealthHealth B⁺

Very good or excellent health for 51% of adults in Lower Sackville’s health region

51%very good or excellent healthB⁺Health Grade

Source area for health survey and life expectancy: the Zone 4 - Central

Lives here run to 81.4 years on average, about level with Canadian towns (81.5) and above Nova Scotia’s towns (80.0). Smoking is rarer than in the province: 11% of adults, against 14% for Nova Scotia. Measured from where Lower Sackville’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 2.4 km away, under the typical 3.7 km.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Lower Sackville51%

Nova Scotia’s towns49%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Lower Sackville	Nova Scotia	Canada
Smokers	11%	15%	12%
Chronic conditions (average share)	18%	20%	17%
Life expectancy at birth	81.4	80.0	81.5
Very good or excellent health	51%	49%	52%

81.4

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

2.4 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

11%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

1.1 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageLower Sackville’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey51% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care2.4 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 1.1 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 83.4, men 79.3 Conditions and habits18% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities

Climate

July highs in Lower Sackville: 24.2°C, against 23.1°C in Nova Scotia’s towns and 25.5°C in Canadian towns

24.2°CJuly afternoons

A normal November brings 159 mm of precipitation, more than any other month. Rain and melted snow add up to 1,393 mm a year, about level with Nova Scotia’s towns (1,393 mm) and above Canadian towns (883 mm). Lower Sackville sees January nights of −10.1°C on average. January is the snowiest month, with 54 cm on average.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter0.1°C

Spring9.4°C

Summer23.0°C

Autumn13.8°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Lower Sackville	Nova Scotia	Canada
Precipitation a year	1,393 mm	1,393 mm	883 mm
July afternoon high	24.2°C	23.1°C	25.5°C
Snowfall a year	215 cm	215 cm	141 cm
January night low	−10.1°C	−8.9°C	−13.5°C

215 cm

of snow a year

151

days with frost a year

124

days with precipitation a year

Full pageLower Sackville’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 24.2°C, January lows −10.1°C Rain and snow1,393 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow215 cm of snow a year Weather station19 km to the station · Halifax Stanfield (Airport)

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Halifax Stanfield (Airport))

Work & commuteJobs & income B

Lower Sackville’s household incomes are higher than in 64% of Canadian towns

8%walk, cycle or take transit

On average, the journey to work lasts 22 min. 88% of commuters drove, lower than Nova Scotia’s towns (92%) and near Canadian towns (89%).

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van88%

Public transit6%

Walk3%

Census 2021	Lower Sackville	Nova Scotia	Canada
Average trip	22 min	23 min	26 min
Car or van	88%	92%	89%

$83,700

median household income, 2020

20%

worked from home, May 2021

96%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageLower Sackville’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment10% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work8% walk, cycle or take transit

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.

Outdoors

Few places match Lower Sackville for protected land nearby: more than 8 in 10 Canadian towns

8.5%of the land within 10 km protected

Within 10 km, the count of public protected areas is 24, close to Nova Scotia’s towns (23.5) and above Canadian towns (4). 7.3 km out lies the largest, Waverley - Salmon River Long Lake Wilderness Area, at 8,621 ha. Inside the neighbourhood itself, 14% of the land is protected. The nearest national park is more than 100 km away.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Lower Sackville8.5%

Nova Scotia’s towns8.7%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Lower Sackville	Nova Scotia	Canada
Public protected areas within 10 km	24	23.5	4
Protected land within 10 km	8.5%	8.7%	2.3%

At the edge

to Sackville Lakes Provincial Park

beaches within 5 km

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pageLower Sackville’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas25 protected areas within 10 km · Waverley - Salmon River Long Lake Wilderness Area National & provincial parksAt the edge to a provincial park · Sackville Lakes Provincial Park Footpaths & routes1 named route · Great Oaks Loop

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

SafetySafety C⁺

Lower Sackville’s grade for safety: a C+

71Crime Severity Index

Violent incidents in its police area came to 13.8 per 1,000 residents a year, close to Nova Scotia’s towns (14.5) and above Canadian towns (12). Where it is policed, thefts, break-ins and damage came to 37.3 per 1,000 a year, close to Nova Scotia’s towns (36.2) and above Canadian towns (31.2). Lower Sackville shares its Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 numbers with the rest of the Halifax Metropolitan Area service area.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202372

202474

202569

2023–2025	Lower Sackville	Nova Scotia	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	37.3	36.2	31.2
Violent crime	13.8	14.5	12

non-violent Crime Severity Index

31%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageLower Sackville’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety71 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Lower Sackville’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Lower Sackville safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average

Who lives here

Lower Sackville: median age 43.6, 8,330 households

43.6median age

People 65 and over make up nearly a fifth of the town. The under-15s are 15% of the population here. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 5% of residents, above Nova Scotia’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (2.8%) alike.

Lower SackvilleNova ScotiaCanada

Nova ScotiaCanada

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

15%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree16%

Postsecondary qualification53%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 51.4% of Lower Sackville

9,810 men and 10,390 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.

Who lives in Lower Sackville
	Lower Sackville	Nova Scotia	Canada
Under 15	15%	14%	16%
15 to 64	66%	62%	64%
65+	19%	25%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	16%	18%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	53%	54%	56%

Full pageLower Sackville’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages43.6 median age · 19% are 65 or over Households8,330 households English and French9% speak both · 0% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Nova Scotia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

Weather

Lower Sackville in November: highs near 8°C, lows near freezing

8°Ca normal November afternoon

A normal December brings highs of 2°C, lows of −6°C. In November, the normal is 159 mm of rain and snow. Snowfall in a normal November: 19 cm. The year peaks in July (24°C) and bottoms out in January (−10°C).

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

November8°C

December2°C

January−1°C

February−1°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	0°C	−9°C	384 mm
Spring	9°C	0°C	336 mm
Summer	23°C	13°C	267 mm
Autumn	14°C	5°C	406 mm

0°C

a normal November night

159 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageLower Sackville’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 July, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Halifax Stanfield (Airport)); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Braedon Clark (Liberal Party of Canada) holds Sackville—Bedford—Preston, the riding that includes Lower Sackville

Andy Fillmore, the mayor, heads the council of Halifax, which governs Lower Sackville as one of its neighbourhoods.

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

Who runs itRegional Municipality

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade B⁻

Sackville Public Library is Lower Sackville’s public library

From the centre of Lower Sackville, it is 1 km away.

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

Places to belong1.1 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Natural hazardsHazard risk B⁻

A flood study covers Lower Sackville: 2 on the national inventory, the newest from Halifax Regional Municipality

Lowwildfire bandB⁻Hazard risk Grade

The earthquake risk numbers here cover the city of Halifax

Radon is higher than usual: 13% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Shaking is about as much of a worry in Lower Sackville as in most places, at $0.018 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Burn scars are few around Lower Sackville, with 1.9% of the land within 25 km touched by fire since 1986 (0.05% a year). For radon tests, the only official count covers all of the Zone 6 health region, Lower Sackville included.

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

Lower Sackville13%

Nova Scotia’s towns13%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Lower Sackville	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

Low

wildfire band

1.7 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

flood studies on the national inventory

Full pageLower Sackville’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

Flood2 flood studies on record WildfireLow wildfire band · 1.9% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986 Earthquakes$0.018 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon13% 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

Schools

Around Lower Sackville, 17 elementary schools and 4 secondary schools: 21 schools in all

21schools within 3 km

Within 3 km, 2 boards share the schools, higher than Nova Scotia’s towns (1) yet lower than Canadian towns (3). In French: one of the 21 schools, where in Nova Scotia the share is 6%.

School	Level	Students	System
A J Smeltzer Junior HighIn Lower SackvilleElementary · Grades 6–8	Elementary · Grades 6–8	–	English public
Sackville HighIn Lower SackvilleSecondary · Grades 9–RG	Secondary · Grades 9–RG	–	English public
École du Grand-Portage FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary	Elementary	–	French public

See all 21 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

English public20

French public1

Schools within 3 km	Lower Sackville	Nova Scotia	Canada
School boards	2	1	3

0.6 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageLower Sackville’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Every school21 schools within 3 km · 17 elementary schools and 4 secondary schools Language1 of 21 teach in French · 6% of schools in Nova Scotia The boards2 school boards · Halifax Regional Centre for Education Questions“What schools are there in Lower Sackville?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · In Nova Scotia, no schools grade. The province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20.

History

1 historic place on the heritage registers in Lower Sackville

1historic place

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations0

Other federal designations0

Provincial and local listings1

Among them

Fultz House 1865

1865

oldest construction date on the record

6.6%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Lower Sackville	Nova Scotia	Canada
Homes built before 1961	6.6%	28%	18%

Full pageLower Sackville’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registersOne historic place inside the town Older homes6.6% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Lower Sackville have?”

Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Lower Sackville

15pages on Lower Sackville

The big questions

SafetyC⁺Crime Severity Index 71 Housing & costC⁻Homes 3.3 × income Property pricesSchools21 schools within 3 km HealthB⁺Life expectancy 81.4 in its region Work & commuteB56% of adults in work Natural hazardsB⁻Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors8.5% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 24°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 43.6 HistoryOne place on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Fultz House and 3 more in and around Lower Sackville

A first look at Lower Sackville’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.

All attractions →

MuseumFultz Housein town

MuseumScott Manor House1.8 km outside town, to the southeast MuseumMuseumWaverley Village Mueseum2.4 km outside town, to the northeast Theme parkTheme parkAtlantic Splash Adventure3.9 km outside town, to the southwest

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

Photo credits (2)

Fultz House: Logical2u, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Scott Manor House: Nova Scotia Information Service, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Famous people from Lower Sackville

5 notable people were born in Lower Sackville.

See all 5 →

Nikki PayneCanadian actress and comedian · born 1976

Leah RobinsonAssociation footballer · born 1982

Mya HarnishCanadian soccer player · born 2001

Gord DwyerCanadian ice hockey referee

Wayne HankeyCanadian philosopher · 1944–2022

Photo credits

Nikki Payne: ResoluteSupportMedia, CC BY 2.0

About Lower Sackville

Neighbourhood in Halifax

Census areas put together by TownRatings make up Lower Sackville, one part of Halifax; the city’s map or OpenStreetMap gives it its name.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 20,171 (people, 2021 estimate)
Province or territory: Nova Scotia
City: Halifax
Census subdivision: 1209034

Lower Sackville’s neighbours

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

Middle SackvilleBedfordFall RiverBeaver BankHammonds PlainsClayton Park WestLower Sackville

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Lower Sackville	20,171	—	B⁻	C⁻	C⁺	B⁺
Middle Sackville	14,898	3.8	B⁻	C	C⁺	B
Bedford	28,848	5.7	B⁻	D	C⁺	B⁺
Fall River	9,214	6.9	B⁺	B	C⁺	B
Beaver Bank	9,157	7.3	B⁻	C⁺	C⁺	B
Hammonds Plains	13,844	9.2	B	B⁺	C⁺	B
Clayton Park West	34,404	11	C	D	C⁺	B

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

Questions about Lower Sackville

Is Lower Sackville a young town or an old one?

The median resident is 43.6 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 15% are under 15 and 19% are 65 or over.

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).