Pictou County, Subdivision ANova Scotia
It lies in Pictou. 6,575 residents make their home in this town in Nova Scotia.
Is Pictou County, Subdivision A a good place to live?
Pictou County, Subdivision A grades low on several counts. The weak point is health (D). The town’s overall D puts it #51 of 88 in Nova Scotia. Nationally, it does better than 13% of Canadian towns. Incomes are on the low side (D). Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A). Cost of living is another plus (B+).
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.
What makes Pictou County, Subdivision A stand out
The 3 things Pictou County, Subdivision A does most differently from other towns.
How Pictou County, Subdivision A grades
Each subject compares Pictou County, Subdivision A 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 Pictou County, Subdivision A.
On health, Pictou County, Subdivision A falls short of 92% of Canadian towns
The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average just over a fifth of adults, above both Nova Scotia’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (17%). Lives in the region last 79.3 years on average (2022/2024): 81.5 for women, 77.1 for men. In addition, across the region, 42% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Nova Scotia as a whole reaches 48%. The region has more smokers than Nova Scotia, 17% of adults to 14%. Nobody publishes health survey and life expectancy for Pictou County, Subdivision A alone, so this card uses the figure for the Zone 2 - Northern.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Pictou County, Subdivision A | 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
Pictou County, Subdivision A faces fewer hazards than 91% of Canadian towns
Radon is lower than usual: 2% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Flood mapping exists: 3 studies, most recently by Province of Nova Scotia. Shaking is about as much of a worry in Pictou County, Subdivision A as in most places, at $0.017 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Pictou County, Subdivision A | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 2% | 13% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.017 | $0.018 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Area behind the radon tests figures: the Zone 4 health region
Pictou County, Subdivision A has fewer jobs than residents in work: 0.4 for each
A trip to work takes 27 min on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Pictou County, Subdivision A | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 27 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.
For safety, Pictou County, Subdivision A gets a C
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 84 over 2023–25, above Nova Scotia’s towns (71) and Canadian towns (67) alike. Violent crime in the area its police cover: 16.5 per 1,000 people a year. Property crime in the area its police cover: 29.8 per 1,000 people a year. Pictou County, Subdivision A doesn’t get its own Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures; the ones here come from the Pictou County detachment area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Pictou County, Subdivision A | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 84 | 71 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 16.5 | 14.5 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 29.8 | 36.2 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Rent takes less of local pay in Pictou County, Subdivision A than in Nova Scotia’s towns or Canadian towns: 16% of household income
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 8% of households, below Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. Home ownership covers nine in ten households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Pictou County, Subdivision A | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 8% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 21% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 90% | 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.
More of the land around Pictou County, Subdivision A is protected than around 9 in 10 Canadian towns
The nearest national park is Prince Edward Island National Park, 64 km away. Protected areas open to the public, within 10 km of the town: 57, higher than both Nova Scotia’s towns (23.5) and Canadian towns (4). 29 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Gordons Beach. OpenStreetMap shows 3 walking routes nearby, including the International Appalachian Trail (Nova Scotia) and Juniper Head Trail.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Pictou County, Subdivision A | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 57 | 23.5 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 13% | 8.7% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
A median age of 54.4: Pictou County, Subdivision A is older than 94% of Canadian towns
1.5% of residents belong to a visible minority, below Nova Scotia’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 1.9% of residents, below both Nova Scotia’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
49.9% of Pictou County, Subdivision A’s residents are women
Here the census found 3,085 men and 3,070 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Pictou County, Subdivision A | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 30% | 25% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 53% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Nova Scotia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Pictou County, Subdivision A has cooler summers than 88% of Canadian towns
Winter lows average −8.9°C in January, near Nova Scotia’s towns (−8.9°C) and higher than Canadian towns (−13.5°C). October is the wettest month, with 119 mm of rain and snow on average. Most of the snow comes in January, about 53 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Pictou County, Subdivision A | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 1,134 mm | 1,393 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 23.1°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 187 cm | 215 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −8.9°C | −8.9°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Caribou Point)
Pictou County, Subdivision A in November: highs near 8°C, lows near 2°C
Over the year, July is warmest at 23°C by day and February coldest at −9°C by night. Snow is normal by November, about 7 cm over the month. In November, the normal is 118 mm of rain and snow. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Caribou forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −7°C | 278 mm |
| Spring | 7°C | 0°C | 241 mm |
| Summer | 21°C | 14°C | 263 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 352 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Caribou Point); the forecast is on the Weather page
Pictou County, Subdivision A sends Sean Fraser (Liberal Party of Canada) to the Commons from Central Nova
Of the 11 Commons seats from Nova Scotia, the Liberal Party of Canada holds 11.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Pictou County, Subdivision A has one public library, Janice Murray Gill Memorial Library
It sits 18 km from the centre of Pictou County, Subdivision A.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
No high school in or near Pictou County, Subdivision A: the closest is 11 km off
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Springs Elementary SchoolIn Pictou County, Subdivision AElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Pictou County, Subdivision A | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 11 km | 4.3 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · The schools grade is given only where results are open; in Nova Scotia, the province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20.
River John Cenotaph and 4 more in and around Pictou County, Subdivision A
Sights in Pictou County, Subdivision A and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
MuseumMcCulloch House Museum1.2 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumSutherland Steam Mill Museum2.2 km outside town, to the westChurchChurchLoch Broom Log Church1 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumNorthumberland Fisheries Museum100 m outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- McCulloch House Museum: Derek Andrews, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sutherland Steam Mill Museum: Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Pictou County, Subdivision A
Famous people from Pictou County, Subdivision A
10 notable people were born in Pictou County, Subdivision A.
Photo credits
Anna Sutherland Bissell: American Historical Socy. - Steel Engraving by Finlay & Conn. (book editor was Winfield Scott Downs (1895-1958)), Public domain · Thomas Tweedie: McGillivray, William A., Public domain
Pictou County, Subdivision A’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pictou County, Subdivision A | 6,575 | — | D | B+ | C | D |
| Pictou | 3,307 | 13 | D | C+ | D | C− |
| Westville | 3,731 | 16 | C− | B | C | D |
| Pictou County, Subdivision B | 6,482 | 17 | D | B+ | C | D |
| New Glasgow | 10,378 | 18 | D | C+ | D | C− |
| Trenton | 2,499 | 19 | — | B | C | C− |
| Stellarton | 4,251 | 19 | D | B− | C− | C− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Pictou County, Subdivision A
Who are the people of Pictou County, Subdivision A?
Visible minorities are 2% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 5%, and Indigenous people 2%.
What kind of homes are in Pictou County, Subdivision A?
89% 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 2.2 people; 28% are one person living alone.
Has Pictou County, Subdivision A grown?
It added people: 6,075 in 2016, 6,153 in 2021, 1.3% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 6,575.
About Pictou County, Subdivision A
Town in Nova Scotia
Statistics Canada treats Pictou County, Subdivision A as a single census subdivision in Nova Scotia, and TownRatings keeps to that line.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 6,575 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Nova Scotia
- Census division
- Pictou
- Census subdivision
- 1212001
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).