#1Fall River
Nova Scotia · 9,214 peopleOverall B+·#768 of 2,556
Strongest: jobs & income A, health B·lowest: walkability C
Fall River, #1 on this list · Photo: WabbitWanderer from London, Canada (CC BY-SA 2.0)Nova Scotia · 2026
Best small towns in Nova Scotia
Canada’s top 100 on this list includes no place in Nova Scotia. Fall River tops the list in Nova Scotia, at B+. Second place goes to Upper Tantallon, at B−, and third to Westphal, at B−. The A range holds none of the 57 on this list. Bottom of the list: Digby, with D−. On the national list, Fall River is #446 of 1,524.
Overall grade, the ranked towns under 10,000 How grades work
#1B+Overall
#2Upper Tantallon
Nova Scotia · 5,248 peopleOverall B−·#1,332 of 2,556
Strongest: jobs & income A−, health B−·lowest: walkability C−
#3Westphal
Nova Scotia · 4,201 peopleOverall B−·#1,412 of 2,556
Strongest: jobs & income B, health B·lowest: cost of living C+
All 57, ranked in Nova Scotia
Best first in Nova Scotia; beside each place, its rank on the same list for all of Canada.
57 places
#TownOverallCanada rankWhat drives it
2Upper Tantallon5,248 peopleB−#751 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income A−, health B−·lowest: walkability C−
5Beaver Bank9,157 peopleB−#857 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income B+, health B·lowest: cost of living C+
6Antigonish County, Subdivision B6,486 peopleC+#902 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A, cost of living A−·lowest: health D
7Antigonish County, Subdivision A9,682 peopleC+#907 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A+, jobs & income A−·lowest: health C−
8Guysborough4,721 peopleC+#921 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A, cost of living A−·lowest: jobs & income D
9Port Hawkesbury3,442 peopleC+#953 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A+, walkability A·lowest: health C−
10Lawrencetown3,509 peopleC+#965 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income B+, health B·lowest: walkability D
12Richmond County, Subdivision C3,444 peopleC#1,058 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A, cost of living A−·lowest: health D
13Mount Royale9,340 peopleC#1,086 of 1,524Strongest: walkability A−, health B+·lowest: cost of living D
15East Lawrencetown4,020 peopleC#1,155 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income B, health B−·lowest: walkability D
16Dutch Settlement6,234 peopleC−#1,194 of 1,524Strongest: jobs & income B, health B−·lowest: walkability C−
17Hatchet Lake9,930 peopleC−#1,245 of 1,524Strongest: health B−, hazard risk B−·lowest: walkability C−
18Lunenburg2,523 peopleC−#1,250 of 1,524Strongest: walkability A, hazard risk A−·lowest: cost of living D
19Victoria County, Subdivision B4,258 peopleC−#1,264 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B+, walkability B−·lowest: jobs & income D
20Inverness County, Subdivision A5,389 peopleC−#1,268 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B+, hazard risk B−·lowest: walkability D
22Harrietsfield6,786 peopleC−#1,289 of 1,524Strongest: health B, hazard risk B−·lowest: walkability C−
25Berwick2,631 peopleC−#1,327 of 1,524Strongest: walkability A, hazard risk A−·lowest: cost of living C−
26Barrington6,720 peopleC−#1,331 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B+, jobs & income B−·lowest: hazard risk D−
29Pictou County, Subdivision C8,847 peopleD#1,362 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A+, cost of living B+·lowest: health D
30Musquodoboit Harbour2,719 peopleD#1,373 of 1,524Strongest: health B, hazard risk B−·lowest: jobs & income D
31Pictou County, Subdivision A6,575 peopleD#1,382 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A, cost of living B+·lowest: health D
32Pictou County, Subdivision B6,482 peopleD#1,385 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A+, cost of living B+·lowest: walkability D
33Inverness County, Subdivision C3,314 peopleD#1,386 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A, cost of living B−·lowest: health D
34East Preston2,573 peopleD#1,389 of 1,524Strongest: health B, hazard risk B−·lowest: jobs & income C−
35Bridgewater9,989 peopleD#1,392 of 1,524Strongest: walkability A−, hazard risk A−·lowest: cost of living C−
36Head of St Margarets Bay2,885 peopleD#1,394 of 1,524Strongest: health B−, hazard risk B−·lowest: walkability C−
37Sheet Harbour3,334 peopleD#1,396 of 1,524Strongest: health B, hazard risk B−·lowest: jobs & income D−
38Colchester County, Subdivision A3,891 peopleD#1,399 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living A−, hazard risk B−·lowest: health D−
39Victoria County, Subdivision A2,746 peopleD#1,400 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B+, hazard risk B−·lowest: health D
40Kings County, Subdivision C8,994 peopleD#1,406 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A−, walkability B·lowest: health C−
41Springhill7,015 peopleD#1,421 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B+, walkability B−·lowest: jobs & income D
43Meaghers Grant3,430 peopleD#1,432 of 1,524Strongest: health B, hazard risk B−·lowest: jobs & income D
44Richmond County, Subdivision A4,305 peopleD#1,444 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A, safety B−·lowest: jobs & income D
46Kings County, Subdivision D6,517 peopleD#1,455 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A−, safety C+·lowest: health C−
47Antigonish5,175 peopleD#1,463 of 1,524Strongest: walkability A+, hazard risk A·lowest: cost of living D
48Annapolis County, Subdivision C5,694 peopleD#1,476 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A−, cost of living C+·lowest: health D
49Cumberland County, Subdivision C6,040 peopleD−#1,482 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B−, hazard risk C+·lowest: health D
50Cumberland County, Subdivision A3,401 peopleD−#1,486 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B, hazard risk B−·lowest: jobs & income D−
51Cumberland County, Subdivision D4,692 peopleD−#1,490 of 1,524Strongest: cost of living B−, walkability B−·lowest: health D
53Shelburne4,542 peopleD−#1,494 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A−, cost of living C+·lowest: walkability D
54Annapolis County, Subdivision B5,086 peopleD−#1,496 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A−, walkability B+·lowest: jobs & income D
55Annapolis County, Subdivision D3,273 peopleD−#1,513 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A−, cost of living C+·lowest: health D
56Annapolis County, Subdivision A6,719 peopleD−#1,514 of 1,524Strongest: hazard risk A−, walkability B−·lowest: jobs & income D
Rankings
More lists for Nova Scotia
All listsBest places to liveBest small townsMost affordableSafestHealthiestJobs & incomeMost walkableLowest hazard riskCivic lifeHighest incomesFastest-growingMost historicMost bilingualYoungestOldestMildest wintersColdest wintersWarmest summersCoolest summersFewest frostsLeast snowSnowiestDriestWettest
Province by province
Best small towns elsewhere
Photos: Fall River, WabbitWanderer from London, Canada (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Upper Tantallon, misterjerk2 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Westphal, Paulo O (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking Canadian towns against each other only, run #73 of 10 November 2026. 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).