St.-CharlesOntario
A town of 1,654 in Ontario. Its population rose 7% from 2016 to 2021.
Is St.-Charles a good place to live?
St.-Charles’s standout strength is safety (B+). Homes were valued at a median $300,000 at the 2021 census, 3.9 times the typical household’s income. The local economy is weaker than most (D−). Natural hazards weigh less here than in most Canadian towns (A−).
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; St.-Charles has its subject grades alone.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: no police service names this town, so its crime figure is the nearest police detachment's, shared with a wider area. 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 St.-Charles grades
Each subject compares St.-Charles with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; St.-Charles has its subject grades alone.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes St.-Charles stand out
The 3 things St.-Charles does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in St.-Charles.
Trips to work from St.-Charles take longer than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 43 min on average
84% of commuters drove, below Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%) alike.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | St.-Charles | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 43 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 84% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Rent takes more of local pay in St.-Charles than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 25% of household income
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 16% of households, below both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). Owners make up just over four in five households. Behind rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom sits data gathered across the Greater Sudbury metro area, with St.-Charles one part of it.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | St.-Charles | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $300,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Rent as a share of income | 25% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 16% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 82% | 76% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Life expectancy around St.-Charles is 79.1 years, 2.4 less than for the typical Canadian town
Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Sudbury and District Health Unit
What sets St.-Charles apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 24 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical). The region has more smokers than Ontario, 16% of adults to 11%. The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 20% of adults, above both Ontario’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (17%). On self-rated health the region tracks the province: 51% very good or excellent, 51% for Ontario.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | St.-Charles | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.1 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
St.-Charles’ hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 5.2% of area homes over the radon guideline
Little of the land around St.-Charles has burned: 0.2% within 25 km since 1986, or 0.005% a year. Flood mapping: none on the national inventory of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | St.-Charles | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 5.2% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.029 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Winter nights bite in St.-Charles: January lows of −17.5°C, colder than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns
September is the wettest month, with 103 mm of rain and snow on average. There are 177 days of frost in a typical year, above both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). Between the last spring frost, 18 May, and the first in autumn, 1 October, lie 136 days. Also worth knowing: in July, daytime highs in St.-Charles average 25.0°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | St.-Charles | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 263 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −17.5°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 177 | 139 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 25.0°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Sudbury)
St.-Charles gets a B+ for safety
These figures come from the closest detachment: none reports for St.-Charles itself
Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 14.1 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed. For violence alone, its police area’s index was 59, below both Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86). Its police area records 9.5 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. For Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, the only official count covers all of the Sudbury detachment area, St.-Charles included.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | St.-Charles | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 14.1 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 59 | 76 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 49 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
More of St.-Charles’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 16%
3% of residents came to Canada as immigrants, below both Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). Visible minorities make up 1.5% of the population, lower than both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%).
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 48.0% of St.-Charles
In 2021 there were 650 women to 705 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| St.-Charles | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 27% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 46% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Expect November days around 3°C in St.-Charles, nights around −4°C
A typical November adds 30 cm of snow. In November, the normal is 75 mm of rain and snow. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s West Nipissing forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −6°C | −15°C | 184 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −2°C | 205 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 12°C | 251 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | 2°C | 272 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Sudbury); the forecast is on the Weather page
More loans per person served than 89% of Ontario’s town libraries: St. Charles public library lends 7.4
St.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
St.-Charles borders Mashkinonje Provincial Park
There is no national park within 100 km of the town. The 10 km around town hold 2 protected areas.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | St.-Charles | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 2.1% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
No high school in or near St.-Charles: the closest is 25 km off
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École élémentaire Saint-Charles-Borromée FrenchLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 50 | French Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | St.-Charles | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 25 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Everything we know about St.-Charles
About St.-Charles
Town in Ontario
For St.-Charles, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in Ontario, and every figure on its pages covers that whole area.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 1,654 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Sudbury
- Metro area
- Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury
- Census subdivision
- 3552004
St.-Charles’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St.-Charles | 1,654 | — | — | C− | B+ | C− |
| Markstay-Warren | 2,990 | 15 | D− | C | B+ | D |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about St.-Charles
Who are the people of St.-Charles?
Visible minorities are 2% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 3%, and Indigenous people 16%.
Do people in St.-Charles speak French?
51% of residents can hold a conversation in both English and French, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns; 1.8% speak French but not English.
What kind of homes are in St.-Charles?
Mostly 89% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.2 people on average, and 29% have just one.
How old are the people of St.-Charles?
55.6 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 27% of residents are 65 or over and 11% under 15.
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).