AlbanelQuebec
A town of 2,191 in Quebec. It lies in Maria-Chapdelaine.
Is Albanel a good place to live?
Albanel’s strongest subject is cost of living (A+). Health is a strength too (A). Most journeys need a car (C). Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for safety and B for hazard risk.
With fewer than 2,500 residents, Albanel gets subject grades but no overall one among Canadian towns.
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 Sûreté du Québec unit's figure for the whole MRC. 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 Albanel stand out
The 3 things Albanel does most differently from other towns.
How Albanel grades
Each subject compares Albanel with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
With fewer than 2,500 residents, Albanel gets subject grades but no overall one among Canadian towns.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Albanel.
Renting in Albanel costs 11% of household income, less than in Quebec’s towns and across Canadian towns
7% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Households that own their home make up 88%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Albanel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 11% | 18% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 7% | 13% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 88% | 70% | 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 adults feel healthy around Albanel: 66% say very good or excellent (52% for the typical Canadian town)
Shared with the rest of the Région du Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean: health survey and life expectancy
Women in the region live to 83.2 and men to 80.4, 81.8 years taken together (2022/2024). The region has fewer smokers than Quebec, just over one in ten adults to 12%. The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 15% of adults, higher than Quebec’s towns (15%) yet lower than Canadian towns (17%). What sets Albanel apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 11 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Albanel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 66% | 56% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.8 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Albanel has colder winters than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −23.4°C
Most of the snow comes in December, about 55 cm. Frosty days number 203 in a normal year, above both Quebec’s towns (161) and Canadian towns (159). Albanel sees July afternoons of 23.9°C on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Albanel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −23.4°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 271 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 23.9°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 203 | 161 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Normandin)
Trips to work from Albanel are shorter than from Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 24 min on average
By car: that was how 93% of commuters travelled at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Albanel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 24 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 93% | 90% | 89% |
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.
Albanel’s hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 2.8% of area homes over the radon guideline
Earthquakes add more: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.12 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town. Wildfire is rare near Albanel: 0.2% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, a burn rate of 0.004% a year. The national flood inventory has no study of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Albanel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 2.8% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.12 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Radon tests published for the Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean health region, not by town
Albanel earns a C+ for safety
Violent incidents in its police area came to 17.1 per 1,000 residents a year, above Quebec’s towns (12.4) and Canadian towns (12) alike. Across its police area, there are 17.6 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Albanel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 17.1 | 12.4 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 107 | 88 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 17.6 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 69 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Data for Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 covers Maria-Chapdelaine MRC
What November brings in Albanel: −7°C at night, 2°C by day
November usually brings some 39 cm of snow. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 71 mm. ECCC’s forecast for Dolbeau-Mistassini is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −9°C | −21°C | 166 mm |
| Spring | 7°C | −6°C | 193 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 10°C | 302 mm |
| Autumn | 10°C | 0°C | 250 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Normandin); the forecast is on the Weather page
Per resident, Albanel spends less than 79% of Québec’s local municipalities
Albanel’s council has 6 councillors and is led by Dave Plourde, the mayor.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
No public library stands in Albanel: the closest, Bibliothèque Municipale De Normandin, is 8.9 km away
After it comes Bibliothèque Publique De Saint-Edmond-Les-Plaines (Normandin), 9.9 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Protected land is scarce around Albanel: 0.1% within 10 km
A provincial park, Pointe-Taillon National Park (Québec), lies 19 km away. The nearest national park is more than 100 km away. Within 5 km are 2 beaches; Plage Dolbeau is the nearest. The largest is Îles Flottantes Water Fowl Gathering Area: 463 ha, 9.2 km from the edge of town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Albanel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.1% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 5 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
More of Albanel’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 9.9%
13% speak both English and French, between Quebec’s towns (44%) and Canadian towns (7.5%). The 65-and-over age group makes up a fifth of residents. The share of residents under 15 is 17%.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
47.0% of Albanel’s residents are women
Women numbered 1,025 and men 1,155 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Albanel | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 63% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 20% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 24% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 57% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Albanel’s teenagers travel 8.7 km to the nearest high school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Notre-Dame-des-Anges--Saint-Louis-de-GonzagueIn AlbanelElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Schools within 3 km | Albanel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 8.7 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Source note: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school, so there’s no schools grade in Quebec.
Do-Mi-Ski Ski Area and 3 more within 40 km
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Albanel; with it, the best known within 40 km.
ZooZoo Sauvage de St-Félicien23 km south
Abbey or prioryMonastère Notre-Dame de Mistassini16 km northeast
MuseumMusée du fromage cheddar32 km southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Zoo Sauvage de St-Félicien: Gas2012, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Monastère Notre-Dame de Mistassini: Simon Villeneuve, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Musée du fromage cheddar: Nyson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Albanel
Famous people from around Albanel
One notable person was born in Albanel; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Marie-Nicole Lemieux: Simon Villeneuve, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fred Fortin: Jphilippetremblay, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jean-Louis Roy: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf, CC BY-SA 4.0
Albanel’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albanel | 2,191 | — | — | A+ | C+ | A |
| Normandin | 3,065 | 9.1 | A | A+ | C+ | A− |
| Dolbeau-Mistassini | 13,581 | 14 | A | A | C+ | A+ |
| Girardville | 1,044 | 17 | — | A+ | C+ | A− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Albanel
Who are the people of Albanel?
Visible minorities are 0% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 1%, and Indigenous people 10%.
What kind of homes are in Albanel?
Single-detached houses make up 89% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 26% of households are one person, and the average is 2.3.
Do people in Albanel speak French?
Almost everyone does. 13% are bilingual, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%, and 87.2% speak French and no English.
Is Albanel growing?
It lost people: 2,262 in 2016, 2,181 in 2021, 3.6% fewer, while the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 2,191.
About Albanel
Town in Quebec
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Albanel is one census subdivision in Quebec, and TownRatings describes all of it.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,191 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Maria-Chapdelaine
- Census subdivision
- 2492030
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).