AlmaQuebec

It is a town of 30,659 residents in Quebec. Statistics Canada places it in the Lac-Saint-Jean-Est census division.

6 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: Johny-le-cowboy · CC BY-SA 3.0

Population

30,659

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

years · Quebec’s towns: 44.8

Postsecondary

60%

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%

TownGrade

A⁺

#93 of 2,556

Is Alma a good place to live?

Health is a strength (A). Cost of living is another plus (A−). Put together, the subjects come to an A+ overall, ranking #53 of 499 in Quebec. That leaves it better than 95% of Canadian towns. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B− for jobs & income and C+ for hazard risk.

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.

StrongestAHealth A⁻Cost of living

What makes Alma stand out

The 3 things Alma does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Health

Better than 95%

of Canadian towns on health

Its health grade: A.

Unemployment rate, Census 2021

Work

5% unemployment

Of the labour force, against 10% for the median of Canadian towns

56% of residents 15 and over were in work, May 2021.

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

3 times household income

Against 4.7 for the median of Canadian towns

Median owner’s estimate $200,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

How Alma grades

Each subject compares Alma 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

HealthIn the top fifth of the towns comparedAOpen →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnA⁻Open →WalkabilityEasier than most to get around on footB⁺Open →SafetyBetter than most of the towns comparedB⁺Open →Hazard riskClose to the middle of the towns comparedC⁺Open →Jobs & incomeBased on what households earn, poverty and workB⁻Open →

SchoolsNo schools grade in Quebec: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Alma.

HealthHealth A

For health, Alma gets an A

Measured across the Région du Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean: health survey and life expectancy

The town’s own part is the trip to care: residents of Alma live 2.8 km from a hospital on average, close to the typical town’s 3.7 km. At 11%, the share of adults who smoke sits under the 12% for Quebec. In the health survey, nearly two thirds of adults in the region rated their health very good or excellent, higher than both Quebec’s towns (56%) and Canadian towns (52%). Women in the region live to 83.2 and men to 80.4, 81.8 years taken together (2022/2024).

66%very good or excellent healthAHealth Grade

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Alma66%

Quebec’s towns56%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Alma	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

81.8

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

2.8 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

11%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

1.9 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageAlma’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey66% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care2.8 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 1.9 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 83.2, men 80.4 Conditions and habits15% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

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

HousingCost of living A⁻

Renting in Alma costs 15% of household income, less than in Quebec’s towns and across Canadian towns

Just over one in ten households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below both Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers nearly two thirds of households. Alma doesn’t get its own rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom figures; the ones here come from the Alma metro area.

$200,000median home value, 2021A⁻Cost of living Grade

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

Alma$200,000

Quebec$300,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Alma	Quebec	Canada
Rent as a share of income	15%	18%	20%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	11%	13%	18%
Households owning their home	66%	70%	74%

$828

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$920

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageAlma’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$828 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey Cost of living3 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $200,000, against the median household income Owners and renters66% own their home

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.

Climate

Alma has cooler summers than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 23.7°C

January nights in Alma drop to −20.8°C on average. Snow totals 271 cm over the year, above Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. The frost-free season runs from 17 May to 2 October, 137 days. December is the snowiest month, with 55 cm on average.

23.7°CJuly afternoons

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−8.2°C

Spring7.3°C

Summer22.6°C

Autumn9.9°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Alma	Quebec	Canada
July afternoon high	23.7°C	26.5°C	25.5°C
Snowfall a year	271 cm	217 cm	141 cm
January night low	−20.8°C	−14.7°C	−13.5°C
Days with frost a year	187	161	159

271 cm

of snow a year

187

days with frost a year

137

frost-free days, 17 May to 2 Oct

124

days with precipitation a year

Full pageAlma’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 23.7°C, January lows −20.8°C Rain and snow911 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow271 cm of snow a year Weather station46 km to the station · Roberval

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Roberval)

SafetySafety B⁺

For safety, Alma gets a B+

Property crime in its police area ran at 11.6 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Quebec’s towns (16.6) and Canadian towns (31.2). Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 50 over 2023–25, lower than both Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67).

50Crime Severity Index

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202352

202454

202543

2023–2025	Alma	Quebec	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	11.6	16.6	31.2
Crime Severity Index	50	56	67

non-violent Crime Severity Index

59%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageAlma’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety50 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Alma’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Alma safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: Lac-Saint-Jean-Est MRC

Natural hazardsHazard risk C⁺

Alma’s hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 2.8% of area homes over the radon guideline

NRCan’s model puts the yearly earthquake loss at $0.22 per $1,000 of building value, above Quebec’s towns ($0.14) and Canadian towns ($0.030) alike. The national flood inventory has no study for Alma. For radon tests, the only official count covers all of the Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean health region, Alma included.

Lowwildfire bandC⁺Hazard risk Grade

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

Alma2.8%

Quebec’s towns8.2%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Alma	Quebec	Canada
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.22	$0.14	$0.030
Radon tests above the guideline	2.8%	8.2%	6.6%

$0.22

expected earthquake loss a year per $1,000 of buildings

Low

wildfire band

6.9 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

Full pageAlma’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

Radon2.8% of tests above the guideline WildfireLow wildfire band · No land burned within 25 km since 1986 FloodNo flood study on record Earthquakes$0.22 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

Schools

Schools in and around Alma

No English-language school is among them; in Quebec, 10% of schools are.

12schools within 3 km

School	Level	Students	System
École Albert-NaudIn AlmaElementary	Elementary	–	French public
École Jean-GauthierIn AlmaSecondary	Secondary	–	French public

See all 12 schools →

1.5 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageAlma’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Every school12 schools within 3 km · 9 elementary schools and 3 secondary schools Language0 of 12 teach in English · 10% of schools in Quebec Questions“What schools are there in Alma?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · The schools grade is given only where results are open; in Quebec, the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.

Weather

In Alma, November normally means 2°C afternoons and −5°C nights

At the extremes, July afternoons reach 24°C and January nights −21°C. A normal December brings highs of −6°C, lows of −15°C. November usually brings some 39 cm of snow. Expect about 71 mm of rain and snow over November.

2°Ca normal November afternoon

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

November2°C

December−6°C

January−11°C

February−8°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−8°C	−18°C	166 mm
Spring	7°C	−4°C	193 mm
Summer	23°C	12°C	302 mm
Autumn	10°C	1°C	250 mm

−5°C

a normal November night

71 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageAlma’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 (Roberval); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Council seats in Alma are spread thin, 3,410 residents each, more than in 94% of Quebec municipalities

Alma is in Lac-Saint-Jean, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), and the seat belongs to Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe of the Bloc Québécois.

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

Who runs itCity

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade C⁻

At 1.7 visits per person served, Alma public library is quieter than 77% of Quebec’s town libraries

The 30,889 people Alma public library serves have 3 branches to choose from.

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

Places to belong2 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁻

Commuters in Alma have a short way to work, 19 min on average, less than in Quebec’s towns and across Canadian towns

The car took 92% of commuters, near both Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%).

6%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van92%

Walk6%

Bicycle1%

Public transit0%

Census 2021	Alma	Quebec	Canada
Average trip	19 min	27 min	26 min
Car or van	92%	90%	89%

$67,500

median household income, 2020

10%

worked from home, May 2021

73%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageAlma’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment5.3% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work6% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to1,155 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Saguenay

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.

Who lives here

Older residents shape Alma: 25% are 65 or over, above Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

Visible minorities make up 1.3% of the population, lower than both Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%). Both official languages: nearly a fifth of residents, lower than Quebec’s towns (44%) yet higher than Canadian towns (7.5%).

48median age

AlmaQuebecCanada

QuebecCanada

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

25%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree20%

Postsecondary qualification60%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 50.7% of Alma

Census 2021 put women at 15,370 and men at 14,960; women are 50.9% of Canada.

Who lives in Alma
	Alma	Quebec	Canada
Under 15	15%	17%	16%
15 to 64	60%	62%	64%
65+	25%	20%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	20%	19%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	60%	59%	56%

Full pageAlma’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages48 median age · 25% are 65 or over Households13,815 households · 2.1 people per household Immigrants1% belong to a visible minority English and French19% speak both · 81% speak French but not English

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

Outdoors

Step out of Alma into Pointe-Taillon National Park (Québec)

There is no national park within 100 km of the town. The protected share within 10 km is 0.8%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. Swimmers have 8 beaches within 5 km, Plage de la Colonie-Notre-Dame the nearest.

0.8%of the land within 10 km protected

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Alma0.8%

Quebec’s towns4.9%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Alma	Quebec	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	0.8%	4.9%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	5	10	4

At the edge

to Pointe-Taillon National Park (Québec)

beaches within 5 km

Full pageAlma’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas6 protected areas within 10 km · Pointe-Taillon National Park (Québec)National & provincial parksAt the edge to a provincial park · Pointe-Taillon National Park (Québec)

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

History

Heritage in Alma

On the list: 3 municipal citations. The earliest construction date, 1901, belongs to Presbytère de Saint-Joseph.

3historic places

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations0

Other federal designations0

Provincial and local listings3

Among them

Presbytère de Saint-Joseph 1901
Church of St Joseph 1907
Ancien hôtel de ville d'Isle-Maligne 1936

1901

oldest construction date on the record

25%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Alma	Quebec	Canada
Homes built before 1961	25%	21%	18%

Full pageAlma’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registers3 historic places inside the town Older homes25% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Alma have?”

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

Nearby attractions

L'Odyssée Des Bâtisseurs and 2 more in and around Alma

What there is to see in Alma and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.

All attractions →

MuseumL'Odyssée Des Bâtisseursin town MuseumMuseumMiel Des Ruisseaux - Économusée De L'Apiculteurin town AttractionAttractionJardin Scullion1.6 km outside town, to the northwest

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

Photo credits (1)

L'Odyssée Des Bâtisseurs: Johny-le-Cowboy, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Alma

15pages on Alma

The big questions

SafetyB⁺Crime Severity Index 50 Housing & costA⁻Homes 3 × income Property pricesSchools12 schools within 3 km HealthALife expectancy 81.8 in its region Work & commuteB⁻56% of adults in work Natural hazardsC⁺Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors0.8% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 24°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 48 History3 places on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Famous people from Alma

48 notable people were born in Alma.

See all 48 →

Lucien BouchardBloc Québécois Canadian politician · born 1938

Mélanie TurgeonCanadian alpine skier · born 1976

Michel Marc BouchardPlaywright working in Quebec · born 1958

Pierre LapointeQuébécois singer-songwriter · born 1981

Charles HudonCanadian ice hockey player · born 1994

Guillaume DesbiensCanadian ice hockey player · born 1985

Photo credits

Lucien Bouchard: Lionel_jospin_UdeM.jpg : Antoine Taveneaux derivative work: — Riba, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mélanie Turgeon: Hans Bezard, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michel Marc Bouchard: Simon Dumas, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pierre Lapointe: Pierre5018, CC BY 4.0 · Charles Hudon: Lindsay A. Mogle, CC BY 2.0 · Guillaume Desbiens: goaliej54, CC BY-SA 2.0

Alma’s neighbours

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

Saint-NazaireSaint-BrunoSaint-GédéonHébertville-StationL'Ascension-de-Notre-SeigneurLaroucheAlma

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Alma	30,659	—	A⁺	A⁻	B⁺	A
Saint-Nazaire	2,167	6.7	—	A	B⁺	A
Saint-Bruno	2,935	9.2	A⁺	A	B⁺	A
Saint-Gédéon	2,349	9.8	—	A	B⁺	A
Hébertville-Station	1,298	12	—	A	B⁺	A
L'Ascension-de-Notre-Seigneur	2,291	15	—	A⁺	B⁺	A⁻
Larouche	1,734	16	—	A	B⁺	A

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

Questions about Alma

Who are the people of Alma?

Visible minorities are 1% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 1%, and Indigenous people 3%.

What kind of homes are in Alma?

52% 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 2.1 people; 36% are one person living alone.

Is Alma growing?

It lost people: 30,771 in 2016, 30,331 in 2021, 1.4% fewer, while the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 30,659.

About Alma

Town in Quebec

Alma is a municipality in Quebec, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.

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

Population: 30,659 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Quebec
Census division: Lac-Saint-Jean-Est
Census subdivision: 2493042

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).