BedfordQuebec
It is a town of 2,845 residents in Quebec. Statistics Canada places it in the Brome-Missisquoi census division.
Is Bedford a good place to live?
Bedford’s grades pull in different directions. Cost of living is its weak spot (C). Work and incomes lag (C). Fewer journeys need a car (A+). Add health to its strengths (A−). The overall grade lands at B−, better than 48% of Canadian towns. It ranks #353 of 499 in Quebec.
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.
How Bedford grades
Each subject compares Bedford 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 →
What makes Bedford stand out
The 3 things Bedford does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bedford.
The region around Bedford carries less chronic illness than the typical Canadian town: 14% to 17%
The survey finds 57% of adults in very good or excellent health, about level with Quebec’s towns (56%) and above Canadian towns (52%). Statistics Canada puts the region’s life expectancy at 82.9, women 84.8 and men 81.0 (2022/2024). What sets Bedford apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 20 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical). Behind health survey and life expectancy sits data gathered across the Région de l'Estrie, with Bedford one part of it.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Bedford | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 57% | 56% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.9 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Bedford is wetter than 94% of Canadian towns: 1,340 mm of rain and snow a year
A normal December brings 68 cm of snow, the most of any month. The most precipitation falls in July: 128 mm in a normal year. Snowfall adds up to 321 cm a year, higher than both Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm).
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Bedford | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 321 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,340 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 151 | 161 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 25.6°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Frelighsburg)
Homes in Bedford are worth a median $250,000, by what owners told the census
18% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, about level with Canadian towns (18%) and above Quebec’s towns (13%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Bedford | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 18% | 13% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $250,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
| Rent as a share of income | 18% | 18% | 20% |
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.
Wildfire low, radon 8.2%: how Bedford stands on hazards
Source area for radon tests: the Monteregie health region
Shaking is a bigger worry than in most places, at $0.13 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Flood mapping: none on the national inventory for Bedford.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Bedford | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.13 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.2% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Trips to work from Bedford are shorter than from Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 21 min on average
83% of commuters took the car to work at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Bedford | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 21 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 83% | 90% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Bedford earns a C+ for safety
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 73 over 2023–25, higher than both Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 12.4 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Bedford | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 12.4 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 73 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 published for Brome-Missisquoi MRC, not by town
Older residents shape Bedford: 28% are 65 or over, above Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
51% speak both English and French, above both Quebec’s towns (44%) and Canadian towns (7.5%). Children under 15 make up 15% of residents.
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 52.1% of Bedford
Census 2021 put women at 1,330 and men at 1,225; women are 50.9% of Canada.
| Bedford | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 57% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 28% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 27% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 45% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Yamaska National Park (Québec), 42 km away, is the closest provincial park to Bedford
Protected areas cover 0.8% of the land within 10 km, below both Quebec’s towns (4.9%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). Biggest among them: Rivière-aux-Brochets Ecological Reserve, 126 ha, 7.6 km off. No national park lies within 100 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Bedford | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.8% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Expect November days around 7°C in Bedford, nights around −2°C
A typical November adds 34 cm of snow. Into December, the normals move to freezing and −8°C. Expect about 112 mm of rain and snow over November. Across the year, normals run from −13°C nights in January to 26°C afternoons in July.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −11°C | 292 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 327 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 14°C | 365 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 4°C | 357 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Frelighsburg); the forecast is on the Weather page
Claude Dubois leads Bedford as mayor
From Quebec come 78 MPs, 44 of them with the Liberal Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Bedford’s public library is Bibliothèque Léon-Maurice-Côté de Bedford
From the centre of Bedford, it is 0.9 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Bedford has one English-language school among its 3
Within 3 km of Bedford are 1 elementary school and 2 schools for every grade.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École du Premier-EnvolIn BedfordElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| École Monseigneur-DesranleauIn BedfordAll grades | All grades | – | French public |
| École primaire Butler EnglishTeaches in EnglishAll grades | All grades | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Bedford | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Ungraded on schools in Quebec, because the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
An older town: 44% of Bedford’s homes predate 1961
Outside the boundary but close by, there is one more.
| Heritage | Bedford | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 44% | 21% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Bedford
Musée Missiquoi and 12 more within 40 km
2 places to visit are mapped within 5 km of Bedford; with them, the best known within 40 km.
MuseumMusée Missiquoi3.9 km outside town, to the east
MuseumFort Lennox23 km west
CathedralCathedral of Saint-Jean-l'Évangéliste30 km northwest
ZooGranby Zoo39 km north
MuseumFort Saint-Jean30 km northwest
MuseumLacolle Mills Blockhouse30 km southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Musée Missiquoi: Pierre Bona, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Lennox: Mickael Pollard, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral of Saint-Jean-l'Évangéliste: Pierre5018, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Granby Zoo: ( Boréal ), CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Saint-Jean: Victoriaedwards, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lacolle Mills Blockhouse: Marc-Lautenbacher, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Bedford
8 notable people were born in Bedford.
Photo credits
Cecil Hart: Unknown author, Public domain · William Warren Lynch: William Notman, Public domain · Marcellus Gilmore Edson: M. G. EDSON, 1884, Public domain · Jean-François Dufour: JC Salomé, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Bedford
Town in Quebec
Bedford 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
- 2,845 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Brome-Missisquoi
- Census subdivision
- 2446035
Bedford’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | 2,845 | — | B− | C | C+ | A− |
| Saint-Armand | 1,241 | 11 | — | C | C+ | A− |
| Sainte-Sabine | 1,123 | 14 | — | B− | C+ | A− |
| Venise-en-Québec | 2,252 | 14 | — | D | B− | B+ |
| Dunham | 3,632 | 16 | B+ | C+ | C+ | A |
| Saint-Alexandre | 2,685 | 17 | B+ | B− | B− | A− |
| Frelighsburg | 1,168 | 17 | — | C | C+ | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Bedford
Do people in Bedford speak French?
French comes first: 39.8% speak it alone, while 51% manage both languages (Canadian towns: 8%).
Who are the people of Bedford?
At the 2021 census, 4% were immigrants and 2% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 2% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What kind of homes are in Bedford?
47% 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 people; 43% are one person living alone.
Is Bedford growing?
No: the census counted 2,560 in 2016 and 2,558 in 2021, 0.1% fewer, against growth of 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 2,845.
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).