BoischatelQuebec
A town of 9,250 in Quebec. Its population rose 8% from 2016 to 2021.
Is Boischatel a good place to live?
Real strengths, and real weak spots. People here tend to be in good health (A+). It also does well on jobs & income (A+). A median home here was worth $352,000 at the census, or 3 times what the middle household earns in a year. The drawback is hazard risk (C). All told, that adds up to an A+ overall and a rank of #3 of 499 in Quebec. That leaves it better than almost every Canadian town.
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. 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 Boischatel grades
Each subject compares Boischatel 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 Boischatel stand out
The 3 things Boischatel does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Boischatel.
For health, Boischatel is ahead of almost every Canadian town
At 9.6%, the share of adults who smoke sits under the 12% for Quebec. Adults who call their own health very good or excellent: 62%, above Quebec’s towns (56%) and Canadian towns (52%) alike. People in the region live to 82.9 on average: 84.7 for women and 81.1 for men in 2022/2024. Measured from where Boischatel’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 8.7 km away, beyond the typical 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Boischatel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 62% | 56% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 9.6% | 12% | 12% |
| 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 · Health survey and life expectancy: the Région de la Capitale-Nationale
Household incomes in Boischatel are higher than in 96% of Canadian towns
Workers spend 24 min getting to work, on average. 95% of commuters drove, above both Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Boischatel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 95% | 90% | 89% |
| Average trip | 24 min | 27 min | 26 min |
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.
Renting in Boischatel costs 13% 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, below Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. Owners make up 90% of households. Boischatel 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 Québec metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Boischatel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 7% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 13% | 18% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 90% | 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.
For the force that serves Boischatel, the Crime Severity Index is 43, below Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over Côte-de-Beaupré MRC
For violence alone, its police area’s index was 63, below both Quebec’s towns (88) and Canadian towns (86). Across its police area, there are 11.8 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Violence across its police area runs at 10.3 per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Boischatel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 11.8 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 43 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 63 | 88 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 10.3 | 12.4 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Boischatel is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Gouvernement du Québec
Measured across the Capitale-Nationale health region: radon tests
In Health Canada’s survey, 8.8% of homes tested in Boischatel’s area exceeded 200 Bq/m³, close to the typical 6.6%. Shaking is a bigger worry than in most places, at $0.13 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Boischatel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.13 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.8% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Summers stay cool in Boischatel: July afternoons reach 24.9°C, below Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
Counting rain and snow alike, 1,216 mm falls in a year, above Quebec’s towns (1,041 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm) alike. July is the wettest month, with 129 mm of rain and snow on average. December is the snowiest month, with 77 cm on average. Expect January lows of around −16.6°C in Boischatel.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Boischatel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 299 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,216 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 24.9°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 179 | 161 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Lauzon)
Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec), 22 km away, is the closest provincial park to Boischatel
The tally of protected areas open to the public within 10 km is 16, higher than both Quebec’s towns (10) and Canadian towns (4). There is no national park within 100 km of the town. The protected share within 10 km is 5.9%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. The largest named area nearby is Île d'Orléans Saint-Pierre Est Water Fowl Gathering Area, 455 ha, 5.3 km away.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Boischatel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 16 | 10 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 5.9% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Children make up 22% of Boischatel, above Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
2.9% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%). The 65-and-over age group makes up 17% 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 50.6% of Boischatel
Women numbered 4,165 and men 4,065 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Boischatel | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 61% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 17% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 9.7% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 72% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Expect November days around 4°C in Boischatel, nights around −4°C
Expect around 24 cm of snow in November. The month after, December, normally sees −3°C afternoons and −12°C nights. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 84 mm. ECCC’s forecast for Québec is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −5°C | −15°C | 261 mm |
| Spring | 8°C | −2°C | 270 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 12°C | 366 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | 2°C | 319 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Lauzon); the forecast is on the Weather page
Benoit Bouchard is mayor of Boischatel
Boischatel sends one MP to Ottawa from Montmorency—Charlevoix, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Gabriel Hardy (Conservative Party of Canada).
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Boischatel is Bibliothèque Fernand-Dumont, 3.3 km away
After it comes Bibliothèque Étienne-Parent (Vieux-Moulin), 6.5 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Around Boischatel, 12 elementary schools and 1 secondary school: 13 schools in all
None of them teaches in English, though 10% of schools in Quebec do. The nearest secondary school is 2.1 km away, above both Quebec’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École de Boischatel (Boischatel - Bocage, de)In BoischatelElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| École de la CourvilloiseNearest secondary school, 0.4 kmSecondary | Secondary | – | French public |
| Schools within 3 km | Boischatel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 2.1 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Schools grade in Quebec: none (the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school).
Boischatel’s record starts in 1660 with Manoir de Charleville
At the 2021 census, one in ten homes dated from before 1961, below both Quebec’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%). On the list: 4 municipal citations. All told the heritage lists hold 7 historic places within the town, and 3 sit in the top tier.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Boischatel | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 9.7% | 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 Boischatel
Montmorency Falls and 6 more in and around Boischatel
What there is to see in Boischatel and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
WaterfallMontmorency Fallsin town
Garden · SépaqParc de la Chute-Montmorencyin town
Art galleryMaison Vézinain townMuseumMuseumEspace Félix Leclerc3.1 km outside town, to the eastSki hillSki hillA venir4.3 km outside town, to the northwestArt galleryArt galleryArtiste Peintre Michel Nigen4.9 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Montmorency Falls: Jean-Christophe BENOIST, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Parc de la Chute-Montmorency: Gilbertus, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Maison Vézina: Sylvainbrousseau, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from around Boischatel
One notable person was born in Boischatel; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Romuald Montézuma Gendron: TheLeaf94, CC BY-SA 3.0
About Boischatel
Town in Quebec
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Boischatel is one municipality in Quebec, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 9,250 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- La Côte-de-Beaupré
- Metro area
- Québec
- Census subdivision
- 2421045
Boischatel’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boischatel | 9,250 | — | A+ | A | A− | A+ |
| Chutes-Montmorency | 16,273 | 3.1 | B+ | C− | B− | A+ |
| Sainte-Thérèse-de-Lisieux | 17,558 | 4.5 | A+ | A− | B− | A+ |
| Saint-Michel | 17,303 | 4.8 | A+ | B+ | B− | A+ |
| L'Ange-Gardien | 4,106 | 5 | A | B | A− | A+ |
| Vieux-Bourg | 14,774 | 5.3 | B+ | C− | B− | A+ |
| Sainte-Pétronille | 1,015 | 6.5 | — | B+ | A+ | A+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Boischatel
Do people in Boischatel speak French?
Almost everyone does. 40% are bilingual, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%, and 60.3% speak French and no English.
Has Boischatel grown?
Yes: the census counted 7,587 in 2016 and 8,231 in 2021, a rise of 8.5%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 9,250.
Who are the people of Boischatel?
At the 2021 census, 4% were immigrants and 3% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 1% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What kind of homes are in Boischatel?
Single-detached houses make up 78% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 21% of households are one person, and the average is 2.6.
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).