ChibougamauQuebec
7,273 residents make their home in this town in Quebec. Its census division is Nord-du-Québec.
Is Chibougamau a good place to live?
With an A overall, Chibougamau is better than 85% of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #147 of 499 in Quebec. Jobs and pay hold up well (A+). Cost of living is another plus (A+). Police record more crime here than in most towns (D).
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 Chibougamau stand out
The 3 things Chibougamau does most differently from other towns.
How Chibougamau grades
Each subject compares Chibougamau 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 →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Chibougamau.
Trips to work from Chibougamau are shorter than from Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 15 min on average
83% of commuters drove, below Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%) alike.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Chibougamau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 15 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 83% | 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.
Rent takes less of local pay in Chibougamau than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 12% of household income
Shelter took 30% or more of income for nearly one in ten households, below both Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers 70% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Chibougamau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 12% | 18% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 9% | 13% | 18% |
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.
The force covering Chibougamau records more serious violence than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns, at 265
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 129 over 2023–25, above Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67) alike. Where it is policed, 41.5 violent incidents per 1,000 residents are recorded each year. Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 23.3 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed. Chibougamau doesn’t get its own Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures; the ones here come from Chapais-Chibougamau.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Chibougamau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 265 | 88 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 41.5 | 12.4 | 12 |
| Crime Severity Index | 129 | 56 | 67 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 23.3 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Few places are as safe from hazards as Chibougamau: it beats 87% of Canadian towns
NRCan’s model puts the yearly earthquake loss at $0.013 per $1,000 of building value, about level with Canadian towns ($0.030) and below Quebec’s towns ($0.14). Burn scars are few around Chibougamau, with 1.1% of the land within 25 km touched by fire since 1986 (0.03% a year). The town’s survey area, 5.8% over the radon guideline, is close to the typical town’s 6.6%. For radon tests, the only official count covers all of the Nord-du-Quebec health region, Chibougamau included.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Chibougamau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.013 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 5.8% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Winter nights bite in Chibougamau: January lows of −24.1°C, colder than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns
A normal July day peaks at 22.9°C, lower than both Quebec’s towns (26.5°C) and Canadian towns (25.5°C). July is the wettest month, with 112 mm of rain and snow on average. Chapais, 46 km away, supplies the normals.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Chibougamau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −24.1°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 22.9°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 215 | 161 | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 911 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Chapais)
29% of Chibougamau’s residents speak English and French (Quebec’s towns: 44%; Canadian towns: 7.5%)
Over-65s are 16% of the population. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 7.8% of residents, higher than both Quebec’s towns (1.5%) and Canadian towns (2.8%). Under 15: 19% of residents.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
48.4% of Chibougamau’s residents are women
Women numbered 3,505 and men 3,730 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Chibougamau | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 66% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 16% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 23% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 59% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Chibougamau runs from −8°C to −1°C
The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Chibougamau. In November, the normal is 71 mm of rain and snow.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −10°C | −22°C | 166 mm |
| Spring | 6°C | −7°C | 193 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 9°C | 302 mm |
| Autumn | 7°C | −1°C | 250 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Chapais); the forecast is on the Weather page
Fewer than 88% of Québec’s local municipalities spend as much per resident as Chibougamau
The mayor of Chibougamau is Nichèle Compartino, who sits with 6 councillors.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Chibougamau public library counted 13,967 in-person visits in 2025
Chibougamau public library has one location for the 7,327 people it serves.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Very good or excellent health for 65% of adults around Chibougamau; the typical Canadian town: 52%
A hospital lies 1.7 km from the typical home, below Quebec’s towns (5.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km) alike. The region’s 2022/2024 life expectancy is 78.1, with women at 78.5 and men at 77.6. Smoking is commoner than in the province: 15% of adults, against 12% for Quebec.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Chibougamau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 65% | 56% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.1 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 19% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 15% | 12% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the Région du Nord-du-Québec
Lac Chevrillon Heronry reaches Chibougamau
Protected areas cover 0.8% of the land within 10 km, below both Quebec’s towns (4.9%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). The largest named area nearby is 02664R026 Biological Refuge, 1,183 ha, 4.6 km away. 18 km from town is Assinica National Park Reserve (Québec), the nearest provincial park. No national park lies within 100 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Chibougamau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.8% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 8 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Teaching in English: 2 of Chibougamau’s 7 schools
Taken together, Chibougamau and its 3 km edge hold 5 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Bon-PasteurIn ChibougamauElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| École La Porte-du-NordIn ChibougamauSecondary | Secondary | – | French public |
| École MacLean Memorial EnglishTeaches in EnglishElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Chibougamau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Towns in Quebec aren’t in the schools rankings: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
Everything we know about Chibougamau
Famous people from Chibougamau
12 notable people were born in Chibougamau.
Photo credits
Marie-Louise Arsenault: Bull-Doser, Public domain · Dominique Jolin: Pinkpatsy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Guy Rainville: derivative work: --Riba-- Guy_Rainville_222.jpg : Parti vert du Québec, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pascal Contamine: Bull-Doser, Public domain
Questions about Chibougamau
Do people in Chibougamau speak French?
French is the common language here.
What kind of homes are in Chibougamau?
Mostly 51% 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 32% have just one.
Is Chibougamau growing?
It lost people: 7,504 in 2016, 7,233 in 2021, 3.6% fewer, while the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 7,273.
How old are the people of Chibougamau?
The median resident is 40.8 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 19% are under 15 and 16% are 65 or over.
About Chibougamau
Town in Quebec
For Chibougamau, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in Quebec, 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
- 7,273 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Nord-du-Québec
- Census subdivision
- 2499025
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).