Is Coaticook a good place to live?
At A overall, Coaticook ranks #87 of 499 in Quebec. That leaves it better than 92% of Canadian towns. Health is its strong suit (A+). Safety is another plus (A−). Homes were valued at a median $224,000 at the 2021 census, 3.6 times the typical household’s income.
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
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 Coaticook grades
Each subject compares Coaticook 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 Coaticook stand out
The 3 things Coaticook does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Coaticook.
Coaticook earns an A+ for health
Arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure affect 14% of the region’s adults on average, below Quebec’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike. Measured from where Coaticook’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 2.5 km away, under the typical 3.7 km. Across the region, 57% of adults say their health is very good or excellent, much as in Quebec (57%). Lives in the region last 82.9 years on average (2022/2024): 84.8 for women, 81.0 for men. Coaticook shares its health survey and life expectancy numbers with the rest of the Région de l'Estrie.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Coaticook | 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
Coaticook earns an A− for safety
Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over Coaticook MRC
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 44 over 2023–25, below both Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 9.9 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Coaticook | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 9.9 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 44 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Trips to work from Coaticook are shorter than from Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 19 min on average
90% of commuters drove, in line with Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Coaticook | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 19 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 90% | 90% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Summers stay cool in Coaticook: July afternoons reach 24.7°C, below Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
Frost usually lifts by 19 May and returns around 30 September: 133 days without it. Some 291 cm of snow falls in a typical year, above Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. Most of the snow comes in December, about 71 cm. Rain and snow peak in June, at 130 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Coaticook | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 291 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,217 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 24.7°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Coaticook)
A flood study covers Coaticook: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Gouvernement du Québec
Radon around Coaticook is ordinary for Canada: 7.3% of tested homes over the guideline (6.6% typical). Shaking is about as much of a worry in Coaticook as in most places, at $0.042 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). For radon tests, the only official count covers all of the Estrie health region, Coaticook included.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Coaticook | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.042 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 7.3% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Home ownership in Coaticook, 61%, runs below Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 11% of households, below Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Coaticook | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 61% | 70% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 11% | 13% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $224,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
| Rent as a share of income | 18% | 18% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Only 0.3% of the land within 10 km of Coaticook is protected
There is no national park within 100 km of the town. The nearest provincial park, Mont-Orford National Park (Québec), is 26 km away. Also worth knowing: 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Plage du Lac Lyster.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Coaticook | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.3% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
What November brings in Coaticook: −3°C at night, 5°C by day
About 26 cm of snow falls in a normal November. Into December, the normals move to −2°C and −9°C. Precipitation in November averages 91 mm. Normal highs peak at 25°C in July; nights bottom out at −14°C in January.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −12°C | 264 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | 0°C | 278 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 13°C | 369 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 3°C | 305 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Coaticook); the forecast is on the Weather page
Coaticook’s council outspends 95% of Québec’s local municipalities, per resident
Coaticook’s council has 6 councillors and is led by Simon Madore, the mayor.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Bibliotheque Françoise-Maurice de Coaticook is Coaticook’s public library
Bibliotheque Françoise-Maurice de Coaticook serves 9,068 people from a single building.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Older residents shape Coaticook: 26% are 65 or over, above Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
1.6% of residents belong to a visible minority, below Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. Both official languages: 38% of residents, below Quebec’s towns (44%) but above Canadian towns (7.5%).
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 50.4% of Coaticook
Of the 2021 count, 4,470 were women and 4,400 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).
| Coaticook | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 58% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 26% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 30% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 46% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
8 schools in and around Coaticook: 6 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools
None of them teaches in English, though one in ten schools in Quebec do. The nearest secondary school is 2.4 km away, above both Quebec’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École GendreauIn CoaticookElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Collège Rivier IndependentIn CoaticookSecondary | Secondary | – | Independent |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Coaticook | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 2.4 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Why no schools grade in Quebec? The ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
Heritage in Coaticook: 7 historic places, one of the highest rank
The record has 6 municipal citations. Go back to 1837 and you reach Église baptiste de Barnston, the oldest of them. Before 1961 is when 36% of the homes went up, above Quebec’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. A further 5 sit a short way past the edge of town.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Coaticook | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 36% | 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 Coaticook
Musée Beaulne and 2 more in and around Coaticook
A first look at Coaticook’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
MuseumMusée Beaulnein townAttractionAttractionForesta Luminain townMuseumMuseumStation piscicole de Baldwinin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Musée Beaulne: Minoumi, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Coaticook
18 notable people were born in Coaticook.
Photo credits
Josée Bélanger: Anders Henrikson, CC BY 2.0 · Henry Lovell: Unknown author , Published by Montreal Perrault Print. Co, Public domain · William Lewis Shurtleff: The original uploader was Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) at English Wikipedia ., Public domain · Frederick L. Stoddard: Mark Bennitt, Public domain
About Coaticook
Town in Quebec
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Coaticook is one municipality in Quebec, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 9,027 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census subdivision
- 2444037
Coaticook’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coaticook | 9,027 | — | A | C+ | A− | A+ |
| Compton | 3,351 | 14 | A+ | B− | A− | A |
| Ayer's Cliff | 1,284 | 19 | — | B− | A− | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Coaticook
Do people in Coaticook speak French?
It is a French-speaking town: 60.9% know French alone, and 38% can talk in English too, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns.
What kind of homes are in Coaticook?
Mostly 58% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys.
Has Coaticook grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 8,955 to 8,867 residents (1% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 9,027.
Is Coaticook a young town or an old one?
The typical resident is 48 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 26% of the population and under-15s at 16%.
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).