ComptonQuebec

TownGrade

A⁺

#89 of 2,556

Statistics Canada counts it in the Sherbrooke metro area. It is a town of 3,351 residents in Quebec.

6 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: Pierre Bona · CC BY-SA 3.0

Population

3,351

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

41.2

years · Quebec’s towns: 44.8

Postsecondary

54%

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%

Is Compton a good place to live?

A town without an obvious weak point. Where it does best is health (A). It also does well on jobs & income (A−). The typical owner put their home at $250,000 in 2021: 3.3 years of the median household’s income. Put together, the subjects come to an A+ overall, better than 95% of Canadian towns. That places it #49 of 499 in Quebec. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B for walkability and B for hazard risk.

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.

StrongestAHealth A⁻Jobs & income A⁻Safety

How Compton grades

Each subject compares Compton 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

HealthAmong the best of the towns comparedAOpen →Jobs & incomeGraded on incomes, poverty and employmentA⁻Open →SafetyLess crime than in most townsA⁻Open →Hazard riskAbove the middle of the towns comparedBOpen →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carBOpen →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesB⁻Open →

SchoolsWith no open results to compare (the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school), there’s no schools grade in Quebec.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Compton stand out

The 2 things Compton does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Unemployment rate, Census 2021

Work

5% unemployment

The median of Canadian towns: 10%

67% of residents 15 and over were in work, May 2021.

Health

Better than 91%

of Canadian towns on health

Its health grade: A.

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Compton.

HealthHealth A

Compton gets an A for health

57%very good or excellent healthAHealth Grade

Statistics Canada puts life expectancy at 82.9, close to Quebec’s towns (82.5) and above Canadian towns (81.5). The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Compton’s is long: 11 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 57%; Quebec as a whole is at 57%. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Région de l'Estrie, Compton included.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Compton57%

Quebec’s towns56%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Compton	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

82.9

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

11 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

3.2 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageCompton’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey57% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care11 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 3.2 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 84.8, men 81.0 Conditions and habits14% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

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

Work & commuteJobs & income A⁻

More of Compton’s 15-to-64s are in work than in 95% of Canadian towns

7%walk, cycle or take transit

Workers spend 23 min getting to work, on average. 92% of commuters drove, about level with both Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%).

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van92%

Walk5%

Public transit1%

Bicycle1%

Census 2021	Compton	Quebec	Canada
Average trip	23 min	27 min	26 min
Car or van	92%	90%	89%

$74,000

median household income, 2020

17%

worked from home, May 2021

23%

of commuters work inside the municipality

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

Unemployment4.6% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work7% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to350 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Sherbrooke

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.

SafetySafety A⁻

Compton gets an A− for safety

44Crime Severity Index

The Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 numbers here cover Coaticook MRC

The index for the force that serves it came to 44, lower than both Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). Its police area records 9.9 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202344

202451

202539

2023–2025	Compton	Quebec	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	9.9	16.6	31.2
Crime Severity Index	44	56	67

non-violent Crime Severity Index

49%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageCompton’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety44 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Compton’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Compton safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average

Climate

Summers stay cool in Compton: July afternoons reach 24.7°C, below Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

24.7°CJuly afternoons

A normal June brings 130 mm of precipitation, more than any other month. Snowfall adds up to 291 cm a year, above Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. The frost-free season runs from 19 May to 30 September, 133 days. Most of the snow comes in December, about 71 cm.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−3.2°C

Spring9.8°C

Summer23.6°C

Autumn12.1°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Compton	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

291 cm

of snow a year

133

frost-free days, 19 May to 30 Sep

158

days with precipitation a year

Full pageCompton’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 24.7°C, January lows −13.9°C Rain and snow1,217 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow291 cm of snow a year Weather station11 km to the station · Coaticook

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

Natural hazardsHazard risk B

Wildfire low, radon 7.3%: how Compton stands on hazards

Lowwildfire bandBHazard risk Grade

The expected yearly loss to earthquakes is $0.039 for each $1,000 of buildings, lower than Quebec’s towns ($0.14) and near Canadian towns ($0.030). No one has filed a flood map for Compton on the national inventory. Compton doesn’t get its own radon tests figures; the ones here come from the Estrie health region.

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

Compton7.3%

Quebec’s towns8.2%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Compton	Quebec	Canada
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.039	$0.14	$0.030
Radon tests above the guideline	7.3%	8.2%	6.6%

$0.039

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

Low

wildfire band

4.6 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

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

Radon7.3% of tests above the guideline WildfireLow wildfire band · No land burned within 25 km since 1986 FloodNo flood study on record Earthquakes$0.039 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

Outdoors

Protected land is scarce around Compton: 0.3% within 10 km

0.3%of the land within 10 km protected

OpenStreetMap shows one beach within 5 km, without a name. Within 100 km there is no national park. Count 4 protected areas within 10 km of town. Mont-Orford National Park (Québec) is the closest provincial park, at 21 km.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Compton0.3%

Quebec’s towns4.9%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Compton	Quebec	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	0.3%	4.9%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	0	10	4

21 km

to Mont-Orford National Park (Québec)

beach within 5 km

Full pageCompton’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas4 protected areas within 10 km National & provincial parks21 km to a provincial park · Mont-Orford National Park (Québec)

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

Who lives here

Children make up 20% of Compton, above Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

41.2median age

Visible minorities make up 0.6% of the population, below both Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%). Both official languages: 39% of residents, below Quebec’s towns (44%) but above Canadian towns (7.5%).

ComptonQuebecCanada

QuebecCanada

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

20%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree22%

Postsecondary qualification54%

Women and men · all residents

48.9% of Compton’s residents are women

Here the census found 1,600 women and 1,675 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.

Who lives in Compton
	Compton	Quebec	Canada
Under 15	20%	17%	16%
15 to 64	60%	62%	64%
65+	20%	20%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	22%	19%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	54%	59%	56%

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

Ages41.2 median age · 20% are 65 or over Households1,300 households · 2.5 people per household Immigrants3% are immigrants · 1% belong to a visible minority English and French39% speak both · 57% speak French but not English

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

Weather

What November brings in Compton: −3°C at night, 5°C by day

5°Ca normal November afternoon

Expect around 26 cm of snow in November. A normal December brings highs of −2°C, lows of −9°C. Precipitation in November averages 91 mm. At the extremes, July afternoons reach 25°C and January nights −14°C.

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

November5°C

December−2°C

January−5°C

February−3°C

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

−3°C

a normal November night

91 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageCompton’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 (Coaticook); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Jean-Pierre Charuest is mayor of Compton

Compton sends one MP to Ottawa from Compton—Stanstead, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Marianne Dandurand (Liberal Party of Canada).

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

council seats7 Provincial legislatureSaint-François

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade C⁺

Compton has two public libraries, Bibliothèque De Compton and Bibliothèque De Hatley

Compton has no library board of its own in the provincial statistics, so no visit or loan figures appear here.

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

The libraries2 Libraries Places to belong2.1 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Schools

2 of the 11 schools around Compton are independent

11schools within 3 km

None of them teaches in English, though 10% of schools in Quebec do. The nearest secondary school is 5.6 km away, above both Quebec’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km). Within 3 km of Compton are 7 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade.

School	Level	Students	System
École de Sainte-Edwidge & LigugéIn ComptonElementary	Elementary	–	French public
École des Enfants-de-la-TerreNearest secondary school, 1 kmAll grades	All grades	–	French public

See all 11 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

French public9

Independent2

Schools within 3 km	Compton	Quebec	Canada
Nearest secondary school	5.6 km	1.2 km	1.2 km
School boards	2	2	3

5.6 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageCompton’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Every school11 schools within 3 km · 7 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade Language0 of 11 teach in English · 10% of schools in Quebec The boards2 school boards · Centre de services scolaire des Hauts-Cantons Questions“What schools are there in Compton?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Source note: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school, so there’s no schools grade in Quebec.

HousingCost of living B⁻

Only 9% of households in Compton spend 30% or more of their income on shelter, against 18% in the typical Canadian town

$250,000median home value, 2021B⁻Cost of living Grade

Measured across the Sherbrooke metro area: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom

Rent took 17% of household income, close to Quebec’s towns (18%) and below Canadian towns (20%). The owner-occupied share of households is 77%.

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

Compton$250,000

Quebec$300,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Compton	Quebec	Canada
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	9%	13%	18%
Rent as a share of income	17%	18%	20%
Median home value, 2021	$250,000	$300,000	$406,000
Households owning their home	77%	70%	74%

$1,062

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$900

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

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

Cost of living3.3 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $250,000, against the median household income Renting$1,062 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey Owners and renters77% own their home

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.

History

The registers list 3 historic places in Compton, one at the top

3historic places

Its oldest building on the record is Louis S. St. Laurent, from 1839. The record has 2 Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings. At the 2021 census, 23% of homes dated from before 1961, above both Quebec’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%).

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations1

Other federal designations2

Provincial and local listings0

Among them

1839

oldest construction date on the record

23%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

historic places just outside the town

National Historic Site

Heritage	Compton	Quebec	Canada
Homes built before 1961	23%	21%	18%

Full pageCompton’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registers3 historic places inside the town Highest designations1 top designation · Louis S. St. Laurent Older homes23% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Compton have?”

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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Compton

15pages on Compton

The big questions

SafetyA⁻Crime Severity Index 44 Housing & costB⁻Homes 3.3 × income Property pricesSchools11 schools within 3 km HealthALife expectancy 82.9 in its region Work & commuteA⁻67% of adults in work Natural hazardsBWildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors0.3% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 25°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 41.2 History3 places on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Louis S. St. Laurent and 4 more in and around Compton

The best-known places to visit in and around Compton come first; the full list is on the Attractions page.

All attractions →

MuseumLouis S. St. Laurentin town

MuseumMusée Beaulne3.3 km outside town, to the southeast AttractionAttractionForesta Lumina1.4 km outside town, to the southeast Ski hillSki hillLes Sentiers d'à Côté100 m outside town, to the west MuseumMuseumLittle Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse800 m outside town, to the north

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

Photo credits (2)

Louis S. St. Laurent: Mario Hains, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Musée Beaulne: Minoumi, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Famous people from Compton

9 notable people were born in Compton.

See all 9 →

Louis St. Laurent12th Prime Minister of Canada · 1882–1973

William W. GroutUnion Army officer and politician · 1836–1902

Lucius Seth HuntingtonCanadian politician · 1827–1886

William Carlos IvesCanadian politician · 1873–1950

Matthew Henry CochraneCanadian politician · 1823–1903

Josiah GroutAmerican politician · 1841–1925

Photo credits

Louis St. Laurent: George Nakash, Public domain · William W. Grout: Frederick W. Baldwin, Public domain · Lucius Seth Huntington: William James Topley, Public domain · William Carlos Ives: Unknown author, Public domain · Matthew Henry Cochrane: William James Topley, Public domain

About Compton

Town in Quebec

For Compton, 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: 3,351 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Quebec
Census division: Coaticook
Metro area: Sherbrooke
Census subdivision: 2444071

Compton’s neighbours

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

WatervilleHatleyCoaticookSainte-Catherine-de-HatleySherbrookeAyer's CliffCompton

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Compton	3,351	—	A⁺	B⁻	A⁻	A
Waterville	2,643	7.5	A	B	A⁻	A
Hatley	2,512	11	A⁺	B⁺	A⁻	A
Coaticook	9,027	14	A	C⁺	A⁻	A⁺
Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley	2,938	16	A⁻	C⁺	A⁻	A
Sherbrooke	184,135	18	B⁺	C⁻	B	A⁺
Ayer's Cliff	1,284	18	—	B⁻	A⁻	A

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

Questions about Compton

Who are the people of Compton?

1% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 3% have an Indigenous identity and 3% are immigrants.

What kind of homes are in Compton?

78% 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 2.5 people; 26% are one person living alone.

Is Compton growing?

It grew from 3,131 people in 2016 to 3,270 in 2021, up 4.4%; the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 3,351.

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).