Contrecoeur (Québec)-Passerelles et abri surplombant le rivage du fleuve St-Laurent-2023-09-23

ContrecoeurQuebec

TownGrade

#217 of 2,556

Home to 10,708 people, this town lies in Quebec. Its census division is Marguerite-D'Youville.

6 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: Gaétan Veillette · CC BY-SA 4.0

Population

10,708

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

38.8

years · Quebec’s towns: 44.8

Postsecondary

59%

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 Contrecoeur a good place to live?

Contrecoeur is a safe place by the numbers (A). At A overall, Contrecoeur ranks #123 of 499 in Quebec. That leaves it better than 88% of Canadian towns. Health is a strength (B+). A median home here was worth $300,000 at the census, or 3.7 times what the middle household earns in a year. Hazard risk is higher than most (C).

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 regional police service's figure, shared with its other towns. 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.

StrongestASafety

How Contrecoeur grades

Each subject compares Contrecoeur 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

SafetyIn the top fifth of the towns comparedAOpen →HealthGraded on how healthy residents areB⁺Open →WalkabilityEasier than most to get around on footB⁺Open →Hazard riskBelow the middle of the towns comparedCOpen →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnBOpen →Jobs & incomeAbout average among the towns comparedB⁻Open →

SchoolsThe schools grade is left out in Quebec, as the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Contrecoeur stand out

The 3 things Contrecoeur does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Population growth, 2016 to 2021

Growth

+20% more people than in 2016

Midway across Canadian towns: 4%

Statistics Canada, Census 2016 and 2021

Unemployment rate, Census 2021

Work

6% unemployment

The median of Canadian towns: 10%

63% of residents 15 and over were in work, May 2021.

Safety

Better than 89%

of Canadian towns on safety

Its safety grade: A.

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Contrecoeur.

SafetySafety A

Crime runs lighter where Contrecoeur is policed than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns, at an index of 37

37Crime Severity Index

Its police area recorded 8.6 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, below Quebec’s towns (12.4) and Canadian towns (12) alike. Property crime in the area its police cover: 10.8 per 1,000 people a year. Contrecoeur 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 the Richelieu Saint-Laurent service area.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202339

202439

202533

2023–2025	Contrecoeur	Quebec	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	10.8	16.6	31.2
Crime Severity Index	37	56	67
Violent Crime Severity Index	58	88	86
Violent crime	8.6	12.4	12

non-violent Crime Severity Index

46%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageContrecoeur’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety37 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Contrecoeur’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Contrecoeur safe?”

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

HealthHealth B⁺

Around Contrecoeur, 55% of adults call their health very good or excellent

55%very good or excellent healthB⁺Health Grade

Smoking is rarer than in the province: 11% of adults, against 12% for Quebec. On average 15% of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, close to Quebec’s towns (15%) and below Canadian towns (17%). Life expectancy in the region is 82.5 years (84.2 for women, 80.8 for men, 2022/2024). What sets Contrecoeur apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 22 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical).

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Contrecoeur55%

Quebec’s towns56%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Contrecoeur	Quebec	Canada
Chronic conditions (average share)	15%	15%	17%
Very good or excellent health	55%	56%	52%
Smokers	11%	12%	12%
Life expectancy at birth	82.5	82.5	81.5

82.5

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

22 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

11%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

1.5 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageContrecoeur’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey55% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care22 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 1.5 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 84.2, men 80.8 Conditions and habits15% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Area behind the health survey and life expectancy figures: the Région de la Montérégie

Natural hazardsHazard risk C

A flood study covers Contrecoeur: 2 on the national inventory, the newest from Gouvernement du Québec

Lowwildfire bandCHazard risk Grade

Area-wide: radon tests, counted over the Monteregie health region

Wildfire is rare near Contrecoeur: 0.1% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, a burn rate of 0.001% a year. The town’s survey area, 8.2% over the radon guideline, is close to the typical town’s 6.6%.

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

Contrecoeur8.2%

Quebec’s towns8.2%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Contrecoeur	Quebec	Canada
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.12	$0.14	$0.030
Radon tests above the guideline	8.2%	8.2%	6.6%

$0.12

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

Low

wildfire band

0.6 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

flood studies on the national inventory

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

Flood2 flood studies on record WildfireLow wildfire band · 0.1% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986 Earthquakes$0.12 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon8.2% of tests above the guideline Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

HousingCost of living B

Rent takes less of local pay in Contrecoeur than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 15% of household income

$300,000median home value, 2021BCost of living Grade

Shelter took 30% or more of income for just over one in ten households, below both Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Just over three quarters of households own their home.

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

Contrecoeur$300,000

Quebec$300,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Contrecoeur	Quebec	Canada
Rent as a share of income	15%	18%	20%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	11%	13%	18%
Households owning their home	76%	70%	74%

$715

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$1,170

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

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

Renting$715 a month · The median rent at the 2021 census Cost of living3.7 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $300,000, against the median household income Owners and renters76% own their home

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.

Who lives here

A town of families: 20% of people in Contrecoeur are under 15, more than in Quebec’s towns and across Canadian towns

38.8median age

36% speak both English and French, between Quebec’s towns (44%) and Canadian towns (7.5%). People 65 and over make up 18% of the town.

ContrecoeurQuebecCanada

QuebecCanada

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

20%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree19%

Postsecondary qualification59%

Women and men · all residents

49.2% of Contrecoeur’s residents are women

Of the 2021 count, 4,665 were women and 4,815 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).

Who lives in Contrecoeur
	Contrecoeur	Quebec	Canada
Under 15	20%	17%	16%
15 to 64	62%	62%	64%
65+	18%	20%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	19%	19%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	59%	59%	56%

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

Ages38.8 median age · 18% are 65 or over Households4,115 households · 2.3 people per household Immigrants6% are immigrants · 7% belong to a visible minority English and French36% speak both · 64% speak French but not English

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

Outdoors

Few places match Contrecoeur for protected land nearby: more than nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns

10%of the land within 10 km protected

Îles-de-Boucherville National Park (Québec) is the closest provincial park, at 22 km. The nearest national park is La Mauricie National Park, 76 km away. Count 40 protected areas within 10 km of town. One unnamed beach is mapped within 5 km.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Contrecoeur10%

Quebec’s towns4.9%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Contrecoeur	Quebec	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	10%	4.9%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	17	10	4

76 km

to La Mauricie National Park

22 km

to Îles-de-Boucherville National Park (Québec)

beach within 5 km

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pageContrecoeur’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas40 protected areas within 10 km · fleuve Saint-Laurent (Îles de Verchères) Water Fowl Gathering Area National & provincial parks76 km to a national park · La Mauricie National Park

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

Climate

Precipitation in Contrecoeur tops that of 82% of Canadian towns: 1,109 mm a year

26.6°CJuly afternoons

Snow peaks in December: 49 cm in a normal year. For the wettest month, look to August: 114 mm on average. January nights fall to −16.0°C on average, lower than both Quebec’s towns (−14.7°C) and Canadian towns (−13.5°C). Expect July highs of around 26.6°C in Contrecoeur.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−3.9°C

Spring10.6°C

Summer25.5°C

Autumn13.2°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Contrecoeur	Quebec	Canada
Precipitation a year	1,109 mm	1,041 mm	883 mm
Snowfall a year	202 cm	217 cm	141 cm
July afternoon high	26.6°C	26.5°C	25.5°C
January night low	−16.0°C	−14.7°C	−13.5°C

202 cm

of snow a year

145

days with precipitation a year

Full pageContrecoeur’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

Rain and snow1,109 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm The yearJuly highs 26.6°C, January lows −16.0°C Snow202 cm of snow a year Weather station17 km to the station · L'Assomption

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (L'Assomption)

Weather

In Contrecoeur, November normally means 5°C afternoons and −3°C nights

5°Ca normal November afternoon

Expect around 12 cm of snow in November. The month after, December, normally sees −2°C afternoons and −10°C nights. Precipitation in November averages 90 mm. ECCC’s forecast for Contrecoeur is on the Weather page, hour by hour.

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

November5°C

December−2°C

January−6°C

February−4°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−4°C	−14°C	227 mm
Spring	11°C	0°C	265 mm
Summer	25°C	14°C	322 mm
Autumn	13°C	3°C	295 mm

−3°C

a normal November night

90 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageContrecoeur’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 (L'Assomption); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

More of Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères voted in 2021 than in most ridings: 69%, ahead of 90%

Contrecoeur has 6 councillors and a mayor, Maud Allaire.

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

Member of ParliamentXavier Barsalou-Duval council seats7

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade D

Contrecoeur’s public library is Bibliotheque De Contrecoeur

Bibliotheque De Contrecoeur serves 10,545 people from a single building.

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

A year at the library1.9 visits per person served Places to belong0.7 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Schools

The schools around Contrecoeur answer to 3 boards

9schools within 3 km

The nearest secondary school is 5.3 km away, above Quebec’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km) alike. No English-language school is among them; in Quebec, one in ten schools are. In or within 3 km of Contrecoeur: 7 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 school for every grade.

School	Level	Students	System
École des Coeurs-VaillantsIn ContrecoeurElementary	Elementary	–	French public
L'Académie de la Vallée du Roy IndependentNearest secondary school, 2.6 kmAll grades	All grades	–	Independent

See all 9 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

French public8

Independent1

Schools within 3 km	Contrecoeur	Quebec	Canada
Nearest secondary school	5.3 km	1.2 km	1.2 km
School boards	3	2	3

5.3 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageContrecoeur’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

The boards3 school boards · Centre de services scolaire des Samares Every school9 schools within 3 km · 7 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 school for every grade Language0 of 9 teach in English · 10% of schools in Quebec Questions“What schools are there in Contrecoeur?”

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.

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁻

Commuters in Contrecoeur travel further than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns, 31 min on average

5%walk, cycle or take transit

94% of commuters took the car to work at the census.

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van94%

Walk3%

Public transit2%

Bicycle0%

Census 2021	Contrecoeur	Quebec	Canada
Average trip	31 min	27 min	26 min
Car or van	94%	90%	89%

$82,000

median household income, 2020

14%

worked from home, May 2021

28%

of commuters work inside the municipality

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

Unemployment5.9% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work5% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to495 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Sorel-Tracy

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.

History

Contrecoeur keeps a building from 1742: Moulin à vent de Contrecœur

2historic places

Inside the town there are 2 historic places, all of them top designations.

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations2

Other federal designations0

Provincial and local listings0

Among them

Moulin à vent de Contrecœur 1742
Maison Lenoblet-Du Plessis 1794

1742

oldest construction date on the record

15%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Contrecoeur	Quebec	Canada
Homes built before 1961	15%	21%	18%

Full pageContrecoeur’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registers2 historic places inside the town Highest designations2 top designations · Moulin à vent de Contrecœur Older homes15% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Contrecoeur 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 Contrecoeur

15pages on Contrecoeur

The big questions

SafetyACrime Severity Index 37 Housing & costBHomes 3.7 × income Property pricesSchools9 schools within 3 km HealthB⁺Life expectancy 82.5 in its region Work & commuteB⁻63% of adults in work Natural hazardsCWildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors10% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 27°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 38.8 History2 places on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Maison Rosalie-Cadron and 2 more in and around Contrecoeur

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

All attractions →

Historic houseHistoric houseMaison Rosalie-Cadron3.1 km outside town, to the northwest

MuseumMaison des Cageux1.6 km outside town, to the north MuseumMuseumSaint-Ours Canal National Historic Site3 km outside town, to the east

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

Photo credits (1)

Maison des Cageux: MuséeDesCageux, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Famous people from Contrecoeur

9 notable people were born in Contrecoeur.

See all 9 →

Joseph Edmond MarcileCanadian politician · 1854–1925

Joseph-Thomas DuhamelCanadian Catholic prelate · 1841–1909

Hilaire HurteauCanadian politician · 1837–1920

Jean-Marie RichardCanadian politician · 1879–1955

Luc de la CorneFrench-Canadian soldier · 1711–1784

Louis Audet LapointeCanadian politician · 1860–1920

Photo credits

Joseph Edmond Marcile: Unknown author , Published by Montreal Perrault Print. Co, Public domain · Joseph-Thomas Duhamel: William James Topley, Public domain · Hilaire Hurteau: William James Topley, Public domain · Jean-Marie Richard: Unknown author, Public domain · Luc de la Corne: Anonymous, Public domain

About Contrecoeur

Town in Quebec

Statistics Canada treats Contrecoeur as a single census subdivision in Quebec, and TownRatings keeps to that line.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 10,708 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Quebec
Census division: Marguerite-D'Youville
Census subdivision: 2459035

Contrecoeur’s neighbours

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

Saint-Roch-de-RichelieuLavaltrieSaint-OursSaint-Antoine-sur-RichelieuSaint-Denis-sur-RichelieuLanoraieContrecoeur

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Contrecoeur	10,708	—	A	B	A	B⁺
Saint-Roch-de-Richelieu	2,984	5.6	A⁻	A⁻	B	A⁻
Lavaltrie	15,996	5.8	B⁻	C⁺	B	B
Saint-Ours	1,817	6.4	—	B	B	A⁻
Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu	1,880	8.7	—	B	A	B⁺
Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu	2,439	10	—	B⁻	A	B⁺
Lanoraie	5,694	11	B⁻	C⁺	B	B⁺

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

Questions about Contrecoeur

Do people in Contrecoeur speak French?

French is the common language here. 36% of residents also speak English (the median of Canadian towns: 8%), and 64.1% speak French but not English.

Is Contrecoeur growing?

It grew from 7,887 people in 2016 to 9,480 in 2021, up 20.2%; the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 10,708.

What kind of homes are in Contrecoeur?

50% 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 2.3 people; 30% are one person living alone.

Who are the people of Contrecoeur?

Visible minorities are 7% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 6%, and Indigenous people 1%.

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).