CowansvilleQuebec
Its population rose 12% from 2016 to 2021. 17,269 people live in this town in Quebec.
Is Cowansville a good place to live?
Strong in places, weak in others. Cowansville’s overall grade of C+ puts it better than 42% of Canadian towns, #376 of 499 in Quebec. Prices are high against local incomes (D). Jobs and pay trail most towns (C+). Health outcomes beat most towns (A+). Walkability is another plus (B+).
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 Cowansville grades
Each subject compares Cowansville 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 Cowansville stand out
The 3 things Cowansville does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cowansville.
Cowansville gets an A+ for health
Measured across the Région de l'Estrie: health survey and life expectancy
A child born in the region can expect 82.9 years, near Quebec’s towns (82.5) and higher than Canadian towns (81.5). For Cowansville itself the measure is access, and it scores well: 1.6 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 57%; Quebec as a whole is at 57%.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Cowansville | 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
Renting in Cowansville eats 23% of household income, more than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
The rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom numbers here cover the Cowansville metro area
The median home value was $250,000, lower than both Quebec’s towns ($300,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). 17% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, about level with Canadian towns (18%) and above Quebec’s towns (13%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Cowansville | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 23% | 18% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $250,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 17% | 13% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.
Wet weather: 1,340 mm of rain and snow a year falls on Cowansville, more than on 94% of Canadian towns
The most precipitation falls in July: 128 mm in a normal year. Snowfall adds up to 321 cm a year, higher than both Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). A July afternoon in Cowansville typically reaches 25.3°C. The frost-free season runs from 15 May to 2 October, 139 days.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Cowansville | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 321 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,340 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 25.3°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Sutton)
Cowansville’s hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 8.2% of area homes over the radon guideline
Earthquakes add more: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.089 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town. The national flood inventory has no study for Cowansville. Nobody publishes radon tests for Cowansville alone, so this card uses the figure for the Monteregie health region.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Cowansville | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.089 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.2% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Trips to work from Cowansville are shorter than from Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 20 min on average
The car took 91% of commuters, close to both Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Cowansville | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 20 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 91% | 90% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
Cowansville gets a C+ for safety
Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 for Brome-Missisquoi MRC
Where it is policed, thefts, break-ins and damage came to 12.4 per 1,000 a year, below both Quebec’s towns (16.6) and Canadian towns (31.2). The index for the force that serves it came to 73, higher than both Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Cowansville | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 12.4 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 73 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Little of the land around Cowansville is protected: 0.6% within 10 km
11 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. National parks are all over 100 km off. A provincial park, Yamaska National Park (Québec), lies 22 km away. There is a beach within 5 km, unnamed on the map.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Cowansville | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.6% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Cowansville in November: highs near 6°C, lows near −2°C
The year peaks in July (25°C) and bottoms out in January (−14°C). A normal December brings highs of −1°C, lows of −9°C. Snowfall in a normal November: 34 cm. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 112 mm.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −12°C | 292 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 327 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 13°C | 365 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 4°C | 357 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Sutton); the forecast is on the Weather page
Each seat on Cowansville’s council stands for 2,470 residents, more than in 91% of Quebec municipalities
Cowansville is in Brome-Missisquoi for the National Assembly of Québec, whose current MNA (Member of the National Assembly, Québec’s legislature) no open source we can use records yet.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Bibliotheque Gabrielle-Giroux-Bertrand is Cowansville’s public library
A single building, Bibliotheque Gabrielle-Giroux-Bertrand, serves 16,906 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
More people in Cowansville speak English and French than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 51%
Visible minorities make up 2% of the population, lower than both Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%). 3.4% of residents came to Canada as immigrants, above Quebec’s towns (2.6%) but below Canadian towns (6.4%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
50.7% of Cowansville’s residents are women
Women numbered 7,725 and men 7,510 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Cowansville | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 57% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 28% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 24% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 48% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Cowansville has 2 English-language schools among its 9
Counting a 3 km margin, Cowansville has 5 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Curé-A.-PetitIn CowansvilleElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| École Massey-VanierIn CowansvilleSecondary | Secondary | – | French public |
| École primaire Heroes' Memorial EnglishTeaches in EnglishAll grades | All grades | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Cowansville | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Ungraded on schools in Quebec, because the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
Cowansville’s past, on the record: 1 historic place
21% of its homes were built before 1961, about level with Quebec’s towns (21%) and above Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Cowansville | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 21% | 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 Cowansville
Bruck Museum and 5 more within 40 km
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Cowansville; with it, the best known within 40 km.
ZooGranby Zoo24 km north
Ski hillSki Bromont14 km northeast
Ski hillMount Sutton19 km east
Abbey or priorySaint Benedict Abbey38 km eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Granby Zoo: ( Boréal ), CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Ski Bromont: Martin Boyer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mount Sutton: MontSutton, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Saint Benedict Abbey: Jean-Philippe Boulet, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Cowansville
20 notable people were born in Cowansville.
Photo credits
Faith Fyles: BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives, CC BY 2.0 · Stéphane Beauregard: Bull-Doser, Public domain · Bob Harrisson: Bull-Doser, Public domain
About Cowansville
Town in Quebec
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Cowansville is one census subdivision in Quebec, and TownRatings describes all of it.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 17,269 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Brome-Missisquoi
- Census subdivision
- 2446080
Cowansville’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowansville | 17,269 | — | C+ | D | C+ | A+ |
| Brigham | 2,386 | 6.2 | — | C+ | C+ | A |
| Dunham | 3,632 | 6.7 | B+ | C+ | C+ | A |
| Bromont | 12,413 | 13 | A | B | A | A |
| Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby | 3,545 | 13 | A+ | A− | A− | A |
| Sutton | 4,775 | 16 | C+ | C− | C+ | A |
| Lac-Brome | 6,307 | 17 | B | C+ | C+ | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Cowansville
Do people in Cowansville speak French?
French is the common language here. 51% of residents also speak English (the median of Canadian towns: 8%), and 42.6% speak French but not English.
Has Cowansville grown?
It added people: 13,656 in 2016, 15,234 in 2021, 11.6% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 17,269.
Who are the people of Cowansville?
Immigrants make up 3%, and Indigenous people 3%.
What kind of homes are in Cowansville?
Mostly 40% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.1 people on average, and 40% have just one.
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).