Is Joliette a good place to live?
Joliette’s overall grade is C, better than 30% of Canadian towns. It ranks #420 of 499 in Quebec. Its lowest grade is for cost of living (D). Jobs & income is weaker too (D). Health is a strength (A−). Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (A−). Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for safety and C+ for hazard risk.
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 Joliette grades
Each subject compares Joliette 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 Joliette stand out
The 3 things Joliette does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Joliette.
Rent takes more of local pay in Joliette than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 25% of household income
Area-wide: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom, counted over the Joliette metro area
The median home value was $250,000, below both Quebec’s towns ($300,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). Shelter took 30% or more of income for nearly a fifth of households, above Quebec’s towns (13%) and close to Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Joliette | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 25% | 18% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 19% | 13% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $250,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
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.
Commuters in Joliette have a short way to work, 22 min on average, less than in Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
By car: that was how 85% of commuters travelled at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Joliette | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 85% | 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.
56% of adults around Joliette rate their health very good or excellent
Health survey and life expectancy for the Région de Lanaudière
The average trip from home to a hospital is 1.3 km, lower than both Quebec’s towns (5.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km). Life expectancy in the region is 82.0 years (83.7 for women, 80.3 for men, 2022/2024). For everyday care, the nearest pharmacy is 2.1 km away on average (1.5 within 3 km).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Joliette | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 56% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.0 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Joliette is wetter than four in five Canadian towns: 1,109 mm of rain and snow a year
In July, daytime highs in Joliette average 26.6°C. A normal winter brings 202 cm of snow, between Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). For the wettest month, look to August: 114 mm on average. December is the snowiest month, with 49 cm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Joliette | 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 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (L'Assomption)
Joliette is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by MRC Joliette
Radon is lower than usual: 3.9% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. NRCan’s model puts the yearly earthquake loss at $0.17 per $1,000 of building value, above both Quebec’s towns ($0.14) and Canadian towns ($0.030). Little of the land around Joliette has burned: 0.1% within 25 km since 1986, or 0.001% a year.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Joliette | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.17 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 3.9% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Radon tests: one figure for all of the Lanaudiere health region
Îles-de-Boucherville National Park (Québec), 38 km away, is the closest provincial park to Joliette
Protected areas open to the public, within 10 km of the town: 1, below Quebec’s towns (10) and Canadian towns (4) alike. Tourbières-de-Lanoraie Ecological Reserve (415 ha) is the biggest, 4.7 km from town. For a national park, La Mauricie National Park is 75 km away.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Joliette | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.2% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Joliette is graded a B− for safety
The Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 numbers here cover Joliette MRC
For violence alone, its police area’s index was 108, higher than both Quebec’s towns (88) and Canadian towns (86). The force’s area logs 14.7 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Property crime in the area its police cover: 19.2 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Joliette | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 108 | 88 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 19.2 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 14.7 | 12.4 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
What November brings in Joliette: −3°C at night, 5°C by day
Then December: −2°C by day, −10°C at night. Snow is normal by November, about 12 cm over the month. Precipitation in November averages 90 mm. Also worth knowing: across the year, normals run from −16°C nights in January to 27°C afternoons in July.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| 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 |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (L'Assomption); the forecast is on the Weather page
Per resident, Joliette spends more than 94% of Québec’s local municipalities
Provincially, Joliette votes in the riding of the same name; its MNA (Member of the National Assembly, Québec’s legislature) in the National Assembly of Québec is Véronique Venne (Parti Québécois).
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Bibliothèque Rina-Lasnier logs 75.2 visits per person served, more than all but a few of Quebec’s town libraries
Bibliothèque Rina-Lasnier has one location for the 22,333 people it serves.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
31% of Joliette’s residents speak English and French (Quebec’s towns: 44%; Canadian towns: 7.5%)
7.1% of residents belong to a visible minority, between Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%). Immigrants make up 6.2% of residents, above Quebec’s towns (2.6%) and close to 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
52.8% of Joliette’s residents are women
10,090 men and 11,295 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Joliette | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 26% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 27% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 49% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In and around Joliette, 26 schools: 18 elementary schools, 5 secondary schools and 3 schools for every grade
2 of the 26 teach in English, against 10% of schools in Quebec.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Les Mélèzes IndependentIn JolietteElementary | Elementary | – | Independent |
| Académie Antoine Manseau IndependentIn JolietteSecondary | Secondary | – | Independent |
| École secondaire de Joliette EnglishTeaches in EnglishSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Joliette | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 2 | 3 |
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.
One top designation among Joliette’s 4 historic places
Counted by designation, there are 2 municipal citations and a heritage railway station. Go back to 1860 and you reach Joliette Court House, the oldest of them.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Joliette | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 26% | 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 Joliette
St Charles Borromeo Cathedral and 2 more in and around Joliette
Sights in Joliette and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
CathedralSt Charles Borromeo Cathedralin town
MuseumMusée d'art de Joliettein town
GardenMaison Antoine-Lacombe2.6 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- St Charles Borromeo Cathedral: Fralambert, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Musée d'art de Joliette: Jaboileaumiss, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Maison Antoine-Lacombe: Dreamdan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Joliette
49 notable people were born in Joliette.
Photo credits
Denis Coderre: Lea-Kim Chateauneuf, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Antonio Barrette: Unknown author, Public domain · Hans Schmidt: Stepneyjack at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5 · Élise Desaulniers: elidr from Montreal, QC, Canada, CC BY 2.0
About Joliette
Town in Quebec
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Joliette 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
- 22,408 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census subdivision
- 2461025
Joliette’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joliette | 22,408 | — | C | D | B− | A− |
| Saint-Paul | 7,208 | 3 | A− | B+ | B− | A− |
| Saint-Charles-Borromée | 16,904 | 3.6 | C+ | D | B− | A− |
| Notre-Dame-des-Prairies | 9,622 | 3.9 | B | C+ | B− | A− |
| Crabtree | 4,237 | 6.3 | B− | C+ | B− | A− |
| Saint-Thomas | 3,477 | 7.2 | B+ | C+ | B− | A− |
| Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes | 3,328 | 8.1 | C | C+ | B− | A− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Joliette
Do people in Joliette speak French?
French is the common language here.
What kind of homes are in Joliette?
30% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 2% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 1.9 people; 46% are one person living alone.
Is Joliette a young town or an old one?
The typical resident is 46.8 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 26% of the population and under-15s at 14%.
Who are the people of Joliette?
At the 2021 census, 6% were immigrants and 7% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 2% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
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).