Lac-des-ÉcorcesQuebec
It is a town of 3,005 residents in Quebec. Its population rose 6% from 2016 to 2021.
Is Lac-des-Écorces a good place to live?
A town of contrasts. Health outcomes beat most towns (A). Its weakest subject is jobs & income (C−). All told, that adds up to a B− overall and a rank of #336 of 499 in Quebec. That leaves it better than 52% of Canadian towns.
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 Lac-des-Écorces grades
Each subject compares Lac-des-Écorces 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 Lac-des-Écorces stand out
The 3 things Lac-des-Écorces does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Lac-des-Écorces.
Lac-des-Écorces gets an A for health
Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Région des Laurentides
Age-standardised, three fifths of the region’s adults put their health at very good or excellent, above both Quebec’s towns (56%) and Canadian towns (52%). Across the region, life runs to 82.2 years on average: women 83.7, men 80.8, in 2022/2024. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Lac-des-Écorces’ is long: 11 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Lac-des-Écorces | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 60% | 56% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.2 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Commuters in Lac-des-Écorces have a short way to work, 22 min on average, less than in Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Lac-des-Écorces | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 27 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Hazards in Lac-des-Écorces: wildfire low, radon over the guideline in 10% of tested homes
Measured across the Laurentides health region: radon tests
Averaged over the years, quake damage costs $0.086 per $1,000 of buildings, below Quebec’s towns ($0.14) but above Canadian towns ($0.030). No flood study for Lac-des-Écorces is on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Lac-des-Écorces | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 10% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.086 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Renting in Lac-des-Écorces costs 17% of household income, less than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns
11% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below both Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Owners make up 77% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Lac-des-Écorces | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 11% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 18% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 77% | 70% | 74% |
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.
Violent crime weighs more where Lac-des-Écorces is policed than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 131
Where it is policed, 20.5 violent incidents per 1,000 residents are recorded each year. Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 73 over 2023–25, higher than both Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). The force’s area logs 16.7 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. For Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, the only official count covers all of Antoine-Labelle MRC, Lac-des-Écorces included.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Lac-des-Écorces | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 20.5 | 12.4 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 131 | 88 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 16.7 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 73 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Lac-des-Écorces has colder winters than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −17.4°C
Frost usually lifts by 16 May and returns around 26 September: 132 days without it. Frosty days number 181 in a normal year, higher than both Quebec’s towns (161) and Canadian towns (159). The most precipitation falls in October: 96 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Lac-des-Écorces | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −17.4°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 181 | 161 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 25.6°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 939 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Maniwaki)
An older town: 25% of people in Lac-des-Écorces are 65 or over, more than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns
Immigrants make up 0.7% of residents, below both Quebec’s towns (2.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). 22% speak both English and French, between Quebec’s towns (44%) and 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
48.5% of Lac-des-Écorces’ residents are women
The 2021 census counted 1,400 women and 1,485 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Lac-des-Écorces | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 25% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 28% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 54% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
What November brings in Lac-des-Écorces: −5°C at night, 4°C by day
Rain and snow over a typical November come to 72 mm. Into December, the normals move to −3°C and −12°C. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Mont-Laurier forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −5°C | −15°C | 208 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −2°C | 216 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 11°C | 261 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 1°C | 255 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Maniwaki); the forecast is on the Weather page
Lac-des-Écorces’ mayor: Pierre Flamand
Of the 78 Commons seats from Quebec, the Liberal Party of Canada holds 44.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Lac-des-Écorces has two public libraries, Lac-des-Écorces public library and Bibliothèque De Lac-Des-Écorces
Its libraries report as part of a wider system, so there are no figures for Lac-des-Écorces in particular.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Protected land around Lac-des-Écorces beats 8 in 10 Canadian towns
No national park lies within 100 km. Within 10 km are 12 protected areas. 1.8 km out lies the largest, Kiamika - Lac-du-Cerf White-Tailed Deer Yard, at 10,183 ha.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Lac-des-Écorces | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 8.8% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 11 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Lac-des-Écorces’s teenagers travel 12 km to the nearest high school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École aux Quatre Vents (Notre-Dame)In Lac-des-ÉcorcesElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Schools within 3 km | Lac-des-Écorces | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 12 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · In Quebec, no schools grade. The ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
Everything we know about Lac-des-Écorces
Famous people from around Lac-des-Écorces
One notable person was born in Lac-des-Écorces; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Gérard Desjardins: T.V. Little Photo Ottawa, Public domain · Bobby Bazini: Canadian Film Centre, CC BY 2.0
About Lac-des-Écorces
Town in Quebec
Statistics Canada treats Lac-des-Écorces 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
- 3,005 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Antoine-Labelle
- Census subdivision
- 2479078
Lac-des-Écorces’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lac-des-Écorces | 3,005 | — | B− | B+ | C+ | A |
| Mont-Laurier | 14,598 | 14 | B+ | B | C+ | A+ |
| Chute-Saint-Philippe | 1,154 | 19 | — | A− | C+ | A− |
| Ferme-Neuve | 2,816 | 19 | B− | B+ | C+ | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Lac-des-Écorces
Who are the people of Lac-des-Écorces?
At the 2021 census, 1% were immigrants and 0% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 5% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
Do people in Lac-des-Écorces speak French?
Almost everyone does. 22% are bilingual, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%, and 77.5% speak French and no English.
What kind of homes are in Lac-des-Écorces?
Single-detached houses make up 82% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 35% of households are one person, and the average is 2.1.
Is Lac-des-Écorces growing?
It added people: 2,734 in 2016, 2,885 in 2021, 5.5% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 3,005.
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).