Saint-FrançoisLaval
It is one of the 13 neighbourhoods that make up Laval. 15,338 residents make their home in this neighbourhood in Laval.
Is Saint-François a good place to live?
Some subjects shine; others lag. People here tend to be in good health (A−). The typical owner put their home at $348,000 in 2021: 3.6 years of the median household’s income. What counts against it is hazard risk (D). All told, that adds up to a B+ overall and a rank of #245 of 499 in Quebec. Nationally, it does better than 71% of Canadian towns.
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 less sure: this is the whole city's figure, because the city doesn't publish open neighbourhood crime rates. 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 Saint-François grades
Each subject compares Saint-François 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 Saint-François stand out
The 2 things Saint-François does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-François.
Saint-François’s grade for hazard risk: a D
Earthquakes are expected to cost $0.21 a year for every $1,000 of buildings, above both Quebec’s towns ($0.14) and Canadian towns ($0.030). In Health Canada’s survey, 12% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). Also worth knowing: the national inventory holds one flood map for it, from Gouvernement du Québec. Saint-François doesn’t get its own earthquake risk figures; the ones here come from the city of Laval.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Saint-François | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.21 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 12% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Area behind the radon tests figures: the Laval health region
Life expectancy around Saint-François is 84.1 years, 2.6 more than for the typical Canadian town
Measured from where Saint-François’ residents live, a hospital is 4.7 km away, near the 3.7 km most towns see. In the health survey, 53% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, fewer than Quebec’s 57%. The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 16% of adults, higher than Quebec’s towns (15%) yet lower than Canadian towns (17%).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Saint-François | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 84.1 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 15% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 53% | 56% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Not measured by town: health survey and life expectancy (the Région de Laval)
Commuters in Saint-François travel further than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns, 35 min on average
The car took 86% of commuters, about level with Canadian towns (89%) and below Quebec’s towns (90%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Saint-François | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 35 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 86% | 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.
Saint-François’s grade for safety: a B
Across its police area, there are 17.1 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year. The index for the force that serves it came to 56, close to Quebec’s towns (56) and below Canadian towns (67).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Saint-François | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 17.1 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 56 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: one figure for all of the Laval service area
Winter nights in Saint-François are colder than in 75% of Canadian towns
A normal July day peaks at 26.6°C, near Quebec’s towns (26.5°C) and higher than Canadian towns (25.5°C). October is the wettest month, with 103 mm of rain and snow on average. Most of the snow comes in January, about 52 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Saint-François | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 217 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 |
| Precipitation a year | 1,041 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (L'Assomption)
Visible minorities make up more of Saint-François than of Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 35%
People 65 and over make up 17% of the town. 46% speak both English and French, above Quebec’s towns (44%) and Canadian towns (7.5%) alike. The share of residents under 15 is 18%.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
50.2% of Saint-François’ residents are women
7,630 men and 7,685 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Saint-François | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 65% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 17% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 56% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
What November brings in Saint-François: −3°C at night, 5°C by day
The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Le Gardeur. Expect around 16 cm of snow in November. A normal December brings highs of −2°C, lows of −10°C. November normally sees 84 mm of precipitation.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −4°C | −14°C | 243 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 253 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 14°C | 268 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 3°C | 277 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (L'Assomption); the forecast is on the Weather page
20,070 residents per council seat in Laval, a higher ratio than 99% of Quebec municipalities
The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Saint-François is Alfred-Pellan, and Angelo Iacono (Liberal Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Bibliothèque Marius-Barbeau logs 7.3 visits per person served, more than 87% of Quebec’s town libraries
The library figures on this page are Laval’s: Bibliothèque Marius-Barbeau serves all 458,981 people of the city, Saint-François among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
21 public protected areas lie within 10 km of Saint-François
Îles-de-Boucherville National Park (Québec) is the closest provincial park, at 7.3 km. Within 10 km of the town, 5.4% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town. There is a beach within 5 km, unnamed on the map.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Saint-François | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 21 | 10 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 5.4% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
6 school boards share Saint-François
Within 3 km of Saint-François are 42 elementary schools, 17 secondary schools and 3 schools for every grade. Schooling in English is on offer at 7 of 62; in Quebec, 10% of schools teach in it. Teenagers have 2.3 km to go to the closest secondary school, above both Quebec’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Fleur-SoleilIn Saint-FrançoisElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| École LeblancNearest secondary school, 0.5 kmSecondary | Secondary | – | French public |
| École primaire Terry-Fox EnglishTeaches in EnglishElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Saint-François | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| Nearest secondary school | 2.3 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
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.
Most households in Saint-François own their home: 87%, more than in Quebec’s towns and across Canadian towns
Measured across the Montréal metro area: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 10% of households, below Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. Rent took 17% of household income, below both Quebec’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Saint-François | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 87% | 70% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 10% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 18% | 20% |
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.
Maison Therrien, from 1722, is Saint-François’s oldest designated place
All 2 historic places listed here are of the highest rank. Before 1961 is when nearly a fifth of the homes went up, between Quebec’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
- Maison Therrien 1722
- Maison Charbonneau 1736
| Heritage | Saint-François | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 19% | 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 Saint-François
Maison d'histoire de Terrebonne and 11 more in and around Saint-François
Museums, historic sites, parks, gardens and days out in and near Saint-François, the best known first.
MuseumMaison d'histoire de Terrebonne300 m outside town, to the west
MuseumWater interpretation center4.1 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumMaison Bélisle400 m outside town, to the westSki hillSki hillGroupe Plein Air Terrebonne2 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumArmand Frappier Museum3.3 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionÉcole de pilotage À Vol d'Oiseau700 m outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Maison d'histoire de Terrebonne: ThoMiCroN, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Water interpretation center: Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Maison Bélisle: Cantons-de-l'Est, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from around Saint-François
One notable person was born in Saint-François; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Garven Metusala: John Jacques, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Félix Potvin: TheAHL, CC BY 4.0 · Maria Anna Blondin: Archives générales de la Congrégation des Soeurs de Sainte-Anne, Public domain · Julien Gauthier: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0
About Saint-François
Neighbourhood in Laval
Saint-François is a neighbourhood of Laval, built by TownRatings from Statistics Canada’s smallest census areas and named from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 15,338 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- City
- Laval
- Census subdivision
- 2465005
Saint-François’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-François | 15,338 | — | B+ | B− | B | A− |
| Rivière-des-Prairies | 21,852 | 3.1 | B | B− | C | A |
| Marc-Aurèle-Fortin | 36,220 | 4 | C | D | C | A |
| Est (Montréal-Nord) | 31,383 | 6.5 | C− | D− | C | A |
| Pointe-aux-Trembles | 49,869 | 7.3 | C | D | C | A |
| Terrebonne | 126,872 | 7.9 | A− | B− | A− | B+ |
| Anjou | 43,243 | 7.9 | C | D | C | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Saint-François
Do people in Saint-François speak French?
French is the common language here. 46% of residents also speak English (the median of Canadian towns: 8%), and 51.3% speak French but not English.
How old are the people of Saint-François?
Its median age is 42.9, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2.
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).