MariaQuebec
Between 2016 and 2021, its population grew by 6%. Home to 2,770 people, this town lies in Quebec.
Is Maria a good place to live?
Maria’s grades pull in different directions. Prices are modest for what you get (A−). Recorded crime is low (B+). What counts against it is hazard risk (D). Overall, that makes an A−, better than 83% of Canadian towns. The ranking puts it #177 of 499 in Quebec. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for health and B for jobs & income.
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 Maria grades
Each subject compares Maria 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 Maria stand out
The 3 things Maria does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Maria.
Around Maria, 25% of tested homes have radon above the guideline
Measured across the Gaspesie - Iles-de-la-Madeleine health region: radon tests
NRCan expects $0.038 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in Maria, near the typical $0.030. The national flood inventory has no study of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Maria | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 25% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.038 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Fewer households are stretched by shelter costs in Maria: 7% spend 30%+ of income, against 18% in the typical Canadian town
A year’s rent came to 15% of the median household income, lower than both Quebec’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (20%). The owner-occupied share of households is 73%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Maria | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 7% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 15% | 18% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $200,000 | $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.
Maria has cooler summers than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 23.8°C
Maria sees January nights of −16.2°C on average. A normal winter brings 337 cm of snow, above Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. Snow peaks in January: 71 cm in a normal year. Between the last spring frost, 18 May, and the first in autumn, 1 October, lie 135 days.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Maria | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 337 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 23.8°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 182 | 161 | 159 |
| January night low | −16.2°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Charlo)
Maria’s grade for safety: a B+
The index for the force that serves it came to 48, lower than both Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). Across its police area, there are 11.6 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Maria | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 11.6 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 48 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 75 | 88 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Area behind the Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures: Avignon/Bonaventure MRC
Protected land around Maria beats nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns
20 km from town is Miguasha National Park (Québec), the nearest provincial park. The largest named area nearby is Land set aside Rivière-Cascapédia, 36,911 ha, 6.6 km away. Within 10 km are 24 protected areas. The nearest national park is more than 100 km away.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Maria | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 9.5% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 23 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
35% of Maria’s residents speak English and French (Quebec’s towns: 44%; Canadian towns: 7.5%)
1.2% of residents belong to a visible minority, below Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 3% of residents, above both Quebec’s towns (1.5%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
53.3% of Maria’s residents are women
Women numbered 1,470 and men 1,290 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Maria | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 53% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 32% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 17% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 68% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Commuters in Maria have a short way to work, 20 min on average, less than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
92% of commuters took the car to work at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Maria | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 20 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 92% | 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.
Maria in November: highs near 4°C, lows near −4°C
Snow is normal by November, about 22 cm over the month. Then December: −3°C by day, −11°C at night. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 87 mm. Over the year, July is warmest at 24°C by day and January coldest at −16°C by night.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −5°C | −14°C | 213 mm |
| Spring | 7°C | −3°C | 240 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 11°C | 276 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | 2°C | 283 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Charlo); the forecast is on the Weather page
Maria’s mayor: Patricia Chartier
Across Quebec, 44 of the 78 MPs sit with the Liberal Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Maria’s public library is Bibliothèque Noël-Audet (Maria)
The library is 0.2 km from the centre of Maria.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Smoking runs high around Maria: 18% of adults, the typical Canadian town 12%
Health survey and life expectancy for the Région de la Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine
The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Maria is well placed: 1.6 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. A child born in the region can expect 79.9 years, below Quebec’s towns (82.5) and Canadian towns (81.5) alike. Across the region, 56% of adults say their health is very good or excellent, much as in Quebec (57%).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Maria | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18% | 12% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.9 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 15% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 56% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
No high school in or near Maria: the closest is 9.2 km off
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École BourgIn MariaElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Schools within 3 km | Maria | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 9.2 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 Maria
Famous people from Maria
10 notable people were born in Maria.
Photo credits
Viviane Audet: Viviane Audet, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nathalie Normandeau: Couillard_et_Normandeau.jpg : François Thivierge derivative work: — Riba, CC BY 2.0 · Pierre-Paul Savoie: Rolline Laporte, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Irvin Blais: Bull-Doser, Public domain
About Maria
Town in Quebec
Maria is a municipality in Quebec, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,770 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Avignon
- Census subdivision
- 2406005
Maria’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maria | 2,770 | — | A− | A− | B+ | B− |
| New Richmond | 3,947 | 11 | B+ | A− | B+ | C+ |
| Carleton-sur-Mer | 4,175 | 12 | B | B | B+ | C+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Maria
Do people in Maria speak French?
French is the common language here.
How old are the people of Maria?
The typical resident is 53.2 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 32% of the population and under-15s at 14%.
What kind of homes are in Maria?
Mostly 74% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.2 people on average, and 33% have just one.
Has Maria grown?
Yes: the census counted 2,615 in 2016 and 2,760 in 2021, a rise of 5.5%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 2,770.
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).