Notre-Dame-du-PortageQuebec
Between 2016 and 2021, its population grew by 13%. 1,341 people live in this town in Quebec.
Is Notre-Dame-du-Portage a good place to live?
Work and incomes are strong (A+). Health is a strength (A−). Its weakest is hazard risk (D). Homes were valued at a median $300,000 at the 2021 census, 3.7 times the typical household’s income. It also trails on walkability (C−).
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Canadian towns get an overall grade from 2,500 residents, so Notre-Dame-du-Portage has subject grades only.
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.
What makes Notre-Dame-du-Portage stand out
The 3 things Notre-Dame-du-Portage does most differently from other towns.
How Notre-Dame-du-Portage grades
Each subject compares Notre-Dame-du-Portage with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Canadian towns get an overall grade from 2,500 residents, so Notre-Dame-du-Portage has subject grades only.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Notre-Dame-du-Portage.
Trips to work from Notre-Dame-du-Portage are shorter than from Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 20 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Notre-Dame-du-Portage | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 20 min | 27 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
On hazards, Notre-Dame-du-Portage comes out behind 94% of Canadian towns
Radon tests for the Bas-Saint-Laurent health region
Radon topped the guideline in 14% of tested homes, above Quebec’s towns (8.2%) and Canadian towns (6.6%) alike. Burn scars are few around Notre-Dame-du-Portage, with 0.2% of the land within 25 km touched by fire since 1986 (0.005% a year). Seismic risk runs high: $0.27 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Notre-Dame-du-Portage | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.27 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 14% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Around Notre-Dame-du-Portage, 60% rate their health very good or excellent, against 52% for the typical Canadian town
Residents have 7.8 km to cover to reach a hospital, higher than both Quebec’s towns (5.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km). A baby born in the region can expect 81.7 years, 83.1 for a girl and 80.3 for a boy (2022/2024).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Notre-Dame-du-Portage | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 60% | 56% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.7 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Data for health survey and life expectancy covers the Région du Bas-Saint-Laurent
Notre-Dame-du-Portage has cooler summers than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 22.5°C
October is the wettest month, with 124 mm of rain and snow on average. Some 281 cm of snow falls in a typical year, higher than both Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). Most of the snow comes in December, about 66 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Notre-Dame-du-Portage | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 22.5°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 281 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,124 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 176 | 161 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Rivière-du-Loup/St-Antonin)
More households own their home in Notre-Dame-du-Portage than in Quebec’s towns or across Canadian towns: 91%
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 6% of households, below Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. Nobody publishes rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom for Notre-Dame-du-Portage alone, so this card uses the figure for the Rivière-du-Loup metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Notre-Dame-du-Portage | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 6% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 13% | 18% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 91% | 70% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Notre-Dame-du-Portage’s grade for safety: a B+
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 48 over 2023–25, below Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67) alike. Property crime in the area its police cover: 14.3 per 1,000 people a year. Its police area records 10.7 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Notre-Dame-du-Portage doesn’t get its own Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures; the ones here come from Rivière-du-Loup MRC.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Notre-Dame-du-Portage | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 14.3 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 48 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 72 | 88 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Around Notre-Dame-du-Portage, 42% of the land is set aside for nature
30 protected areas lie within 10 km. 4.6 km from town is Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, the nearest provincial park. National parks are all over 100 km off. OpenStreetMap shows one beach within 5 km, without a name.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Notre-Dame-du-Portage | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 42% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 23 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Older residents shape Notre-Dame-du-Portage: 31% are 65 or over, above Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
1.9% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%). One measure of family life: 14% of residents are under 15.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
51.0% of Notre-Dame-du-Portage’s residents are women
Of the 2021 count, 660 were women and 635 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).
| Notre-Dame-du-Portage | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 55% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 31% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 9.8% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 74% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Notre-Dame-du-Portage in November: highs near 3°C, lows near −3°C
The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Rivière-du-Loup. Next comes December, with normal highs of −4°C and lows of −10°C. November usually brings some 22 cm of snow. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 78 mm.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −6°C | −13°C | 217 mm |
| Spring | 6°C | −2°C | 268 mm |
| Summer | 21°C | 11°C | 326 mm |
| Autumn | 10°C | 2°C | 312 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Rivière-du-Loup/St-Antonin); the forecast is on the Weather page
One councillor per 190 residents: Notre-Dame-du-Portage is more closely represented than four in five Quebec municipalities
For the National Assembly of Québec, Notre-Dame-du-Portage votes in Rivière-du-Loup--Témiscouata; open data doesn’t yet say who its MNA (Member of the National Assembly, Québec’s legislature) is.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Notre-Dame-du-Portage is Bibliothèque De Saint-Antonin, 9.7 km away
The next is Bibliothèque municipale Françoise-Bédard (Rivière-du-Loup), 10 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
No high school in or near Notre-Dame-du-Portage: the closest is 8.7 km off
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Notre-Dame-du-Portage et Les PèlerinsIn Notre-Dame-du-PortageElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Schools within 3 km | Notre-Dame-du-Portage | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 8.7 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.
Notre-Dame-du-Portage: 1 historic place on Canada’s heritage registers
Homes from before 1961 make up 28% of the stock, above both Quebec’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Notre-Dame-du-Portage | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 28% | 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 Notre-Dame-du-Portage
Famous people from around Notre-Dame-du-Portage
One notable person was born in Notre-Dame-du-Portage; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Guillaume Bastille: Beth Rand, CC BY-SA 2.0 · John McLoughlin: Unknown author, Public domain · Alexandre-Antonin Taché: Benneto & Co., Public domain
Notre-Dame-du-Portage’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre-Dame-du-Portage | 1,341 | — | — | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska | 2,509 | 8.5 | A+ | A | A− | B+ |
| Saint-Antonin | 4,633 | 9.4 | A+ | A | B+ | A− |
| Rivière-du-Loup | 20,650 | 9.7 | A | B− | B+ | A |
| Saint-Modeste | 1,182 | 16 | — | A+ | B+ | A− |
| Cacouna | 1,888 | 18 | — | A | B+ | A− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Notre-Dame-du-Portage
Do people in Notre-Dame-du-Portage speak French?
It is a French-speaking town: 62.2% know French alone, and 38% can talk in English too, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns.
Has Notre-Dame-du-Portage grown?
It added people: 1,151 in 2016, 1,296 in 2021, 12.6% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 1,341.
What kind of homes are in Notre-Dame-du-Portage?
76% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.2 people; 29% are one person living alone.
How old are the people of Notre-Dame-du-Portage?
At 53.2, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 14% of the population and seniors 31%.
About Notre-Dame-du-Portage
Town in Quebec
For Notre-Dame-du-Portage, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in Quebec, and every figure on its pages covers that whole area.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 1,341 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Rivière-du-Loup
- Metro area
- Rivière-du-Loup
- Census subdivision
- 2412080
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).