OkaQuebec

TownGrade

C⁺

#1,638 of 2,556

4,312 residents make their home in this town in Quebec. Statistics Canada counts it in the Montréal metro area.

6 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: Steven.Pigeon · Public domain

Population

4,312

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

46.4

years · Quebec’s towns: 44.8

Postsecondary

60%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

Is Oka a good place to live?

Prices are high against local incomes (C). With a C+ overall, Oka sits #387 of 499 in Quebec. That leaves it better than 40% of Canadian towns. It lags on hazard risk as well (C−). Health outcomes beat most towns (A). Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for jobs & income and B for walkability.

Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. 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.

StrongestAHealthWeakestC⁻Hazard risk

How Oka grades

Each subject compares Oka 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 grading works

HealthBased on how healthy residents are for their agesAOpen →Hazard riskAmong the most exposed to natural hazardsC⁻Open →Cost of livingBelow the middle of the towns comparedCOpen →SafetyBased on crimes reported per residentCOpen →WalkabilityEasier than most to get around on footBOpen →Jobs & incomeBased on what households earn, poverty and workB⁻Open →

SchoolsBecause the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school, towns in Quebec aren’t graded on schools.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Oka stand out

The 2 things Oka does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Immigrants

Who lives here

2% are immigrants

For the middle of Canadian towns, 6%

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

Health

Better than 90%

of Canadian towns on health

Its health grade: A.

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Oka.

HealthHealth A

Oka earns an A for health

60%very good or excellent healthAHealth Grade

The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 60%, ahead of the 57% for Quebec. The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 13% of adults, below both Quebec’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%). For 2022/2024, the region’s figure is 82.2 years at birth, 83.7 for women and 80.8 for men. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Oka’s is long: 15 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Région des Laurentides, Oka included.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Oka60%

Quebec’s towns56%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Oka	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

82.2

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

15 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

11%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

2.2 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageOka’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey60% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care15 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 2.2 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 83.7, men 80.8 Conditions and habits13% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities

Natural hazardsHazard risk C⁻

A flood study covers Oka: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal

Lowwildfire bandC⁻Hazard risk Grade

Source area for radon tests: the Laurentides health region

Radon is higher than usual: 10% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Earthquakes add more: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.13 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town.

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Oka10%

Quebec’s towns8.2%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Oka	Quebec	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	10%	8.2%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.13	$0.14	$0.030

$0.13

expected earthquake loss a year per $1,000 of buildings

Low

wildfire band

0.7 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

flood study on the national inventory

Full pageOka’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

FloodOne flood study on record WildfireLow wildfire band · No land burned within 25 km since 1986 Earthquakes$0.13 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon10% of tests above the guideline Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

HousingCost of living C

Shelter costs push only 12% of Oka’s households past 30% of income, fewer than the 18% of the typical Canadian town

$376,000median home value, 2021CCost of living Grade

Rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom for the Montréal metro area

82% of households own their home. A year’s rent came to 19% of the median household income, above Quebec’s towns (18%) but below Canadian towns (20%).

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Oka$376,000

Quebec$300,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Oka	Quebec	Canada
Households owning their home	82%	70%	74%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	12%	13%	18%
Rent as a share of income	19%	18%	20%

$1,346

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$1,160

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageOka’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Cost of living4.4 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $376,000, against the median household income Renting$1,346 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey Owners and renters82% own their home

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.

Outdoors

Few places match Oka for protected land nearby: more than 9 in 10 Canadian towns

20%of the land within 10 km protected

Within 10 km are 53 protected areas. No national park lies within 100 km. Protected areas take in just over a quarter of the town itself.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Oka20%

Quebec’s towns4.9%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Oka	Quebec	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	20%	4.9%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	33	10	4

At the edge

to Oka National Park (Québec)

beaches within 5 km

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pageOka’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas53 protected areas within 10 km · Oka National Park (Québec)National & provincial parksAt the edge to a provincial park · Oka National Park (Québec)

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

SafetySafety C

The force covering Oka records more serious violence than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns, at 129

83Crime Severity Index

Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 83 over 2023–25, above both Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). The force’s area logs 20.3 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Violent crime in the area its police cover: 13.5 per 1,000 people a year.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202381

202483

202585

2023–2025	Oka	Quebec	Canada
Violent Crime Severity Index	129	88	86
Crime Severity Index	83	56	67
Property crime per 1,000	20.3	16.6	31.2

non-violent Crime Severity Index

46%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageOka’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety83 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Oka’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Oka safe?”

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: Deux-Montagnes MRC

Climate

Summer afternoons in Oka are warmer than in 78% of Canadian towns

26.7°CJuly afternoons

Snow peaks in January: 52 cm in a normal year. Snowfall adds up to 217 cm a year, near Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and higher than Canadian towns (141 cm). Frost usually lifts by 29 April and returns around 14 October: 167 days without it. For the wettest month, look to October: 103 mm on average.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−3.2°C

Spring11.0°C

Summer25.5°C

Autumn13.5°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Oka	Quebec	Canada
Snowfall a year	217 cm	217 cm	141 cm
July afternoon high	26.7°C	26.5°C	25.5°C
Days with frost a year	146	161	159
Precipitation a year	1,041 mm	1,041 mm	883 mm

217 cm

of snow a year

146

days with frost a year

167

frost-free days, 29 Apr to 14 Oct

122

days with precipitation a year

Full pageOka’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 26.7°C, January lows −13.5°C Rain and snow1,041 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow217 cm of snow a year Weather station25 km to the station · Montréal Trudeau (Airport)

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Montréal Trudeau (Airport))

Weather

A normal November in Oka runs from −2°C to 6°C

6°Ca normal November afternoon

Over the year, July is warmest at 27°C by day and January coldest at −14°C by night. Into December, the normals move to −1°C and −9°C. Precipitation in November averages 84 mm. Snow is normal by November, about 16 cm over the month.

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November6°C

December−1°C

January−5°C

February−3°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−3°C	−12°C	243 mm
Spring	11°C	1°C	253 mm
Summer	26°C	15°C	268 mm
Autumn	13°C	5°C	277 mm

−2°C

a normal November night

84 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageOka’s weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest July, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Montréal Trudeau (Airport)); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Oka’s council spends less per resident than 86% of Québec’s local municipalities

Mirabel is the riding Oka votes in for the National Assembly of Québec, and its MNA (Member of the National Assembly, Québec’s legislature) isn’t named here because no open list records the members.

Full pageOka’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Member of ParliamentJean-Denis Garon council seats7

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade D⁻

Fewer visits per person served than 88% of Quebec’s town libraries: Bibliotheque Municipale D'Oka counts 1.2

A single building, Bibliotheque Municipale D'Oka, serves 6,216 people.

Full pageOka’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

The libraries1 Libraries Places to belong1.4 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Schools

Schools in Oka: 3 boards, side by side

11schools within 3 km

Within 3 km of Oka are 7 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade. Of the 11, 2 teach in English (10% of schools in Quebec). Measured from the centre, the closest high school lies 2.6 km off, above Quebec’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km) alike.

School	Level	Students	System
École des PinsIn OkaElementary	Elementary	–	French public
École secondaire d'Oka (Oka, pavillon Léopold, secondaire d')In OkaSecondary	Secondary	–	French public
École secondaire Westwood Senior EnglishTeaches in EnglishSecondary	Secondary	–	English public

See all 11 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

French public7

Other2

English public2

Schools within 3 km	Oka	Quebec	Canada
School boards	3	2	3
Nearest secondary school	2.6 km	1.2 km	1.2 km

2.6 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageOka’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

The boards3 school boards · Centre de services scolaire des Mille-Îles Every school11 schools within 3 km · 7 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade Language2 of 11 teach in English · 10% of schools in Quebec Questions“What schools are there in Oka?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · The schools grade is given only where results are open; in Quebec, the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁻

Commuters in Oka travel further than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns, 31 min on average

6%walk, cycle or take transit

90% of commuters drove, about level with both Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%).

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van90%

Walk3%

Public transit2%

Bicycle1%

Census 2021	Oka	Quebec	Canada
Average trip	31 min	27 min	26 min
Car or van	90%	90%	89%

$86,000

median household income, 2020

18%

worked from home, May 2021

21%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageOka’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment6.7% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work6% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to240 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Saint-Eustache

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.

Who lives here

Oka is more bilingual than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 52% speak both languages

46.4median age

First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up nearly one in ten residents, above both Quebec’s towns (1.5%) and Canadian towns (2.8%). Retirement age and beyond: just over a fifth of residents are 65 or older. Children are 17% of the town.

OkaQuebecCanada

QuebecCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

21%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree16%

Postsecondary qualification60%

Women and men · all residents

49.7% of Oka’s residents are women

Women numbered 1,970 and men 1,995 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.

Who lives in Oka
	Oka	Quebec	Canada
Under 15	17%	17%	16%
15 to 64	62%	62%	64%
65+	21%	20%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	16%	19%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	60%	59%	56%

Full pageOka’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

English and French52% speak both · 46% speak French but not English Ages46.4 median age · 21% are 65 or over Households1,615 households · 2.4 people per household Immigrants2% are immigrants · 1% belong to a visible minority

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

History

History in Oka goes back to 1740: Calvaire d'Oka

5historic places

The registers put 5 historic places inside its boundary, 4 of them of the highest rank. Counted by designation, there are a municipal citation.

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations4

Other federal designations0

Provincial and local listings1

Among them

1740

oldest construction date on the record

30%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Oka	Quebec	Canada
Homes built before 1961	30%	21%	18%

Full pageOka’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registers5 historic places inside the town Highest designations4 top designations · Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac Older homes30% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Oka have?”

Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Oka

15pages on Oka

The big questions

SafetyCCrime Severity Index 83 Housing & costCHomes 4.4 × income Property pricesSchools11 schools within 3 km HealthALife expectancy 82.2 in its region Work & commuteB⁻61% of adults in work Natural hazardsC⁻Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors20% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 27°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 46.4 History5 places on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Oka National Park and 5 more in and around Oka

Sights in Oka and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.

All attractions →

National parkNational park · SépaqOka National Parkin town

MuseumMusée d'Hudson1.9 km outside town, to the southwest

National historic siteMaison Félix-Leclerc de Vaudreuil4.3 km outside town, to the southeast Water parkWater parkSuper Aqua Club2.2 km outside town, to the northeast MuseumMuseumGreenwood Centre for Living History1.4 km outside town, to the southwest ZooZooPerroquets en folie3.1 km outside town, to the west

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (2)

Musée d'Hudson: Cantons-de-l'Est, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Maison Félix-Leclerc de Vaudreuil: MissEmerillon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Famous people from Oka

6 notable people were born in Oka.

See all 6 →

Ovide CharleboisCanadian Catholic prelate · 1862–1933

Monique GirouxCanadian radio host · born 1963

Louis-de-Gonzague LangevinCanadian bishop · 1921–2003

Charles Angus CookeIroquois civil servant and ethnologist · 1870–1958

Félix-Hyacinthe LemaireCanadian politician · 1808–1879

Pierre BoisCanadian physician · 1924–2011

Photo credits

Ovide Charlebois: Église catholique, 1936, Public domain · Monique Giroux: Maboite2prod, CC BY-SA 4.0

About Oka

Town in Quebec

TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Oka is one municipality in Quebec, figures and all.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 4,312 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Quebec
Census division: Deux-Montagnes
Metro area: Montréal
Census subdivision: 2472032

Oka’s neighbours

The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada

KanesatakeSaint-Joseph-du-LacHudsonPointe-CalumetVaudreuil-sur-le-LacVaudreuil-DorionOka

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Oka	4,312	—	C⁺	C	C	A
Kanesatake	1,872	3.7	—	—	C	A
Saint-Joseph-du-Lac	7,391	6.7	A	C⁺	A⁺	A⁺
Hudson	5,533	6.8	A⁻	C⁺	A	B⁺
Pointe-Calumet	6,427	7.2	B⁺	C	A⁺	A
Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac	1,340	7.6	—	B	A	A⁻
Vaudreuil-Dorion	46,413	9.8	A⁻	C	A	A⁻

People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.

Questions about Oka

Do people in Oka speak French?

French comes first: 46.1% speak it alone, while 52% manage both languages (Canadian towns: 8%).

What kind of homes are in Oka?

Single-detached houses make up 88% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 26% of households are one person, and the average is 2.4.

Has Oka grown?

Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 3,824 to 3,968 residents (up 3.8%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 4,312.

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).