PercéQuebec
The town has 3,137 residents and lies in Quebec. It is part of Le Rocher-Percé, a census division.
Is Percé a good place to live?
Work and incomes lag (D). Walkability is weaker too (D). Cost of living is its strong suit (A−). The overall grade comes out at C−, better than 22% of Canadian towns. That places it #448 of 499 in Quebec.
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. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but many visitors or second-home owners add to it, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk. 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 Percé grades
Each subject compares Percé 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 Percé stand out
The 3 things Percé does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Percé.
Commuters in Percé have a short way to work, 22 min on average, less than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Percé | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 27 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
Rent takes less of local pay in Percé than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 15% of household income
Owners put the median home at $150,000, below Quebec’s towns ($300,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000) alike. The owner-occupied share of households is 79%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Percé | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 6% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 15% | 18% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $150,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 79% | 70% | 74% |
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.
Percé has cooler summers than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 23.5°C
Precipitation totals 1,161 mm a year, higher than both Quebec’s towns (1,041 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm). In January, overnight lows in Percé settle at −16.7°C. Snow peaks in January: 80 cm in a normal year. Between the last spring frost, 4 June, and the first in autumn, 17 September, lie 104 days.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Percé | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 385 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 23.5°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 200 | 161 | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 1,161 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Gaspé)
Smoking runs high around Percé: 18% of adults, the typical Canadian town 12%
Statistics Canada puts the region’s life expectancy at 79.9, women 81.6 and men 78.2 (2022/2024). On self-rated health the region tracks the province: 56% very good or excellent, 57% for Quebec. Measured from where people live, the nearest hospital is 27 km away, above Quebec’s towns (5.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km) alike. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Région de la Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Percé included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Percé | 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
Around Percé, 25% of tested homes have radon above the guideline
Measured across the Gaspesie - Iles-de-la-Madeleine health region: radon tests
Averaged over the years, quake damage costs $0.016 per $1,000 of buildings, about level with Canadian towns ($0.030) and below Quebec’s towns ($0.14). Gouvernement du Québec has mapped the flood hazard here: one study on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Percé | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 25% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.016 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
More of Percé’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 13%
31% speak both English and French, below Quebec’s towns (44%) but above Canadian towns (7.5%). Visible minorities make up 0.7% of the population, lower than both Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
48.8% of Percé’s residents are women
Here the census found 1,510 women and 1,585 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.
| Percé | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.9% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 34% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 37% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 41% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
The nearest high school to Percé is 22 km away
A single English-language school is among them; in Quebec the share is 10%. Its schools answer to 3 boards. The closest elementary school is 11 km away, higher than both Quebec’s towns (0.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École de Belle Anse EnglishIn PercéElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Percé | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 22 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 11 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
| School boards | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Why no schools grade in Quebec? The ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
Forillon National Park is 8.7 km from Percé
39 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. Biggest among them: Banc-des-Américains Marine Protected Area, 100,013 ha, 0.3 km off. Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 15% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. For a swim, Plage Sud de percé is the nearest of 20 beaches within 5 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Percé | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 15% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 15 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Violent crime weighs more where Percé is policed than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 135
Violence across its police area runs at 23.9 per 1,000 residents a year. Where it is policed, thefts, break-ins and damage came to 10 per 1,000 a year, lower than both Quebec’s towns (16.6) and Canadian towns (31.2).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Percé | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 23.9 | 12.4 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 135 | 88 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 10 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 69 | 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 Rocher-Percé MRC
Percé in November: highs near 4°C, lows near −4°C
Rain and snow over a typical November come to 105 mm. By December, a normal day reaches −2°C and a night falls to −11°C. About 32 cm of snow falls in a normal November. Over the year, July is warmest at 24°C by day and January coldest at −17°C by night.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −4°C | −15°C | 281 mm |
| Spring | 7°C | −4°C | 284 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 9°C | 270 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | 1°C | 326 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Gaspé); the forecast is on the Weather page
Daniel Leboeuf leads Percé as mayor
Percé is in Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), and the seat belongs to Alexis Deschênes of the Bloc Québécois.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Percé’s public library works from 3 branches
They are Bibliothèque Allison-Aubut (Perce), Bibliothèque De Perce and Bibliothèque De Val-D'Espoir (Perce).
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Before 1961: 44% of the homes in Percé
On the registers the town counts 4 historic places, one at the top. Maison Le Page, begun in 1843, is the oldest by its record. The record has 2 municipal citations and a Recognized Federal Heritage Building.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Percé | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 44% | 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 Percé
Géoparc Mondial UNESCO de Percé and 3 more in and around Percé
Sights in Percé and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
Famous people from Percé
7 notable people were born in Percé.
Photo credits
Edmund James Flynn: William Notman and Son, Public domain · Alexandre Chouinard: Stoller, Limited/ Archival by La Presse, Public domain
About Percé
Town in Quebec
For Percé, 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
- 3,137 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Le Rocher-Percé
- Census subdivision
- 2402005
Percé’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percé | 3,137 | — | C− | A− | C+ | C |
| Sainte-Thérèse-de-Gaspé | 1,009 | 17 | — | A+ | C+ | C |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Percé
Do people in Percé speak French?
Almost everyone does. 31% are bilingual, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%, and 55.6% speak French and no English.
What kind of homes are in Percé?
Single-detached houses make up 92% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 41% of households are one person, and the average is 2.
Is Percé a young town or an old one?
Half its people are older than 57.6 (the middle of Canadian towns: 45.2); children under 15 make up 10%, people 65 and over 34%.
Is Percé growing?
It went from 3,103 people in 2016 to 3,095 in 2021, down 0.3%, while the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 3,137.
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).