Photo: Jean-Pierre Guillet · CC BY-SA 3.0Working-age people in Potton have jobs more often than in 82% of Canadian towns
335 people have their usual place of work in Potton, against 405 residents who travel to a job. The median household in Potton had $67,700 before tax in 2020; the middle of Canadian towns is $85,900. Joblessness at the 2021 census: 6.9% of Potton’s labour force, next to 9.9% for the middle of Canadian towns.
Where Potton stands out on work
More people in work than most towns
82% of people aged 15 to 64 had a job at the 2021 census, against 73% in the middle of Canadian towns; counting everyone 15 and over, retirees included, it was 48%. In work ↓
Less unemployment than most towns
Census day in 2021 put 6.9% out of work (9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns), and the area’s monthly survey gave 3.7% in October 2026. Unemployment ↓
Lower incomes than most towns
At $67,700 before tax in 2020, the median household compares with $85,900 in the middle of Canadian towns. Household income ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
Potton grades B− for jobs and income
Better than 48% of Canadian towns on three measures together.
Its strongest measure is the share of 15-to-64s in work; its weakest, household income.
Graded against Canadian towns of 2,500 people or more; less unemployment and a shorter commute count in its favour.
How the grade works
Census 2021 measures, weighed equally against every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 people or more: the share of residents aged 15 to 64 in work, median household income (2020), the unemployment rate and the average commute. Each becomes a percentile; their average sets the letter.
Work and the working-age population of Potton
Of the 6 other places of 2,500 people or more in the Memphrémagog census division, 5 have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
For the wider area, the Labour Force Survey had 58% in work in October 2026. The labour force, people 15 and over with a job or seeking one, took in 51% of residents that age. Counting retirees, 48% of everyone aged 15 and over was working. The figures are a snapshot of 11 May 2021, when pandemic rules still kept many people out of work or at home.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: people in work of any age over residents aged 15 to 64, and the census unemployment rate (15 and over); the 25-to-54 rate is Statistics Canada’s own (98-10-0485). The Labour Force Survey and business counts are context, not grade inputs.
Household income in Potton
Before tax, 2020: lower than in 72% of Canadian towns.
4 of the 6 other places of 2,500+ in the Memphrémagog census division have a higher median. That puts Potton 9% below the median of Quebec’s towns, $74,100. That year, 2020, brought emergency benefits that count in these totals, before tax.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
On a working day, Potton loses more workers than it gains
46% of residents who commute work inside the municipality, against 70% in the middle of Canadian towns.
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
54% of Potton’s residents in work leave it to work; Lac-Brome takes the most
Sherbrooke sends the largest group the other way, 50 people.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (98-10-0459): commuting flows between municipalities (census subdivisions), rounded to 5; linked names have their own pages.
Potton gets to work without a car for 11% of commuters
On foot: 9% of commuters, well above the 4.2% in the middle of Quebec’s towns. The car is the way to work for 90% of commuters. Home was the workplace for 29%, where the middle of Canadian towns has 21%. Few ride transit: 1.6%, where the middle of Canadian towns has 3.5%.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: main mode of commuting; average durations by mode from table 98-10-0458 (whole municipalities only).
25.7 minutes from Potton to work, about the middle of Canadian towns
Timed exactly, the average is 23.3 minutes (Statistics Canada). A quarter-hour or less for 39% of commuters, against 31% in the middle of Quebec’s towns. An hour or more: 8.2% of commuters, above the 5.3% in the middle of Quebec’s towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: commuting duration in five bands; our average uses each band’s middle (75 minutes for an hour or more), so it runs about two minutes above Statistics Canada’s own.
EI claims in the Memphrémagog census division run 21% above their 2019 level
In the twelve months to August 2026 the number fell by 5%. January 2021 was the busiest month, with 3,050 people on EI, 3.2 times 2019’s average. That is about 3.3 people on EI for every 100 aged 15 to 64 in the division.
Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance beneficiaries by census division (14-10-0323): all income benefits, not seasonally adjusted. Data for EI beneficiaries covers the Memphrémagog census division. EI counts are context, not part of any grade.
People receiving Employment Insurance each month, as a share of the 2019 average (100).
The Walkability grade for Potton: A−
Better than 77% of Canadian towns on two measures together.
OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); active commuting from the 2021 Census.
Potton and its neighbours: work and income
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potton | 82% | 6.9% | $68K | 25.7 min | B− | A− |
| Bolton-Est 15.5 km | 72% | 8.9% | $72K | 31.5 min | D | C |
| Sutton 16 km | 83% | 6.6% | $66K | 24.1 min | B | C+ |
The people of each place: the share in work, unemployment, household income and the average commute, with both grades once they come.
What this data can and can’t tell you
What each figure measures for Potton, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- Where people commute. Only people with a usual place of work are in it: those who work from home or have no fixed site are not. Home and work are both counted by municipality.
- Employment Insurance. People receiving EI benefits each month, counted for the census division. It follows the local job market; it isn’t an unemployment rate.
- The Labour Force Survey. Statistics Canada surveys households every month; the results come out for metro areas and economic regions, never for single towns, and keep the rate current after 2021.
- In work. We divide the number of employed residents by the number aged 15 to 64. Workers past 64 still count on top, because the 2021 Census crosses work with age only for whole municipalities; in return, a retirement town’s pensioners don’t drag the rate down.
- Unemployment. Of everyone 15 or older who was working or job-hunting in the census week, the part still looking. Someone not seeking work isn’t in it at all.
- Household income. What the median household took in during 2020 before tax, as the census recorded it; an estimate built from income groups when the place is a neighbourhood.
- Trip times. Commuters picked a band for their usual trip (under 15 minutes, 15 to 29, and so on). We place each person at the middle of their band, which lands a little above Statistics Canada’s own timed average.
- Which towns we compare. Towns and city neighbourhoods of 2,500 people or more, never a whole city and never a First Nations reserve. Middles are medians.
Questions about work in Potton
What is the unemployment rate in Potton?
The census put unemployment at 6.9% in May 2021, where the middle of Canadian towns was 9.9%. More recently, in October 2026, the Labour Force Survey had the Estrie economic region at 3.7%.
What is the average household income in Potton?
Potton’s middle household had $67,700 in 2020, before tax; Canadian towns have $85,900 at their middle.
How do people in Potton get to work?
90% of commuters go by car, 1.6% take public transit and 9% walk. On census day 29% of everyone in work stayed home to work.
How long is the commute from Potton?
On average 25.7 minutes; 39% take under 15 minutes and 8.2% take an hour or longer.
Where do people in Potton work?
Only 46% work in Potton itself; the rest go first to Lac-Brome (45) and Montréal (35).
How many jobs are there in Potton?
About 335 people had their usual place of work in Potton at the 2021 census, 0.8 for each working resident with a fixed workplace. In June 2026, 89 businesses with employees were on Statistics Canada’s count.
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population (Census Profile) · Statistics Canada, tables 98-10-0458 and 98-10-0459 (commuting) · Statistics Canada, table 14-10-0323 (EI beneficiaries) · Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey (14-10-0459, 14-10-0462) · Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Counts (33-10-1176) · grades: 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).