CharlesbourgQuébec
Of Québec’s 35 neighbourhoods, this is one. The neighbourhood, home to 9,660 people, lies in Québec.
Is Charlesbourg a good place to live?
Charlesbourg’s strongest subject is health (A+). Overall, Charlesbourg earns an A−: better than nearly four fifths of Canadian towns, and #199 of 499 in Quebec. Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (A+). The drawback is cost of living (C). Hazards are a real consideration (C−).
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: this is the whole city's figure, because the city doesn't publish open neighbourhood crime rates. 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 Charlesbourg stand out
The 3 things Charlesbourg does most differently from other towns.
How Charlesbourg grades
Each subject compares Charlesbourg 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 →
Parc Victoria and 9 more in and around Charlesbourg
What there is to see in Charlesbourg and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
GardenParc Victoria4.2 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumÎlot des Palais5 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumCartier-Brébeuf3.1 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionOnhwa' Lumina4.6 km outside town, to the westArt galleryArt galleryLe Lieu, centre en art actuel4.6 km outside town, to the southeastArt galleryArt galleryArtiste Peintre Michel Nigen4.5 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Parc Victoria: Jstremblay, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Îlot des Palais: Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cartier-Brébeuf: Jugag, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Charlesbourg.
Few places match Charlesbourg for health: it beats almost every Canadian town
Arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure affect 14% of the region’s adults on average, lower than both Quebec’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%). Life expectancy in the region is 82.9 years (84.7 for women, 81.1 for men, 2022/2024). Adults here are more upbeat about their health than the province: 62% very good or excellent, against 57% in Quebec. The region has fewer smokers than Quebec, 9.6% of adults to 12%.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Charlesbourg | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 62% | 56% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 9.6% | 12% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.9 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Not measured by town: health survey and life expectancy (the Région de la Capitale-Nationale)
Commuters in Charlesbourg have a short way to work, 20 min on average, less than in Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
81% of commuters drove, below Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%) alike.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Charlesbourg | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 20 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 81% | 90% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Charlesbourg’s hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 8.8% of area homes over the radon guideline
Earthquake risk for the city of Québec
Shaking is a bigger worry than in most places, at $0.14 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). No flood study for Charlesbourg is on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Charlesbourg | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.14 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.8% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Radon tests: one figure for all of the Capitale-Nationale health region
Charlesbourg has just 13% of households spending at least 30% of income on shelter, where the typical Canadian town has 18%
62% of households own their home, below Quebec’s towns (70%) and Canadian towns (74%) alike. Rent took a fifth of household income, higher than Quebec’s towns (18%) and near Canadian towns (20%). Charlesbourg doesn’t get its own rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom figures; the ones here come from the Québec metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Charlesbourg | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 62% | 70% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 13% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 20% | 18% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.
Charlesbourg is wetter than 87% of Canadian towns: 1,173 mm of rain and snow a year
The warmest afternoons come in July, at around 25.1°C in Charlesbourg. Snowfall adds up to 299 cm a year, above Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. For the wettest month, look to July: 119 mm on average. Most of the snow comes in December, about 77 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Charlesbourg | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 299 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,173 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 25.1°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −15.6°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Ste-Foy (U. Laval))
Older residents shape Charlesbourg: 30% are 65 or over, above Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
Under 15: 15% of residents. Both official languages: 39% of residents, below Quebec’s towns (44%) but above Canadian towns (7.5%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 52.1% of Charlesbourg
By the 2021 count the town had 5,030 women and 4,625 men, while Canada has 50.9% women.
| Charlesbourg | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 30% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 11% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 68% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Charlesbourg, November normally means 4°C afternoons and −3°C nights
Into December, the normals move to −3°C and −10°C. Snow is normal by November, about 24 cm over the month. In November, the normal is 91 mm of rain and snow. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Vanier forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −5°C | −13°C | 249 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −1°C | 264 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 13°C | 342 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 3°C | 318 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Ste-Foy (U. Laval)); the forecast is on the Weather page
More visits per person served than nine in ten Quebec’s town libraries: Bibliothèque de Québec counts 8.5
Charlesbourg is served by Bibliothèque de Québec, the library of all of Québec, so the figures here are the city’s, for 594,443 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The nearest provincial park to Charlesbourg is Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec), 27 km away
The protected share within 10 km is 3.9%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. The largest is Île d'Orléans (ouest du pont) Water Fowl Gathering Area: 325 ha, 7.6 km from the edge of town. CPCAD lists 17 protected areas within 10 km. There is no national park within 100 km of the town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Charlesbourg | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 3.9% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 10 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Charlesbourg earns a B− for safety
Its police area recorded 15.1 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Quebec’s towns (12.4) and Canadian towns (12). Property crime in the area its police cover: 22.1 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Charlesbourg | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 22.1 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 15.1 | 12.4 | 12 |
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: the Québec service area
Charlesbourg and its edges hold 40 schools: 28 elementary schools, 9 secondary schools and 3 schools for every grade
No English-language school is among them; in Quebec, one in ten schools are. Boards running schools in the area: 2, close to Quebec’s towns (2) and below Canadian towns (3).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École de l'Escale et du Plateau (Escale, de l')In CharlesbourgElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Fierbourg, centre de formation professionnelleIn CharlesbourgSecondary | Secondary | – | French public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Charlesbourg | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 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.
Heritage in Charlesbourg: 7 historic places, 3 of the highest rank
Go back to 1827 and you reach Église de Saint-Charles-Borromée, the oldest of them. On the list: 4 municipal citations.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
| Heritage | Charlesbourg | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 22% | 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 Charlesbourg
Charlesbourg’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlesbourg | 9,660 | — | A− | C | B− | A+ |
| Jésuites | 15,792 | 1.5 | B+ | C− | B− | A+ |
| Saint-Rodrigue | 12,018 | 1.9 | B− | D | B− | A+ |
| Orsainville | 14,751 | 2.6 | B+ | C | B− | A+ |
| Bourg-Royal | 14,430 | 3 | A− | C+ | B− | A+ |
| Neufchatel Est—Lebourgneuf | 37,164 | 3.3 | A | C+ | B− | A+ |
| Lairet | 15,251 | 3.4 | B− | D | B− | A+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Charlesbourg
Do people in Charlesbourg speak French?
French is the common language here.
About Charlesbourg
Neighbourhood in Québec
Charlesbourg is a neighbourhood of Québec, built by TownRatings from Statistics Canada’s smallest census areas and named from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 9,660 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- City
- Québec
- Census subdivision
- 2423027
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).