PlateauQuébec
The neighbourhood has 14,176 residents and lies in Québec. Québec is split into 35 neighbourhoods, and this is one.
Is Plateau a good place to live?
The everyday basics are strong; the price of a home is the catch. With a B+ overall, Plateau sits #274 of 499 in Quebec. Nationally, it does better than nearly two thirds of Canadian towns. People here tend to be in good health (A+). Add walkability to its strengths (A+). What counts against it is cost of living (D). Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B− for safety and B for jobs & income.
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 Plateau stand out
The 3 things Plateau does most differently from other towns.
How Plateau grades
Each subject compares Plateau 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 →
Aquarium du Québec and 15 more in and around Plateau
Sights in Plateau and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
Aquarium · SépaqAquarium du Québec1.5 km outside town, to the southeast
GardenRoger-Van den Hende botanical garden1.4 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseJesuit House of Sillery3.2 km outside town, to the east
MuseumMusée de géologie René-Bureau2.3 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumParc de la Visitation200 m outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseVilla Cataraqui3.7 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Aquarium du Québec: Josyan Pierson, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Roger-Van den Hende botanical garden: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jesuit House of Sillery: GBoivinT, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Musée de géologie René-Bureau: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Parc de la Visitation: Harfang, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Villa Cataraqui: Gilbert Bochenek, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Plateau.
Few places match Plateau for health: it beats almost every Canadian town
A baby born in the region can expect 82.9 years, 84.7 for a girl and 81.1 for a boy (2022/2024). By their own account, 62% of adults here are in very good or excellent health, above both Quebec’s towns (56%) and Canadian towns (52%). At 9.6%, the share of adults who smoke sits under the 12% for Quebec. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Plateau is well placed: 1.7 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Plateau | 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)
Measured against local pay, Plateau costs more to live in than 87% of Canadian towns
Shared with the rest of the Québec metro area: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom
Rent took 23% of household income, higher than both Quebec’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (20%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 17% of households, above Quebec’s towns (13%) and close to Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Plateau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 23% | 18% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 17% | 13% | 18% |
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.
A flood study covers Plateau: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Ville de Québec
Radon tests for the Capitale-Nationale health region
Radon is about average around Plateau: 8.8% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Seismic risk runs high: $0.14 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. Behind earthquake risk sits data gathered across the city of Québec, with Plateau one part of it.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Plateau | 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
Plateau is wetter than 87% of Canadian towns: 1,173 mm of rain and snow a year
A normal December brings 89 cm of snow, the most of any month. For the wettest month, look to July: 119 mm on average. Snowfall adds up to 331 cm a year, above Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. Midsummer afternoons in Plateau peak at about 25.1°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Plateau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 331 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))
Fewer commuters in Plateau drive than in Quebec’s towns or across Canadian towns: 73%
A trip to work takes 21 min on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Plateau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 73% | 90% | 89% |
| Average trip | 21 min | 27 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
More people in Plateau speak English and French than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 51%
17% of residents are 65 or over. Visible minorities make up a quarter of the population, above Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. The under-15s are 16% of the population here.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
50.0% of Plateau’s residents are women
Of the 2021 count, 7,090 were women and 7,080 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).
| Plateau | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 67% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 17% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 7.7% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 76% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
What November brings in Plateau: −3°C at night, 4°C by day
Precipitation in November averages 91 mm. December follows at −3°C by day and −10°C by night. ECCC’s forecast for Lévis is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
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
Québec public library draws 8.5 visits per person served, ahead of 90% of Quebec’s town libraries
Québec public library serves the whole of Québec, so the library figures on this page are the city’s: 594,443 people, Plateau among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
From Plateau, Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec) is the nearest provincial park (34 km)
Within 5 km are 4 beaches; Plage Gagnon is the nearest. 8.5 km out lies the largest, Pointe Saint-Nicolas Water Fowl Gathering Area, at 346 ha. Count 18 protected areas within 10 km of town. There is no national park within 100 km of the town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Plateau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 4.1% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 10 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Plateau 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). For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 22.1 property crimes are reported each year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Plateau | 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 · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: the Québec service area
3 school boards share Plateau
Schooling in English is on offer at 2 of 37; in Quebec, 10% of schools teach in it. Within 3 km of Plateau are 24 elementary schools, 11 secondary schools and 2 schools for every grade.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Saint-MathieuIn PlateauElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| École secondaire De Rochebelle (Complexe sportif de l'école De Rochebelle)Nearest secondary school, 0.2 kmSecondary | Secondary | – | French public |
| École primaire Sainte-Foy EnglishTeaches in EnglishElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Plateau | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · In Quebec, no schools grade. The ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
Everything we know about Plateau
Famous people from Plateau
28 notable people were born in Plateau.
Photo credits
Simon Gagné: Sandy Brittingham, CC BY 2.0 · Théophile Hamel: Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, photographie: Jean-Guy Kérouac, CC BY-SA 4.0 · François Létourneau: P-a-gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andrée Boucher: Bouchecl, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dominic Picard: Winnipeg Blue Bombers, CC BY 2.0
Plateau’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plateau | 14,176 | — | B+ | D | B− | A+ |
| Pointe-de-Sainte-Foy | 14,541 | 1.6 | B+ | D | B− | A+ |
| Saint-Louis | 15,792 | 2.2 | A− | C− | B− | A+ |
| Cité-Universitaire | 22,546 | 2.6 | C+ | D− | B− | A+ |
| Cap-Rouge | 17,139 | 3.6 | A+ | A | B− | A+ |
| L'Aéroport | 13,630 | 4.1 | A | B | B− | A+ |
| L'Ancienne-Lorette | 17,876 | 4.4 | A | C+ | B− | A+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Plateau
Do people in Plateau speak French?
It is a French-speaking town: 47.5% know French alone, and 51% can talk in English too, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns.
How old are the people of Plateau?
Its median age is 35.5, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 16% of residents; over-65s, 17%.
About Plateau
Neighbourhood in Québec
Where Plateau begins and ends inside Québec is TownRatings’s line, traced along census dissemination areas and named after the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 14,176 (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).