Rivière-RougeQuebec
It is a town of 4,882 residents in Quebec. Between 2016 and 2021, its population grew by 7%.
Is Rivière-Rouge a good place to live?
The picture is mixed. Rivière-Rouge’s overall grade is C, better than 33% of Canadian towns. Its place in the ranking is #404 of 499 in Quebec. Jobs & income is its weak spot (D). It also trails on cost of living (C+). Also worth knowing: residents are healthier than most (A+).
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. 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 Rivière-Rouge stand out
The 3 things Rivière-Rouge does most differently from other towns.
How Rivière-Rouge grades
Each subject compares Rivière-Rouge 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 →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rivière-Rouge.
Rivière-Rouge earns an A+ for health
On average 13% of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, below Quebec’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike. Across the region, 60% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Quebec as a whole manages 57%. What sets Rivière-Rouge apart within its region is distance, and at 4.3 km to a hospital it is ordinary (3.7 km typical). People in the region live to 82.2 on average: 83.7 for women and 80.8 for men in 2022/2024.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Rivière-Rouge | 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 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Area behind the health survey and life expectancy figures: the Région des Laurentides
Rivière-Rouge earns a D for jobs & income
Workers spend 25 min getting to work, on average. 92% of commuters drove, near Quebec’s towns (90%) and higher than Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Rivière-Rouge | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 25 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 92% | 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.
Few places match Rivière-Rouge for protected land nearby: more than 9 in 10 Canadian towns
For a swim, Plage du secteur Kilby is the nearest of 18 beaches within 5 km. Within 100 km there is no national park. The 10 km around town hold 36 protected areas.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Rivière-Rouge | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 17% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 35 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Wildfire low, radon 10%: how Rivière-Rouge stands on hazards
Shaking is a bigger worry than in most places, at $0.076 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). The national flood inventory has no study for Rivière-Rouge. Figures for radon tests are published for the Laurentides health region as a whole, not for Rivière-Rouge alone.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Rivière-Rouge | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 10% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.076 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
More of Rivière-Rouge’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 10%
1.2% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%). Both official languages: 28% of residents, lower than Quebec’s towns (44%) yet higher than 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 49.8% of Rivière-Rouge
The 2021 census counted 2,305 women and 2,325 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Rivière-Rouge | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 55% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 34% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 26% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 50% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
The median home in Rivière-Rouge costs just 3.7 years of household income, against 4.7 in the typical Canadian town
14% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, between Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers 69% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Rivière-Rouge | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $200,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 14% | 13% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 69% | 70% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 19% | 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.
Winter nights bite in Rivière-Rouge: January lows of −18.3°C, colder than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns
Frost comes on 196 days a year, above Quebec’s towns (161) and Canadian towns (159) alike. Between the last spring frost, 28 May, and the first in autumn, 15 September, lie 110 days. A July afternoon in Rivière-Rouge typically reaches 25.3°C. A normal January brings 56 cm of snow, the most of any month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Rivière-Rouge | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 196 | 161 | 159 |
| January night low | −18.3°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 218 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 25.3°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (St-Jovite)
Violent crime weighs more where Rivière-Rouge is policed than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 131
Shared with the rest of Antoine-Labelle MRC: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000
Violent incidents in its police area came to 20.5 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Quebec’s towns (12.4) and Canadian towns (12). Across its police area, there are 16.7 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Rivière-Rouge | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 20.5 | 12.4 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 131 | 88 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 16.7 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 73 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
A normal November in Rivière-Rouge runs from −5°C to 5°C
By December, a normal day reaches −3°C and a night falls to −13°C. In November, the normal is 72 mm of rain and snow. Snow is normal by November, about 17 cm over the month. Normal highs peak at 25°C in July; nights bottom out at −18°C in January.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −4°C | −16°C | 208 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −4°C | 216 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 10°C | 261 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 0°C | 255 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (St-Jovite); the forecast is on the Weather page
Per resident, Rivière-Rouge spends more than 87% of Québec’s local municipalities
The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Rivière-Rouge is Laurentides—Labelle, and Marie-Hélène Gaudreau (Bloc Québécois) represents it in the House of Commons.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Rivière-Rouge has 3 public library branches
By name: Bibliothèque Cécile-Chabot, Bibliothèque De Sainte-Veronique (Rivière-Rouge) and Bibliothèque municipale Sainte-Véronique.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
4 schools in and around Rivière-Rouge: 2 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 school for every grade
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École des Trois Sentiers (Aventure, de l')In Rivière-RougeElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| École du MéandreIn Rivière-RougeAll grades | All grades | – | French public |
| Schools within 3 km | Rivière-Rouge | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest elementary school | 4 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
| Nearest secondary school | 4 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Towns in Quebec aren’t in the schools rankings: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
Canada’s registers list 1 historic place in Rivière-Rouge
Before 1961 is when 20% of the homes went up, about level with Quebec’s towns (21%) and above Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Rivière-Rouge | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 20% | 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 Rivière-Rouge
Famous people from Rivière-Rouge
4 notable people were born in Rivière-Rouge.
Photo credits
Jacqueline Gareau: Gianina Lindsey, CC BY 2.0 · Guillaume Gfeller: David W. Carmichael, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rivière-Rouge’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivière-Rouge | 4,882 | — | C | C+ | C+ | A+ |
| Nominingue | 2,290 | 11 | — | C+ | C+ | A |
| La Macaza | 1,138 | 12 | — | C+ | C+ | A |
| La Minerve | 1,492 | 18 | — | C− | B+ | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Rivière-Rouge
Do people in Rivière-Rouge speak French?
Almost everyone does. 28% are bilingual, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%, and 71.7% speak French and no English.
How old are the people of Rivière-Rouge?
58 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 34% of residents are 65 or over and 11% under 15.
What kind of homes are in Rivière-Rouge?
Mostly 73% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 1.9 people on average, and 42% have just one.
Has Rivière-Rouge grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 4,322 to 4,631 residents (up 7.1%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 4,882.
About Rivière-Rouge
Town in Quebec
Every figure TownRatings gives for Rivière-Rouge covers the municipality as Statistics Canada maps it, one census subdivision in Quebec.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 4,882 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Antoine-Labelle
- Census subdivision
- 2479037
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).