Saint-DonatQuebec
A town of 5,087 in Quebec. Statistics Canada places it in the Matawinie census division.
Is Saint-Donat a good place to live?
Strong in places, weak in others. The local economy is weaker than most (D). It lags on cost of living as well (C). Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (A−). Overall, that makes a C+, good for #399 of 499 in Quebec. Nationally, it does better than 35% of Canadian towns. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for safety and B for health.
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.
What makes Saint-Donat stand out
The 3 things Saint-Donat does most differently from other towns.
How Saint-Donat grades
Each subject compares Saint-Donat 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 Saint-Donat.
Working-age people in Saint-Donat have jobs less often than in 79% of Canadian towns
The car took nine in ten commuters, close to both Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%). Commutes averaged 26 min, close to both Quebec’s towns (27 min) and Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Saint-Donat | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 90% | 90% | 89% |
| Average trip | 26 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.
Saint-Donat’s owners put the middle home’s value at $320,000
16% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, higher than Quebec’s towns (13%) yet lower than Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers three quarters of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Saint-Donat | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 16% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 18% | 18% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 75% | 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.
A quiet place for hazards: low wildfire, little earthquake risk, and 3.9% of tested homes over the radon guideline in Saint-Donat’s area
Measured across the Lanaudiere health region: radon tests
NRCan’s model puts the yearly earthquake loss at $0.053 per $1,000 of building value, below Quebec’s towns ($0.14) and close to Canadian towns ($0.030). The national flood inventory has no study for Saint-Donat.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Saint-Donat | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 3.9% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.053 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
More people in Saint-Donat speak English and French than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 47%
0.7% of residents belong to a visible minority, below Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 3.9% of residents, above both Quebec’s towns (1.5%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
47.7% of Saint-Donat’s residents are women
2,385 men and 2,175 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Saint-Donat | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 7.9% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 55% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 37% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 56% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Frost comes to Saint-Donat more often than to 89% of Canadian towns
In January the thermometer sinks to −18.3°C overnight, lower than both Quebec’s towns (−14.7°C) and Canadian towns (−13.5°C). Gardeners get 110 frost-free days, from 28 May to 15 September. Saint-Donat sees July afternoons of 25.3°C on average. Most of the snow comes in January, about 56 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Saint-Donat | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 196 | 161 | 159 |
| January night low | −18.3°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,178 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| Snowfall a year | 218 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (St-Jovite)
Saint-Donat is ringed by protected land: 41% within 10 km
Within 10 km, the count of public protected areas is 19, above both Quebec’s towns (10) and Canadian towns (4). The nearest national park is La Mauricie National Park, 81 km away. One mapped walking route passes within 2 km: the Sentier National.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Saint-Donat | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 41% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 19 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Saint-Donat sits a long way from hospital care: 29 km for the average resident
The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 15% of adults, close to Quebec’s towns (15%) and below Canadian towns (17%). In the health survey, 56% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, close to Quebec’s 57%. People in the region live to 82.0 on average: 83.7 for women and 80.3 for men in 2022/2024. Nobody publishes health survey and life expectancy for Saint-Donat alone, so this card uses the figure for the Région de Lanaudière.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Saint-Donat | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 56% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.0 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Saint-Donat’s grade for safety: a B
Its police area records 14.7 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year. For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 10.8 violent incidents are reported each year. The index for the force that serves it came to 58, close to Quebec’s towns (56) and below Canadian towns (67).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Saint-Donat | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 14.7 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 10.8 | 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: one figure for all of Matawinie MRC
Around Saint-Donat, 2 elementary schools and 1 school for every grade: 3 schools in all
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Sacré-Coeur (Pavillon Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes)In Saint-DonatElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| École Sacré-Coeur (Pavillon Sacré-Coeur)In Saint-DonatAll grades | All grades | – | French public |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Source note: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school, so there’s no schools grade in Quebec.
What November brings in Saint-Donat: −5°C at night, 5°C by day
The month after, December, normally sees −3°C afternoons and −13°C nights. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 93 mm. Snowfall in a normal November: 17 cm. Also worth knowing: july brings the warmest days, 25°C; January the coldest nights, −18°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −4°C | −16°C | 262 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −4°C | 262 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 10°C | 327 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 0°C | 327 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (St-Jovite); the forecast is on the Weather page
Saint-Donat spends more per resident than 98% of Québec’s local municipalities
Saint-Donat has 6 councillors and a mayor, Joé Deslauriers.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Saint-Donat’s public library is Bibliothèque De Saint-Donat
From the centre of Saint-Donat, it is 0.5 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Ski Garceau and 6 more in and around Saint-Donat
The best-known places to visit in and around Saint-Donat come first; the full list is on the Attractions page.
Everything we know about Saint-Donat
Saint-Donat’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Donat | 5,087 | — | C+ | C | B | B |
| Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci | 1,154 | 10 | — | B | B | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Saint-Donat
Do people in Saint-Donat speak French?
Yes: this is Quebec. 52.4% of residents speak only French and 47% speak both French and English (Canadian towns’ median: 8%).
Has Saint-Donat grown?
Yes: the census counted 3,888 in 2016 and 4,561 in 2021, a rise of 17.3%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 5,087.
Who are the people of Saint-Donat?
Visible minorities are 1% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 3%, and Indigenous people 4%.
How old are the people of Saint-Donat?
At 60.4, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 8% of the population and seniors 37%.
About Saint-Donat
Town in Quebec
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Saint-Donat is one census subdivision in Quebec, and TownRatings describes all of it.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 5,087 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Matawinie
- Census subdivision
- 2462060
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).