Saint-ElzéarQuebec

The population grew 9% between 2016 and 2021. Some 2,842 people live in this town, in Quebec.

6 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: Société du patrimoine des Beaucerons - Fonds PR86 - Collection Chantale Gilbert pl. 1, no 1 · Public domain

Population

2,842

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

36.4

years · Quebec’s towns: 44.8

Postsecondary

58%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

TownGrade

A⁺

#4 of 2,556

Is Saint-Elzéar a good place to live?

Work and incomes are strong (A+). Saint-Elzéar’s overall A+ puts it #4 of 499 in Quebec. That leaves it better than almost every Canadian town. Cost of living is another plus (A). The trade-off is hazard risk (C−).

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.

StrongestA⁺Jobs & income ACost of living ASafetyWeakestC⁻Hazard risk

What makes Saint-Elzéar stand out

The 3 things Saint-Elzéar does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Unemployment rate, Census 2021

Work

4% unemployment

Of the labour force, against 10% for the median of Canadian towns

77% of residents 15 and over were in work, May 2021.

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

2.5 times household income

Against 4.7 for the median of Canadian towns

Median owner’s estimate $220,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

Jobs & income

Better than 98%

of Canadian towns on jobs & income

Its jobs & income grade: A+.

How Saint-Elzéar grades

Each subject compares Saint-Elzéar 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 grading works

Jobs & incomeAmong the best of the towns comparedA⁺Open →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnAOpen →SafetyVery little crime by comparisonAOpen →HealthNear the top of the towns comparedA⁻Open →Hazard riskGraded on two hazards, earthquakes and radon, with nearby wildfire counted only against itC⁻Open →WalkabilityAbout average among the towns comparedC⁺Open →

SchoolsThe schools grade is left out in Quebec, as the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-Elzéar.

Work & commuteJobs & income A⁺

Trips to work from Saint-Elzéar are shorter than from Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 21 min on average

The car took 95% of commuters, above both Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%).

4%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van95%

Walk4%

Census 2021	Saint-Elzéar	Quebec	Canada
Average trip	21 min	27 min	26 min
Car or van	95%	90%	89%

$90,000

median household income, 2020

15%

worked from home, May 2021

23%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment3.8% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work4% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to450 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Sainte-Marie

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.

HousingCost of living A

Renting in Saint-Elzéar costs 14% of household income, less than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

Owners make up four in five households, above both Quebec’s towns (70%) and Canadian towns (74%). 8% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below both Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%).

$220,000median home value, 2021ACost of living Grade

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Saint-Elzéar$220,000

Quebec$300,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Saint-Elzéar	Quebec	Canada
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	8%	13%	18%
Rent as a share of income	14%	18%	20%
Households owning their home	80%	70%	74%

$720

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$1,040

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$720 a month · The median rent at the 2021 census Cost of living2.5 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $220,000, against the median household income Owners and renters80% own their home

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.

SafetySafety A

The police who cover Saint-Elzéar record less serious crime than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 38

Where it is policed, thefts, break-ins and damage came to 8.8 per 1,000 a year, below Quebec’s towns (16.6) and Canadian towns (31.2) alike. The force’s area logs 8.2 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Figures for Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 are published for Nouvelle-Beauce MRC as a whole, not for Saint-Elzéar alone.

38Crime Severity Index

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202334

202448

202531

2023–2025	Saint-Elzéar	Quebec	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	8.8	16.6	31.2
Crime Severity Index	38	56	67
Violent crime	8.2	12.4	12
Violent Crime Severity Index	69	88	86

non-violent Crime Severity Index

51%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety38 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Saint-Elzéar’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Saint-Elzéar safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average

HealthHealth A⁻

Around Saint-Elzéar, 59% rate their health very good or excellent, against 52% for the typical Canadian town

Smokers make up 13% of the region’s adults, above both Quebec’s towns (12%) and Canadian towns (12%). Life expectancy in the region is 82.8 years (84.4 for women, 81.3 for men, 2022/2024). For Saint-Elzéar itself the measure is access, and it lags: 6.9 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Région de la Chaudière-Appalaches, Saint-Elzéar included.

59%very good or excellent healthA⁻Health Grade

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Saint-Elzéar59%

Quebec’s towns56%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Saint-Elzéar	Quebec	Canada
Very good or excellent health	59%	56%	52%
Chronic conditions (average share)	15%	15%	17%
Smokers	13%	12%	12%
Life expectancy at birth	82.8	82.5	81.5

82.8

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

6.9 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

13%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

5.2 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey59% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care6.9 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 5.2 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 84.4, men 81.3 Conditions and habits15% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities

Natural hazardsHazard risk C⁻

Wildfire low, radon 13%: how Saint-Elzéar stands on hazards

Source area for radon tests: the Chaudiere-Appalaches health region

Shaking is about as much of a worry in Saint-Elzéar as in most places, at $0.051 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Flood mapping: none on the national inventory of the town.

Lowwildfire bandC⁻Hazard risk Grade

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Saint-Elzéar13%

Quebec’s towns8.2%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Saint-Elzéar	Quebec	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	13%	8.2%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.051	$0.14	$0.030

$0.051

expected earthquake loss a year per $1,000 of buildings

Low

wildfire band

19 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

Radon13% of tests above the guideline WildfireLow wildfire band · No land burned within 25 km since 1986 FloodNo flood study on record Earthquakes$0.051 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

Climate

More rain and snow fall on Saint-Elzéar than on 89% of Canadian towns: 1,182 mm a year

The most precipitation falls in July: 126 mm in a normal year. Snow totals 287 cm over the year, above Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. December is the snowiest month, with 75 cm on average. Summer highs in Saint-Elzéar reach 25.1°C in July.

25.1°CJuly afternoons

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−4.7°C

Spring9.3°C

Summer24.0°C

Autumn11.9°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Saint-Elzéar	Quebec	Canada
Snowfall a year	287 cm	217 cm	141 cm
Precipitation a year	1,182 mm	1,041 mm	883 mm
July afternoon high	25.1°C	26.5°C	25.5°C
Days with frost a year	181	161	159

287 cm

of snow a year

181

days with frost a year

130

frost-free days, 18 May to 27 Sep

158

days with precipitation a year

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

Rain and snow1,182 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm The yearJuly highs 25.1°C, January lows −16.5°C Snow287 cm of snow a year Weather station11 km to the station · Scott

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Scott)

Who lives here

Children make up 23% of Saint-Elzéar, above Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

People 65 and over make up 14% of the town, below Quebec’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (19%) alike. 28% speak both English and French, lower than Quebec’s towns (44%) yet higher than Canadian towns (7.5%).

36.4median age

Saint-ElzéarQuebecCanada

QuebecCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

23%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree20%

Postsecondary qualification58%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 49.0% of Saint-Elzéar

1,340 men and 1,285 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.

Who lives in Saint-Elzéar
	Saint-Elzéar	Quebec	Canada
Under 15	23%	17%	16%
15 to 64	64%	62%	64%
65+	14%	20%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	20%	19%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	58%	59%	56%

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages36.4 median age · 14% are 65 or over Households1,000 households · 2.6 people per household Immigrants1% belong to a visible minority English and French28% speak both · 72% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

Outdoors

Saint-Elzéar has no protected land within 10 km

Within 100 km there is no national park. For a provincial park, Frontenac National Park (Québec) lies 40 km off.

0%of the land within 10 km protected

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Saint-Elzéar0%

Quebec’s towns4.9%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Saint-Elzéar	Quebec	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	0%	4.9%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	0	10	4

40 km

to Frontenac National Park (Québec)

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas0 protected areas within 10 km National & provincial parks40 km to a provincial park · Frontenac National Park (Québec)

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

Weather

A normal November in Saint-Elzéar runs from −3°C to 4°C

Into December, the normals move to −3°C and −11°C. Snow is normal by November, about 19 cm over the month. A normal November brings 81 mm of rain and snow. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Beauceville forecast, on the Weather page.

4°Ca normal November afternoon

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November4°C

December−3°C

January−7°C

February−5°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−5°C	−14°C	266 mm
Spring	9°C	−2°C	269 mm
Summer	24°C	13°C	358 mm
Autumn	12°C	2°C	289 mm

−3°C

a normal November night

81 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest July, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Scott); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

The council of Saint-Elzéar is led by its mayor, Hugo Berthiaume

For the National Assembly of Québec, Saint-Elzéar votes in Beauce-Nord; open data doesn’t yet say who its MNA (Member of the National Assembly, Québec’s legislature) is.

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Member of ParliamentJason Groleau council seats7

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade D

No public library stands in Saint-Elzéar: the closest, Bibliothèque Honorius-Provost, is 5.2 km away

After it comes Bibliothèque La Volutheque (Saint-Frédéric), 8.5 km away.

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

Places to belong1.1 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Schools

Saint-Elzéar’s teenagers travel 6.5 km to the nearest high school

3schools within 3 km

School	Level	Students	System
École Notre-Dame de Saint-ElzéarIn Saint-ElzéarElementary	Elementary	–	French public

See all 3 schools →

Schools within 3 km	Saint-Elzéar	Quebec	Canada
Nearest secondary school	6.5 km	1.2 km	1.2 km

6.5 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Every school3 elementary schools Language0 of 3 teach in English · 10% of schools in Quebec Questions“What schools are there in Saint-Elzéar?”

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.

History

One place in Saint-Elzéar, at the top of the registers

Homes from before 1961 make up 16% of the stock, below both Quebec’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%).

1historic place

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations1

Other federal designations0

Provincial and local listings0

Among them

Église de Saint-Elzéar, Saint-Elzéar 1852

1852

oldest construction date on the record

16%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Saint-Elzéar	Quebec	Canada
Homes built before 1961	16%	21%	18%

Full pageSaint-Elzéar’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registersOne historic place inside the town Highest designations1 top designation · Église de Saint-Elzéar, Saint-Elzéar Older homes16% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Saint-Elzéar have?”

Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period

Nearby attractions

Maison J.-A.-Vachon and 5 more in and around Saint-Elzéar

A first look at Saint-Elzéar’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.

All attractions →

National historic siteMaison J.-A.-Vachon3 km outside town, to the north MuseumMuseumMusée ferroviaire de Beauce4.7 km outside town, to the east Heritage railwayHeritage railwayLocomotive CN 464.7 km outside town, to the east Ski hillSki hillClub ski Beauce4 km outside town, to the east MuseumMuseumLe Forgeron D'Or - Jewellery Making Économusée3.2 km outside town, to the north MuseumMuseumMusée De L'Aviation (Site De La Maison Dupuis)2.7 km outside town, to the northeast

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (1)

Maison J.-A.-Vachon: Cantons-de-l'Est, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Saint-Elzéar

15pages on Saint-Elzéar

The big questions

SafetyACrime Severity Index 38 Housing & costAHomes 2.5 × income Property pricesSchools3 schools within 3 km HealthA⁻Life expectancy 82.8 in its region Work & commuteA⁺77% of adults in work Natural hazardsC⁻Wildfire band: low

Out and about

OutdoorsAttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 25°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 36.4 HistoryOne place on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Famous people from Saint-Elzéar

3 notable people were born in Saint-Elzéar.

See all 3 →

Alexandre CarrierCanadian ice hockey player · born 1991

Gaëtan GagnéChairman of the Board of Directors of L'Entraide Assurance · born 1950

Philippe SylvainCanadian writer · 1915–1993

Saint-Elzéar’s neighbours

The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada

Sainte-MarieScottVallée-JonctionSaint-Patrice-de-BeaurivageSaint-BernardSaint-FrédéricSaint-Elzéar

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Saint-Elzéar	2,842	—	A⁺	A	A	A⁻
Sainte-Marie	13,873	6	A⁺	B⁺	A	A
Scott	2,938	11	A⁺	B⁺	A	A⁻
Vallée-Jonction	2,042	11	—	A	A	A⁻
Saint-Patrice-de-Beaurivage	1,091	12	—	A⁻	A⁻	B⁺
Saint-Bernard	2,680	12	A⁺	A⁻	A	A⁻
Saint-Frédéric	1,172	13	—	A⁺	A⁻	B⁺

People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.

Questions about Saint-Elzéar

Has Saint-Elzéar grown?

Yes: the census counted 2,400 in 2016 and 2,623 in 2021, a rise of 9.3%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 2,842.

Do people in Saint-Elzéar speak French?

French is the common language here. 28% of residents also speak English (the median of Canadian towns: 8%), and 71.6% speak French but not English.

Who are the people of Saint-Elzéar?

1% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 0% have an Indigenous identity and 1% are immigrants.

What kind of homes are in Saint-Elzéar?

75% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.6 people; 23% are one person living alone.

About Saint-Elzéar

Town in Quebec

The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Saint-Elzéar 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: 2,842 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Quebec
Census division: La Nouvelle-Beauce
Census subdivision: 2426022

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).