Saint-François-du-LacQuebec
Population 1,927: a town in Quebec. Statistics Canada places it in the Nicolet-Yamaska census division.
Is Saint-François-du-Lac a good place to live?
Health outcomes beat most towns (B+). The weak point is jobs & income (C−). Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B for cost of living, B for safety and C+ for walkability.
With fewer than 2,500 residents, Saint-François-du-Lac gets subject grades but no overall one among Canadian towns.
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 Saint-François-du-Lac stand out
The 3 things Saint-François-du-Lac does most differently from other towns.
How Saint-François-du-Lac grades
Each subject compares Saint-François-du-Lac with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
With fewer than 2,500 residents, Saint-François-du-Lac gets subject grades but no overall one among Canadian towns.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-François-du-Lac.
Households in Saint-François-du-Lac have lower incomes than those in 92% of Canadian towns
Commutes averaged 29 min, above both Quebec’s towns (27 min) and Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Saint-François-du-Lac | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 29 min | 27 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Saint-François-du-Lac is on Canada’s flood inventory: 2 listed, led by Gouvernement du Québec
Earthquakes add more: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.12 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Saint-François-du-Lac | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 0% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.12 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Area behind the radon tests figures: the Mauricie et Centre-du-Quebec health region
Around Saint-François-du-Lac, 61% rate their health very good or excellent, against 52% for the typical Canadian town
The health survey and life expectancy numbers here cover the Région de la Mauricie et du Centre-du-Québec
Statistics Canada puts the region’s life expectancy at 81.6, women 83.3 and men 79.9 (2022/2024). Arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure affect 14% of the region’s adults on average, about level with Quebec’s towns (15%) and below Canadian towns (17%). For Saint-François-du-Lac itself the measure is access, and it lags: 20 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Saint-François-du-Lac | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 61% | 56% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.6 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Fewer households are stretched by shelter costs in Saint-François-du-Lac: 7% spend 30%+ of income, against 18% in the typical Canadian town
Rent took 17% of household income, close to Quebec’s towns (18%) and below Canadian towns (20%). The owner-occupied share of households is 75%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Saint-François-du-Lac | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 7% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 18% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 75% | 70% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Few places match Saint-François-du-Lac for protected land nearby: more than 9 in 10 Canadian towns
Within 5 km are 4 beaches; Battures Saint-François is the nearest. Biggest among them: Îles de la Girodeau - Grande Île Water Fowl Gathering Area, 4,676 ha, 0.5 km off. 78 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. A drive of 59 km reaches La Mauricie National Park, the nearest national park.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Saint-François-du-Lac | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 13% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 22 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
21% of Saint-François-du-Lac’s residents speak English and French (Quebec’s towns: 44%; Canadian towns: 7.5%)
Immigrants make up 0.5% of residents, below both Quebec’s towns (2.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). 1.1% of residents have an Indigenous identity, lower than 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
Women make up 48.8% of Saint-François-du-Lac
In 2021 there were 925 women to 970 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| Saint-François-du-Lac | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 58% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 28% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 31% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 46% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
For safety, Saint-François-du-Lac gets a B
Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over Nicolet-Yamaska MRC
Property crime in its police area ran at 13.8 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Quebec’s towns (16.6) and Canadian towns (31.2). The index for the force that serves it came to 57, close to Quebec’s towns (56) and below Canadian towns (67).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Saint-François-du-Lac | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 13.8 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 57 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Midwinter lows in Saint-François-du-Lac sink below those of 77% of Canadian towns
The most precipitation falls in July: 103 mm in a normal year. Some 213 cm of snow falls in a typical year, about level with Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and above Canadian towns (141 cm). Snow peaks in December: 56 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Saint-François-du-Lac | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 213 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −16.4°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 25.7°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 948 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Nicolet)
Saint-François-du-Lac in November: highs near 5°C, lows near −3°C
ECCC’s forecast for Saint-Nicéphore is on the Weather page, hour by hour. December follows at −3°C by day and −10°C by night. In November, the normal is 75 mm of rain and snow. Snowfall in a normal November: 19 cm.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −5°C | −14°C | 195 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −1°C | 209 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 14°C | 284 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 3°C | 260 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Nicolet); the forecast is on the Weather page
Pascal Théroux leads Saint-François-du-Lac as mayor
The Liberal Party of Canada has 44 of the 78 MPs elected in Quebec.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Saint-François-du-Lac’s public library is Bibliothèque De Saint-Pie-De-Guire
From the centre of Saint-François-du-Lac, it is 8.8 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Saint-François-du-Lac’s teenagers travel 22 km to the nearest high school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Maurault-Vincent Lemire (Vincent-Lemire)In Saint-François-du-LacElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Schools within 3 km | Saint-François-du-Lac | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 22 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
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.
Before 1961: 38% of the homes in Saint-François-du-Lac
Counted by designation, there are 2 municipal citations. Its oldest building on the record is Maison Joseph-Courchesne, from 1812. On the registers the town counts 4 historic places, 2 at the top.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
| Heritage | Saint-François-du-Lac | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 38% | 21% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Musée des Abénakis and 9 more within 40 km
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Saint-François-du-Lac; with it, the best known within 40 km.
FortFort Richelieu23 km west
CathedralCathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Nicolet25 km northeast
CathedralAssumption Cathedral39 km north
MuseumVillage Québécois d'Antan32 km east
MuseumOld Trois-Rivières Prison39 km northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Fort Richelieu: Fralambert, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Nicolet: Fralambert, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Assumption Cathedral: Stéphane Batigne, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Village Québécois d'Antan: Emmanuel Huybrechts from Laval, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Old Trois-Rivières Prison: Fralambert, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Saint-François-du-Lac
Famous people from Saint-François-du-Lac
8 notable people were born in Saint-François-du-Lac.
Saint-François-du-Lac’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-François-du-Lac | 1,927 | — | — | B | B | B+ |
| Pierreville | 2,154 | 1.6 | — | B | B | B+ |
| Yamaska | 1,815 | 9.8 | — | B− | B | A− |
| Baie-du-Febvre | 1,023 | 9.9 | — | B+ | B | A− |
| Saint-Robert | 1,846 | 14 | — | A | B | A |
| Saint-Bonaventure | 1,086 | 17 | — | B+ | C+ | B+ |
| Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel | 2,770 | 17 | A | A− | B | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Saint-François-du-Lac
Who are the people of Saint-François-du-Lac?
At the 2021 census, 1% were immigrants and 0% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 1% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
Do people in Saint-François-du-Lac speak French?
French is the common language here.
How old are the people of Saint-François-du-Lac?
At 53.2, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 14% of the population and seniors 28%.
What kind of homes are in Saint-François-du-Lac?
Single-detached houses make up 81% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 39% of households are one person, and the average is 2.
About Saint-François-du-Lac
Town in Quebec
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Saint-François-du-Lac is one municipality in Quebec, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 1,927 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Nicolet-Yamaska
- Census subdivision
- 2450128
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).