Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford - rue Principale

Saint-Joachim-de-SheffordQuebec

Its census division is La Haute-Yamaska. Home to 1,552 people, this town lies in Quebec.

6 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: SamuelFreli · CC BY-SA 3.0

Population

1,552

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

40.8

years · Quebec’s towns: 44.8

Postsecondary

54%

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%

Is Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford a good place to live?

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s strongest is health (A). Safety is another plus (A−). The weak point is hazard risk (C+). A median home here was worth $300,000 at the census, or 4 times what the middle household earns in a year. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for jobs & income and C+ for walkability.

Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford has its subject grades alone.

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.

StrongestAHealth A⁻Safety

How Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford grades

Each subject compares Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford 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

An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford has its subject grades alone.

HealthBased on how healthy residents are for their agesAOpen →SafetyLess crime than in most townsA⁻Open →Hazard riskBelow the middle of the towns comparedC⁺Open →Cost of livingClose to the middle of the towns comparedC⁺Open →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carC⁺Open →Jobs & incomeAbout average among the towns comparedB⁻Open →

SchoolsBecause the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school, towns in Quebec aren’t graded on schools.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford stand out

The 3 things Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Unemployment rate, Census 2021

Work

2% unemployment

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

62% of residents 15 and over were in work, May 2021.

Walk, cycle or transit to work

Getting around

3% walk, cycle or take transit

Half of Canadian towns are above 8%, half below

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

Population growth, 2016 to 2021

Growth

+13% more people than in 2016

The midpoint across Canadian towns is 4%

Statistics Canada, Census 2016 and 2021

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford.

HealthHealth A

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford scores better for health than 87% of Canadian towns

57%very good or excellent healthAHealth Grade

Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Région de l'Estrie

For Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford itself the measure is access, and it lags: 15 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 14% of adults, below both Quebec’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%). The region’s 2022/2024 life expectancy is 82.9, with women at 84.8 and men at 81.0. About as many adults call their health very good or excellent here as across Quebec, 57% against 57%.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford57%

Quebec’s towns56%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford	Quebec	Canada
Chronic conditions (average share)	14%	15%	17%
Very good or excellent health	57%	56%	52%
Life expectancy at birth	82.9	82.5	81.5

82.9

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

15 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

9.6 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey57% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care15 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 9.6 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 84.8, men 81.0 Conditions and habits14% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

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

SafetySafety A⁻

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford earns an A− for safety

45Crime Severity Index

The index for the force that serves it came to 45, below Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67) alike. Violent crime in the area its police cover: 9.4 per 1,000 people a year. What’s more, across its police area, there are 11.2 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Nobody publishes Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 for Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford alone, so this card uses the figure for Haute-Yamaska MRC.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202349

202444

202543

2023–2025	Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford	Quebec	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	11.2	16.6	31.2
Crime Severity Index	45	56	67
Violent crime	9.4	12.4	12
Violent Crime Severity Index	74	88	86

non-violent Crime Severity Index

48%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety45 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford safe?”

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

Climate

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford is wetter than 91% of Canadian towns: 1,226 mm of rain and snow a year

25.6°CJuly afternoons

July is the wettest month, with 122 mm of rain and snow on average. Some 262 cm of snow falls in a typical year, higher than both Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). Gardeners get 154 frost-free days, from 6 May to 8 October. January is the snowiest month, with 59 cm on average.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−2.9°C

Spring10.5°C

Summer24.5°C

Autumn13.0°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford	Quebec	Canada
Snowfall a year	262 cm	217 cm	141 cm
Precipitation a year	1,226 mm	1,041 mm	883 mm
July afternoon high	25.6°C	26.5°C	25.5°C
Days with frost a year	154	161	159

262 cm

of snow a year

154

days with frost a year

154

frost-free days, 6 May to 8 Oct

145

days with precipitation a year

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

Rain and snow1,226 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm The yearJuly highs 25.6°C, January lows −13.4°C Snow262 cm of snow a year Weather station17 km to the station · Granby

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

Natural hazardsHazard risk C⁺

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Gouvernement du Québec

Lowwildfire bandC⁺Hazard risk Grade

NRCan expects $0.057 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford, near the typical $0.030. Radon is about average around Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford: nearly a tenth of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town.

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

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford8.2%

Quebec’s towns8.2%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford	Quebec	Canada
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.057	$0.14	$0.030
Radon tests above the guideline	8.2%	8.2%	6.6%

$0.057

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

Low

wildfire band

flood study on the national inventory

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

FloodOne flood study on record WildfireLow wildfire band · No land burned within 25 km since 1986 Earthquakes$0.057 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon8.2% of tests above the guideline Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Not measured by town: radon tests (the Monteregie health region)

HousingCost of living C⁺

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford is a town of owners: 83% of households own their home, above Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

$300,000median home value, 2021C⁺Cost of living Grade

Shelter took 30% or more of income for 7% of households, below both Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Rent took 17% of household income, near Quebec’s towns (18%) and lower than Canadian towns (20%).

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

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford$300,000

Quebec$300,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford	Quebec	Canada
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	7%	13%	18%
Households owning their home	83%	70%	74%
Rent as a share of income	17%	18%	20%

$735

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$960

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Owners and renters83% own their home Cost of living4 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $300,000, against the median household income Renting$735 a month · The median rent at the 2021 census

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.

Who lives here

Children make up 22% of Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford, above Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

40.8median age

1.3% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%). People 65 and over make up 18% of the town.

Saint-Joachim-de-SheffordQuebecCanada

QuebecCanada

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

22%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree23%

Postsecondary qualification54%

Women and men · all residents

46.1% of Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s residents are women

Here the census found 795 men and 680 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.

Who lives in Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford
	Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford	Quebec	Canada
Under 15	22%	17%	16%
15 to 64	61%	62%	64%
65+	18%	20%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	23%	19%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	54%	59%	56%

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages40.8 median age · 18% are 65 or over Households570 households · 2.6 people per household Immigrants3% are immigrants · 1% belong to a visible minority English and French35% speak both · 64% speak French but not English

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

Weather

What November brings in Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford: −2°C at night, 6°C by day

6°Ca normal November afternoon

At the extremes, July afternoons reach 26°C and January nights −13°C. Expect around 22 cm of snow in November. In November, the normal is 92 mm of rain and snow. ECCC’s forecast for Granby is on the Weather page, hour by hour.

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

November6°C

December−1°C

January−5°C

February−3°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−3°C	−11°C	267 mm
Spring	10°C	1°C	290 mm
Summer	25°C	15°C	355 mm
Autumn	13°C	5°C	314 mm

−2°C

a normal November night

92 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’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 (Granby); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Less is spent per resident in Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford than in 87% of Québec’s local municipalities

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford sends one MNA (Member of the National Assembly, Québec’s legislature) to the National Assembly of Québec from Johnson, though no open record we can reuse gives the name.

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Member of ParliamentAndréanne Larouche council seats7

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade D

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford has no public library of its own; the nearest is Bibliothèque municipale, 8.6 km away

After it comes Bibliothèque Municipale Roxton Pond (Roxton Pond), 11 km away.

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

Places to belong2.6 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Outdoors

A provincial park at Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s edge: Yamaska National Park (Québec)

2.5%of the land within 10 km protected

The nearest national park is more than 100 km away. Count 15 protected areas within 10 km of town. Within 5 km are 6 beaches; Plage Darby is the nearest.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford2.5%

Quebec’s towns4.9%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford	Quebec	Canada
Public protected areas within 10 km	2	10	4
Protected land within 10 km	2.5%	4.9%	2.3%

At the edge

to Yamaska National Park (Québec)

beaches within 5 km

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas15 protected areas within 10 km · Yamaska National Park (Québec)National & provincial parksAt the edge to a provincial park · Yamaska National Park (Québec)

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

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁻

Trips to work from Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford take longer than from Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 29 min on average

3%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van95%

Walk3%

Census 2021	Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford	Quebec	Canada
Average trip	29 min	27 min	26 min

$74,500

median household income, 2020

19%

worked from home, May 2021

12%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment2% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work3% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to175 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Granby

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.

Schools

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s teenagers travel 13 km to the nearest high school

1school within 3 km

School	Level	Students	System
École CentraleIn Saint-Joachim-de-SheffordElementary	Elementary	–	French public

Schools within 3 km	Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford	Quebec	Canada
Nearest secondary school	13 km	1.2 km	1.2 km

13 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Every school1 elementary school Language0 of 1 teach in English · 10% of schools in Quebec Questions“What schools are there in Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford?”

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.

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford

15pages on Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford

The big questions

SafetyA⁻Crime Severity Index 45 Housing & costC⁺Homes 4 × income Property pricesSchoolsOne school within 3 km HealthALife expectancy 82.9 in its region Work & commuteB⁻62% of adults in work Natural hazardsC⁺Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors2.5% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 26°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 40.8 HistoryTown hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Yamaska National Park and 2 more in and around Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford

Sights in Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.

All attractions →

National parkNational park · SépaqYamaska National Parkin town

ZooZooCinézoo4.4 km outside town, to the southeast

MuseumMuseumCanadian Fly Fishing Museum Inc.4.9 km outside town, to the south

Famous people from around Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford

One notable person was born in Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.

Their page →

Armand RussellCanadian politician · 1921–2012

Andrew RangerCanadian racecar driver · born in Roxton Pond · born 1986

Claude FournierCanadian film director · born in Waterloo · 1931–2023

Michael J. HartAmerican politician · born in Waterloo · 1877–1951

Jacob NicolCanadian politician · born in Roxton Pond · 1876–1958

Charles Henry ParmeleeCanadian politician · born in Waterloo · 1855–1914

Photo credits

Andrew Ranger: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Claude Fournier: Buzzsleeper, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michael J. Hart: "The Herald-Press" (St. Joseph, MI)., Public domain · Jacob Nicol: Unknown author, Public domain · Charles Henry Parmelee: Unknown author , Published by Montreal Perrault Print. Co, Public domain

About Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford

Town in Quebec

Statistics Canada treats Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford as a single census subdivision in Quebec, and TownRatings keeps to that line.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 1,552 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Quebec
Census division: La Haute-Yamaska
Census subdivision: 2447040

Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford’s neighbours

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

RoxtonRoxton PondWaterlooSheffordRoxton FallsValcourtSaint-Joachim-de-Shefford

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford	1,552	—	—	C⁺	A⁻	A
Roxton	1,180	9.8	—	B	B	B⁺
Roxton Pond	4,884	11	A	B⁻	A⁻	A
Waterloo	5,714	12	B⁺	C⁺	A⁻	A
Shefford	7,704	12	A	B	A⁻	A
Roxton Falls	1,399	13	—	B⁻	B	B⁺
Valcourt	1,081	15	—	A	A⁻	A⁻

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

Questions about Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford

Do people in Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford speak French?

French is the common language here. 35% of residents also speak English (the median of Canadian towns: 8%), and 63.7% speak French but not English.

Is Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford growing?

Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 1,301 to 1,476 residents (up 13.5%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 1,552.

Who are the people of Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford?

1% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 2% have an Indigenous identity and 3% are immigrants.

What kind of homes are in Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford?

95% 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; 22% are one person living alone.

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).