Saint-Mathieu-du-ParcQuebec

It grew by 11% between the 2016 and 2021 censuses. A town in Quebec, home to 1,598 people.

4 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: Fralambert · CC BY-SA 3.0

Population

1,598

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

56.4

years · Quebec’s towns: 44.8

Postsecondary

68%

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-Mathieu-du-Parc a good place to live?

Housing is within reach (A). Health is a strength (A−). Where it falls short is jobs & income (C−). Walkability is weaker too (D).

With fewer than 2,500 residents, Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc 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. 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.

StrongestACost of living A⁻Hazard risk A⁻HealthWeakestDWalkability C⁻Jobs & income

How Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc grades

Each subject compares Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc 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

With fewer than 2,500 residents, Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc gets subject grades but no overall one among Canadian towns.

Cost of livingIn the top fifth of the towns comparedAOpen →WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesDOpen →Jobs & incomeIncomes and work are among the weakest comparedC⁻Open →Hazard riskGraded on earthquake risk and radon, with high wildfire risk able to lower itA⁻Open →HealthBased on how healthy residents are for their agesA⁻Open →SafetyLess crime than in most townsA⁻Open →

SchoolsThe ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school, which leaves towns in Quebec without a schools grade.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc stand out

The 3 things Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Walk, cycle or transit to work

Getting around

3% walk, cycle or take transit

The midpoint across Canadian towns is 8%

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

2.9 times household income

Against 4.7 for the median of Canadian towns

Median owner’s estimate $200,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

Residents 65 and over

Who lives here

30% are 65 or over

Compare 19% for the median of Canadian towns

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc.

HousingCost of living A

Renting in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc costs 11% of household income, less than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

$200,000median home value, 2021ACost of living Grade

Home ownership covers 92% of households. 9% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%).

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

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc$200,000

Quebec$300,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc	Quebec	Canada
Rent as a share of income	11%	18%	20%
Households owning their home	92%	70%	74%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	9%	13%	18%

$452

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$670

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$452 a month · The median rent at the 2021 census Cost of living2.9 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $200,000, against the median household income Owners and renters92% 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.

Work & commuteJobs & income C⁻

Trips to work from Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc take longer than from Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 32 min on average

3%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van94%

Walk3%

Census 2021	Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc	Quebec	Canada
Average trip	32 min	27 min	26 min

$68,500

median household income, 2020

22%

worked from home, May 2021

10%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment7.6% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work3% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to160 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Shawinigan

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.

Natural hazardsHazard risk A⁻

A flood study covers Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Gouvernement du Québec

Lowwildfire bandA⁻Hazard risk Grade

Wildfire is rare near Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc: 0.4% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, a burn rate of 0.01% a year.

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

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc0%

Quebec’s towns8.2%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc	Quebec	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	0%	8.2%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.053	$0.14	$0.030

$0.053

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

Low

wildfire band

3.0 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

flood study on the national inventory

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

FloodOne flood study on record WildfireLow wildfire band · 0.4% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986 Earthquakes$0.053 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon0% 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 · Data for radon tests covers the Mauricie et Centre-du-Quebec health region

HealthHealth A⁻

61% of adults around Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc call their health very good or excellent, above the typical Canadian town’s 52%

61%very good or excellent healthA⁻Health Grade

For 2022/2024, the region’s figure is 81.6 years at birth, 83.3 for women and 79.9 for men. The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 14% of adults, about level with Quebec’s towns (15%) and below Canadian towns (17%). The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s is long: 8.1 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc61%

Quebec’s towns56%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc	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

81.6

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

8.1 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

13%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

12 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey61% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care8.1 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 12 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 83.3, men 79.9 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 · Not measured by town: health survey and life expectancy (the Région de la Mauricie et du Centre-du-Québec)

SafetySafety A⁻

Violent crime weighs less where Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is policed than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 61

44Crime Severity Index

Measured across Maskinongé MRC: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000

The index for the force that serves it came to 44, below Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67) alike. Violent crime in the area its police cover: 9.3 per 1,000 people a year. What’s more, its police area records 12.6 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202337

202451

202545

2023–2025	Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc	Quebec	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	12.6	16.6	31.2
Violent Crime Severity Index	61	88	86
Crime Severity Index	44	56	67
Violent crime	9.3	12.4	12

non-violent Crime Severity Index

51%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety44 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc safe?”

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

Who lives here

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is older than 96% of Canadian towns: a median age of 56.4

56.4median age

2.4% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%). Both official languages: 39% of residents, lower than Quebec’s towns (44%) yet higher than Canadian towns (7.5%).

Saint-Mathieu-du-ParcQuebecCanada

QuebecCanada

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

30%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree14%

Postsecondary qualification68%

Women and men · all residents

45.9% of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s residents are women

800 men and 680 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.

Who lives in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc
	Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc	Quebec	Canada
Under 15	11%	17%	16%
15 to 64	60%	62%	64%
65+	30%	20%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	14%	19%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	68%	59%	56%

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages56.4 median age · 30% are 65 or over Households765 households · 1.9 people per household Immigrants3% are immigrants · 2% belong to a visible minority English and French39% speak both · 61% speak French but not English

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

Climate

More snow falls on Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc than on 90% of Canadian towns: about 274 cm a year

25.1°CJuly afternoons

In July, daytime highs in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc average 25.1°C. December is the snowiest month, with 69 cm on average. Rain and melted snow add up to 1,101 mm a year, above Quebec’s towns (1,041 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm) alike. July is the wettest month, with 125 mm of rain and snow on average.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−3.8°C

Spring9.1°C

Summer23.9°C

Autumn12.3°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc	Quebec	Canada
Snowfall a year	274 cm	217 cm	141 cm
July afternoon high	25.1°C	26.5°C	25.5°C
Precipitation a year	1,101 mm	1,041 mm	883 mm
Days with frost a year	145	161	159

274 cm

of snow a year

145

days with frost a year

132

days with precipitation a year

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

Snow274 cm of snow a year The yearJuly highs 25.1°C, January lows −14.1°C Rain and snow1,101 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Weather station40 km to the station · Trois-Rivières

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Trois-Rivières)

Weather

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc in November: highs near 5°C, lows near −1°C

5°Ca normal November afternoon

November normally sees 88 mm of precipitation. Snowfall in a normal November: 24 cm. The month after, December, normally sees −2°C afternoons and −9°C nights. ECCC’s forecast for Shawinigan is on the Weather page, hour by hour.

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

November5°C

December−2°C

January−6°C

February−4°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−4°C	−12°C	244 mm
Spring	9°C	0°C	247 mm
Summer	24°C	15°C	325 mm
Autumn	12°C	5°C	285 mm

−1°C

a normal November night

88 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’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 (Trois-Rivières); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

A 937-vote margin made Berthier—Maskinongé closer in 2021 than 96% of Canada’s ridings

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc sends one MP to Ottawa from Berthier—Maskinongé, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Yves Perron (Bloc Québécois).

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Who runs itMunicipality council seats7

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade D

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc has two public libraries, Bibliothèque De Saint-Mathieu-Du-Parc (Micheline H.-Gelinas) and La grande bibliothèque du Duché

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

The libraries2 Libraries Places to belong4.4 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Schools

The nearest high school to Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is 12 km away

2schools within 3 km

An elementary school stands 3.9 km from the centre, above Quebec’s towns (0.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km) alike.

School	Level	Students	System
École de la Tortue-des-BoisIn Saint-Mathieu-du-ParcElementary	Elementary	–	French public

See all 2 schools →

Schools within 3 km	Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc	Quebec	Canada
Nearest secondary school	12 km	1.2 km	1.2 km
Nearest elementary school	3.9 km	0.5 km	0.5 km

12 km

to the nearest secondary school

3.9 km

to the nearest elementary school

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Every school2 elementary schools Language0 of 2 teach in English · 10% of schools in Quebec Questions“What schools are there in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Why no schools grade in Quebec? The ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.

Outdoors

The boundary of La Mauricie National Park runs along Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc

29%of the land within 10 km protected

Protected areas cover 29% of the land within 10 km; for the typical Canadian town it is 2.3%. 64 km from town is Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec), the nearest provincial park. OpenStreetMap shows 12 walking routes nearby, including the Sentier Le Trapeur and Sentier Chute-du-Diable. Within 5 km are 6 beaches; Plage municipal is the nearest.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc29%

Quebec’s towns4.9%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc	Quebec	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	29%	4.9%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	6	10	4

At the edge

to La Mauricie National Park

64 km

to Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec)

beaches within 5 km

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas17 protected areas within 10 km · La Mauricie National Park National & provincial parksAt the edge to a national park · La Mauricie National Park Footpaths & routes12 named routes · Sentier Le Trapeur

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

History

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc: 1 historic place on Canada’s heritage registers

1historic place

Before 1961 is when 25% of the homes went up, above Quebec’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations0

Other federal designations0

Provincial and local listings1

Among them

Pont de Saint-Mathieu 1936

1936

oldest construction date on the record

25%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc	Quebec	Canada
Homes built before 1961	25%	21%	18%

Full pageSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registersOne historic place inside the town Older homes25% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc have?”

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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc

15pages on Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc

The big questions

SafetyA⁻Crime Severity Index 44 Housing & costAHomes 2.9 × income Property pricesSchools2 schools within 3 km HealthA⁻Life expectancy 81.6 in its region Work & commuteC⁻52% of adults in work Natural hazardsA⁻Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors29% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 25°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 56.4 HistoryOne place on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Mokotakan and 2 more in and around Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc

Museums, historic sites, parks, gardens and days out in and near Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, the best known first.

All attractions →

MuseumMokotakanin town

National park · Parks CanadaLa Mauricie National Park4.5 km outside town, to the northwest AttractionAttractionMusée de la faunein town

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

Photo credits (2)

Mokotakan: Anne Ecuyer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
La Mauricie National Park: Marc-Lautenbacher, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Famous people from around Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc

No notable person born in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.

How we find them →

Jean ChrétienPrime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2… · born in Shawinigan · born 1934

Allyn Ann McLerieAmerican actress, singer and dancer · born in Shawinigan · 1926–2018

Marcel PronovostCanadian ice hockey player and coach · born in Shawinigan · 1930–2015

Allan MoyleFilm director, actor, screenwriter · born in Shawinigan · born 1947

Louise ForestierCanadian actor and singer · born in Shawinigan · born 1943

Rudolf RaffAmerican biologist · born in Shawinigan · 1941–2019

Photo credits

Jean Chrétien: Michael Ignatieff, CC BY 2.0 · Allyn Ann McLerie: CBS Television, Public domain · Marcel Pronovost: TGC-Topps Gum Cards, Public domain · Louise Forestier: Pierre5018, CC BY 4.0 · Rudolf Raff: VRosei, CC BY-SA 4.0

About Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc

Town in Quebec

The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc 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: 1,598 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Quebec
Census division: Maskinongé
Census subdivision: 2451070

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc’s neighbours

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

Saint-BonifaceShawiniganSaint-Élie-de-CaxtonCharetteSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc	1,598	—	—	A	A⁻	A⁻
Saint-Boniface	5,405	12	A⁺	A	A⁻	A⁻
Shawinigan	51,739	13	B	B	C⁺	A
Saint-Élie-de-Caxton	2,062	14	—	A⁻	A⁻	B⁺
Charette	1,178	17	—	A⁻	A⁻	B⁺

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

Questions about Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc

Do people in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc speak French?

It is a French-speaking town: 60.6% know French alone, and 39% can talk in English too, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns.

Is Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc growing?

Yes: the census counted 1,338 in 2016 and 1,482 in 2021, a rise of 10.8%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 1,598.

What kind of homes are in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc?

Mostly 94% 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 39% have just one.

Who are the people of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc?

Visible minorities are 2% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 3%, and Indigenous people 1%.

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).