Sainte-ClaireQuebec
With 3,724 residents, it is a town in Quebec. Statistics Canada places it in the Bellechasse census division.
Is Sainte-Claire a good place to live?
A town of contrasts. Its best grade is for safety (A). Prices are modest for what you get (A−). Hazards are a real consideration (C−). All told, that adds up to an A+ overall, better than 95% of Canadian towns. That places it #52 of 499 in Quebec.
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.
How Sainte-Claire grades
Each subject compares Sainte-Claire 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 →
What makes Sainte-Claire stand out
The 3 things Sainte-Claire does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sainte-Claire.
The police who cover Sainte-Claire record less serious crime than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 40
Measured across Bellechasse MRC: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000
Its police area recorded 8.5 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Quebec’s towns (12.4) and Canadian towns (12). Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 9 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Sainte-Claire | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 9 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 40 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 8.5 | 12.4 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 73 | 88 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Flood mapping exists for Sainte-Claire: 1 on record, latest by Gouvernement du Québec
Source area for radon tests: the Chaudiere-Appalaches health region
Earthquakes add more: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.080 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town. More homes than usual carry radon here, 13% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Sainte-Claire | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 13% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.080 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Fewer households are stretched by shelter costs in Sainte-Claire: 8% spend 30%+ of income, against 18% in the typical Canadian town
A year’s rent came to 16% of the median household income, below Quebec’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (20%) alike. 71% of households are owner-occupiers.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Sainte-Claire | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 8% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 18% | 20% |
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.
Trips to work from Sainte-Claire are shorter than from Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 22 min on average
91% of commuters took the car to work at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Sainte-Claire | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 91% | 90% | 89% |
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.
Sainte-Claire’s health region reports 59% in very good or excellent health, ahead of the typical Canadian town’s 52%
A hospital lies 20 km from the typical home, above Quebec’s towns (5.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km) alike. Across the region, life runs to 82.8 years on average: women 84.4, men 81.3, in 2022/2024. Pharmacies are closer at hand, 1.4 km away on average and 1.0 of them within 3 km of a typical home. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Région de la Chaudière-Appalaches, Sainte-Claire included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Sainte-Claire | 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 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Sainte-Claire is wetter than 89% of Canadian towns: 1,182 mm of rain and snow a year
Snow peaks in December: 75 cm in a normal year. A normal July brings 126 mm of precipitation, more than any other month. Some 287 cm of snow falls in a typical year, above Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. In January, overnight lows in Sainte-Claire settle at −16.5°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Sainte-Claire | 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 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Scott)
No protected area lies within 10 km of Sainte-Claire
The closest provincial park is Frontenac National Park (Québec), 63 km from the edge of town. The nearest national park is more than 100 km away.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Sainte-Claire | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
In Sainte-Claire, November normally means 4°C afternoons and −3°C nights
For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Lévis forecast. Then December: −3°C by day, −11°C at night. Expect about 81 mm of rain and snow over November. About 19 cm of snow falls in a normal November.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| 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 |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Scott); the forecast is on the Weather page
More of Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis voted in 2021 than in most ridings: 67%, ahead of 79%
Sainte-Claire’s council has 6 councillors and is led by Guylaine Aubin, the mayor.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Bibliothèque Municipale de Sainte-Claire is Sainte-Claire’s public library
From the centre of Sainte-Claire, it is 0.5 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
21% of Sainte-Claire’s residents speak English and French (Quebec’s towns: 44%; Canadian towns: 7.5%)
1.7% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%). Those 65 and older account for just over a fifth of residents. Under-15s account for 17% of the population.
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 48.3% of Sainte-Claire
The 2021 census counted 1,700 women and 1,820 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Sainte-Claire | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 61% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 22% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 58% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
No high school in or near Sainte-Claire: the closest is 8.1 km off
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Morissette (Service de garde Morissette)In Sainte-ClaireElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Schools within 3 km | Sainte-Claire | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 8.1 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.
Canada’s registers list 3 historic places in Sainte-Claire
28% of its homes were built before 1961, higher than both Quebec’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%). The oldest dated place, Maison Prévost, goes back to 1911.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Sainte-Claire | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 28% | 21% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Sainte-Claire
Miller Zoo and 12 more within 40 km
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Sainte-Claire; with it, the best known within 40 km.
MuseumMusée national des beaux-arts du Québec35 km west · 324K visitors a year
MuseumMusée de la civilisation35 km northwest · 497K visitors a year
CastleQuébec Citadel35 km northwest
WaterfallMontmorency Falls39 km northwest
CathedralNotre-Dame Roman Catholic Cathedral35 km northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec: colros, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Musée de la civilisation: Claude Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Québec Citadel: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Montmorency Falls: Jean-Christophe BENOIST, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Notre-Dame Roman Catholic Cathedral: Pierre-Olivier Fortin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Sainte-Claire
8 notable people were born in Sainte-Claire.
Photo credits
François Fortunat Rouleau: William James Topley, Public domain
About Sainte-Claire
Town in Quebec
Statistics Canada treats Sainte-Claire 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
- 3,724 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Bellechasse
- Census subdivision
- 2419055
Sainte-Claire’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Claire | 3,724 | — | A+ | A− | A | B+ |
| Saint-Lazare-de-Bellechasse | 1,330 | 7.9 | — | B+ | A | B+ |
| Sainte-Hénédine | 1,550 | 8.3 | — | A | A | A− |
| Saint-Anselme | 4,534 | 8.6 | A+ | A− | A | B+ |
| Sainte-Marguerite | 1,297 | 10 | — | A− | A | A− |
| Saint-Malachie | 1,755 | 12 | — | A− | A | B+ |
| Saint-Gervais | 2,235 | 13 | — | A− | A | B+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Sainte-Claire
Do people in Sainte-Claire speak French?
It is a French-speaking town: 78.6% know French alone, and 21% can talk in English too, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns.
What kind of homes are in Sainte-Claire?
Mostly 70% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.2 people on average, and 34% have just one.
Is Sainte-Claire growing?
Yes: the census counted 3,362 in 2016 and 3,526 in 2021, a rise of 4.9%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 3,724.
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).