Sainte-CroixQuebec
This town in Quebec has a population of 2,612. It lies in Lotbinière.
Is Sainte-Croix a good place to live?
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Overall, Sainte-Croix earns an A−, better than nearly four fifths of Canadian towns. It ranks #198 of 499 in Quebec. Its strongest subject is safety (A−). Health is another plus (B+). The drawback is hazard risk (D). A median home here was worth $214,000 at the census, or 3.4 times what the middle household earns in a year.
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
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 Sainte-Croix stand out
The 3 things Sainte-Croix does most differently from other towns.
How Sainte-Croix grades
Each subject compares Sainte-Croix 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 →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sainte-Croix.
On hazards, Sainte-Croix comes out behind 90% of Canadian towns
Source area for radon tests: the Chaudiere-Appalaches health region
Radon is higher than usual: 13% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Averaged over the years, quake damage costs $0.13 per $1,000 of buildings, near Quebec’s towns ($0.14) and higher than Canadian towns ($0.030). The national flood inventory has no study for Sainte-Croix.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Sainte-Croix | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 13% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.13 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Crime runs lighter where Sainte-Croix is policed than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns, at an index of 43
Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over Lotbinière MRC
Where it is policed, thefts, break-ins and damage came to 10.3 per 1,000 a year, below both Quebec’s towns (16.6) and Canadian towns (31.2). For violence alone, its police area’s index was 73, below both Quebec’s towns (88) and Canadian towns (86).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Sainte-Croix | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 10.3 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 43 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 73 | 88 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 10.3 | 12.4 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
59% of adults around Sainte-Croix call their health very good or excellent, above the typical Canadian town’s 52%
Measured from where people live, the nearest hospital is 24 km away, higher than both Quebec’s towns (5.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km). Statistics Canada puts the region’s life expectancy at 82.8, women 84.4 and men 81.3 (2022/2024). A pharmacy is nearer: 1.6 km on average, with 1.0 within 3 km of the typical home.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Sainte-Croix | 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 · Health survey and life expectancy published for the Région de la Chaudière-Appalaches, not by town
More of the land around Sainte-Croix is protected than around nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns
A provincial park, Jacques-Cartier National Park (Québec), lies 56 km away. Land set aside Seigneurie-de-Joly (1,822 ha) is the biggest, 1.8 km from town. Public parks and reserves within 10 km: 31, above both Quebec’s towns (10) and Canadian towns (4). The closest of Canada’s national parks is La Mauricie National Park, at 71 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Sainte-Croix | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 31 | 10 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 9.6% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Sainte-Croix has a larger share of its working-age people in jobs than 94% of Canadian towns
84% of commuters drove, below both Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%). A trip to work takes 23 min on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Sainte-Croix | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 23 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 84% | 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.
Winter nights bite in Sainte-Croix: January lows of −16.9°C, colder than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns
Rain and snow peak in July, at 133 mm. Frosty days number 175 in a normal year, above Quebec’s towns (161) and Canadian towns (159) alike. Most of the snow comes in December, about 59 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Sainte-Croix | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 253 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,138 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −16.9°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 175 | 161 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Fortierville)
22% of Sainte-Croix’s residents speak English and French (Quebec’s towns: 44%; Canadian towns: 7.5%)
Visible minorities make up 3.8% of the population, between Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%). 0.6% of residents have an Indigenous identity, below 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
47.4% of Sainte-Croix’s residents are women
Census 2021 put women at 1,200 and men at 1,330; women are 50.9% of Canada.
| Sainte-Croix | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 28% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 21% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 54% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
The 2 schools of Sainte-Croix: 1 elementary school and 1 secondary school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École La MennaisIn Sainte-CroixElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| École secondaire Pamphile-Le MayIn Sainte-CroixSecondary | Secondary | – | French public |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · The schools grade is given only where results are open; in Quebec, the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
Expect November days around 5°C in Sainte-Croix, nights around −3°C
A normal December brings highs of −3°C, lows of −11°C. In November, the normal is 82 mm of rain and snow. Snowfall in a normal November: 19 cm. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Donnacona.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −5°C | −15°C | 250 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −1°C | 264 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 13°C | 343 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 3°C | 281 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Fortierville); the forecast is on the Weather page
The council of Sainte-Croix is led by its mayor, Stéphane Dion
Sainte-Croix sends one MNA (Member of the National Assembly, Québec’s legislature) to the National Assembly of Québec from Lotbinière-Frontenac, though no open record we can reuse gives the name.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Sainte-Croix has one public library, Bibliothèque La Rêverie (Notre-Dame-Du-Sacré-Coeur-D'Issoudun)
It sits 9.4 km from the centre of Sainte-Croix.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Home values sit low against pay in Sainte-Croix: 3.4 times household income, where the typical Canadian town is at 4.7
Rent took 17% of household income, about level with Quebec’s towns (18%) and below Canadian towns (20%). Owners make up 71% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Sainte-Croix | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $214,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 18% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 13% | 13% | 18% |
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.
Sainte-Croix: 4 historic places, 3 with the highest designation
Of the dated places, Maison Boisvert is the oldest, from 1829. Designations here include a municipal citation. Older housing, built before 1961, accounts for 29% of homes, above Quebec’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. Just beyond the boundary, the registers place one more.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Sainte-Croix | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 29% | 21% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Joly de Lotbinière Estate and 2 more in and around Sainte-Croix
Museums, historic sites, parks, gardens and days out in and near Sainte-Croix, the best known first.
GardenJoly de Lotbinière Estatein town
MuseumMaison de Pointe-Platonin town
AttractionChemin du Roy2.6 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Joly de Lotbinière Estate: Fralambert, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Maison de Pointe-Platon: Fralambert, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chemin du Roy: Azumanga1, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Sainte-Croix
Famous people from Sainte-Croix
5 notable people were born in Sainte-Croix.
Photo credits
Michel-Édouard Méthot: J.E. Livernois, Public domain
Sainte-Croix’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Croix | 2,612 | — | A− | B− | A− | B+ |
| Donnacona | 7,785 | 6.6 | A− | B− | A− | A |
| Saint-Édouard-de-Lotbinière | 1,295 | 8.6 | — | A | A− | B+ |
| Cap-Santé | 3,885 | 8.9 | A+ | A | A− | A |
| Laurier-Station | 2,838 | 12 | A | B | A− | B |
| Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly | 1,747 | 14 | — | B− | A− | B+ |
| Neuville | 4,579 | 14 | A | B+ | A− | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Sainte-Croix
Is Sainte-Croix a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 50.4, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 16% of residents; over-65s, 28%.
What kind of homes are in Sainte-Croix?
70% 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 2.1 people; 35% are one person living alone.
Has Sainte-Croix grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 2,516 to 2,529 residents (up 0.5%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 2,612.
About Sainte-Croix
Town in Quebec
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Sainte-Croix is one municipality in Quebec, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,612 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Lotbinière
- Census subdivision
- 2433102
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).