Sainte-MélanieQuebec
Its census division is Joliette. A town of 3,417 in Quebec.
Is Sainte-Mélanie a good place to live?
Health is a strength (B+). At $250,000, the median home value in 2021 came to 3.3 times local household income. Getting around depends on the car (C). Overall, that makes a B−, good for #344 of 499 in Quebec. Set against the rest, it does better than 50% of Canadian towns. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for safety, B− for jobs & income and B for hazard risk.
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-Mélanie stand out
The 2 things Sainte-Mélanie does most differently from other towns.
How Sainte-Mélanie grades
Each subject compares Sainte-Mélanie 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-Mélanie.
56% of adults around Sainte-Mélanie rate their health very good or excellent
Chronic conditions run at 15% of adults, age-standardised, close to Quebec’s towns (15%) and below Canadian towns (17%). A baby born in the region can expect 82.0 years, 83.7 for a girl and 80.3 for a boy (2022/2024). Closer to home, a hospital is 12 km from the average resident of Sainte-Mélanie, further than the usual 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Sainte-Mélanie | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Smokers | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 56% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.0 | 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: one figure for all of the Région de Lanaudière
Sainte-Mélanie is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by MRC Joliette
Radon is lower than usual: 3.9% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Seismic risk runs high: $0.085 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. For radon tests, the only official count covers all of the Lanaudiere health region, Sainte-Mélanie included.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Sainte-Mélanie | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 3.9% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.085 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Wet weather: 1,109 mm of rain and snow a year falls on Sainte-Mélanie, more than on 82% of Canadian towns
Snow totals 202 cm over the year, between Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). For the wettest month, look to August: 114 mm on average. December is the snowiest month, with 49 cm on average. In January, overnight lows in Sainte-Mélanie settle at −16.0°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Sainte-Mélanie | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 1,109 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| Snowfall a year | 202 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 26.6°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −16.0°C | −14.7°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (L'Assomption)
Only 9% of households in Sainte-Mélanie spend 30% or more of their income on shelter, against 18% in the typical Canadian town
Owners make up just over four in five households, above both Quebec’s towns (70%) and Canadian towns (74%). Rent took nearly a fifth of household income, close to Quebec’s towns (18%) and below Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Sainte-Mélanie | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 9% | 13% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 81% | 70% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $250,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
| Rent as a share of income | 19% | 18% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.
From Sainte-Mélanie, Mont-Tremblant National Park (Québec) is the nearest provincial park (33 km)
The closest of Canada’s national parks is La Mauricie National Park, at 64 km. Within 10 km are 2 protected areas.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Sainte-Mélanie | 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
For safety, Sainte-Mélanie gets a B−
For violence alone, its police area’s index was 108, above Quebec’s towns (88) and Canadian towns (86) alike. The force’s area logs 14.7 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 19.2 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed. Sainte-Mélanie doesn’t get its own Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures; the ones here come from Joliette MRC.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Sainte-Mélanie | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 108 | 88 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 19.2 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 14.7 | 12.4 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
A normal November in Sainte-Mélanie runs from −3°C to 5°C
For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Joliette forecast. By December, a normal day reaches −2°C and a night falls to −10°C. Snow is normal by November, about 12 cm over the month. A normal November brings 90 mm of rain and snow.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −4°C | −14°C | 227 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 265 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 14°C | 322 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 3°C | 295 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (L'Assomption); the forecast is on the Weather page
Sainte-Mélanie’s mayor: Hugues Hénault
For the National Assembly of Québec, Sainte-Mélanie belongs to Joliette, held by Véronique Venne (Parti Québécois) as MNA (Member of the National Assembly, Québec’s legislature).
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Sainte-Mélanie’s public library is Bibliothèque Louise-Amélie-Panet
The library is 1.2 km from the centre of Sainte-Mélanie.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
A town of families: 19% of people in Sainte-Mélanie are under 15, more than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
27% speak both English and French, below Quebec’s towns (44%) but above Canadian towns (7.5%). People 65 and over make up a fifth of the town.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
48.9% of Sainte-Mélanie’s residents are women
By the 2021 count the town had 1,590 women and 1,660 men, while Canada has 50.9% women.
| Sainte-Mélanie | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 61% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 20% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 18% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 61% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
With 0.3 jobs for each resident in work, most of Sainte-Mélanie commutes out
The car took 93% of commuters, close to Quebec’s towns (90%) and above Canadian towns (89%). Getting to work takes 28 min on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Sainte-Mélanie | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 28 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 93% | 90% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
The nearest high school to Sainte-Mélanie is 7.3 km away
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École primaire Sainte-HélèneIn Sainte-MélanieElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Schools within 3 km | Sainte-Mélanie | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 7.3 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
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.
Ferme Résilience and 4 more in and around Sainte-Mélanie
Sights in Sainte-Mélanie and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
GardenMaison Antoine-Lacombe3.8 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumMaison Louis-Cyr3.6 km outside town, to the northwestAbbey or prioryAbbey or prioryAbbaye Val Notre-Dame500 m outside town, to the northSki hillSki hillSki Montagne coupée1.5 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Maison Antoine-Lacombe: Dreamdan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Maison Louis-Cyr: YanikB, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Sainte-Mélanie
Famous people from Sainte-Mélanie
7 notable people were born in Sainte-Mélanie.
Photo credits
Joseph-Mathias Tellier: Studio Livernois, Public domain · Édouard Guilbault: Unknown author, Public domain · Yves Lambert: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0 · Joseph Beaudry: Unknown author, Public domain
Sainte-Mélanie’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Mélanie | 3,417 | — | B− | C+ | B− | B+ |
| Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes | 3,328 | 4.7 | C | C+ | B− | A− |
| Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare | 4,615 | 5.5 | B− | C+ | B− | A− |
| Saint-Félix-de-Valois | 7,670 | 6.8 | B− | C | B | B+ |
| Sainte-Marcelline-de-Kildare | 1,941 | 7.2 | — | B− | B | B+ |
| Saint-Charles-Borromée | 16,904 | 9.1 | C+ | D | B− | A− |
| Notre-Dame-des-Prairies | 9,622 | 9.6 | B | C+ | B− | A− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Sainte-Mélanie
Has Sainte-Mélanie grown?
Yes: the census counted 2,989 in 2016 and 3,250 in 2021, a rise of 8.7%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 3,417.
Do people in Sainte-Mélanie speak French?
French is the common language here. 27% of residents also speak English (the median of Canadian towns: 8%), and 72.8% speak French but not English.
What kind of homes are in Sainte-Mélanie?
Single-detached houses make up 88% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 28% of households are one person, and the average is 2.3.
How old are the people of Sainte-Mélanie?
43.2 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 20% of residents are 65 or over and 19% under 15.
About Sainte-Mélanie
Town in Quebec
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Sainte-Mélanie is one municipality in Quebec, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 3,417 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Joliette
- Census subdivision
- 2461050
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).