Photo: Pierre Bona · CC BY-SA 3.0Shefford has 0.2 jobs for every resident in work, so most commute out
Half the households in Shefford had more than $96,200 in 2020, before tax, and the middle of Canadian towns sits at $85,900. 4.1% of the labour force in Shefford was out of work at the 2021 census, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns. Commutes from Shefford average 27.4 minutes, and 10% take an hour or more.
Shefford and work: the main findings
More people in work than most towns
With 82% of its 15-to-64s in work in 2021, against 73% in the middle of Canadian towns, it has 63% of all adults employed. In work ↓
Less unemployment than most towns
Unemployment was 4.1% at the 2021 census, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns. The Labour Force Survey for the wider area read 4.3% in October 2026. Unemployment ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
The Jobs & income grade for Shefford: A−
Better than 82% of Canadian towns on three measures together, #94 of 507 in Quebec.
Its strongest measure is the share of 15-to-64s in work; its weakest, trip times.
Graded against Canadian towns of 2,500 people or more; less unemployment and a shorter commute count in its favour.
How the grade works
Census 2021 measures, weighed equally against every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 people or more: the share of residents aged 15 to 64 in work, median household income (2020), the unemployment rate and the average commute. Each becomes a percentile; their average sets the letter.
How many in Shefford have a job: 82% of 15-to-64s
Of the 4 other places of 2,500 people or more in the La Haute-Yamaska census division, 2 have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
65% of residents aged 15 and over were in the labour force, in work or seeking it. Counting retirees, 63% of everyone aged 15 and over was working. In October 2026, 62% of the wider area’s adults had a job, on the Labour Force Survey’s count. The census caught the labour market on 11 May 2021, deep in the pandemic, so unemployment and working from home both ran above normal.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: people in work of any age over residents aged 15 to 64, and the census unemployment rate (15 and over); the 25-to-54 rate is Statistics Canada’s own (98-10-0485). The Labour Force Survey and business counts are context, not grade inputs.
Each working day, more people leave Shefford for work than come in
Each person commuting in is matched by about 10 residents going out. Of those who commute, 8.6% stay within the municipality; the middle of Canadian towns is 70%.
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
91% of Shefford’s residents in work leave it to work; Granby takes the most
- Granby100
- Waterloo35
- Cowansville25
- Eastman10
- Bolton-Ouest10
- Warden10
- Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford10
Coming the other way, Granby sends the most (100).
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (98-10-0459): commuting flows between municipalities (census subdivisions), rounded to 5; linked names have their own pages.
Earnings at home in Shefford: households
Before tax, 2020: higher than in 82% of Canadian towns.
No other place of 2,500 or more in the La Haute-Yamaska census division has a higher median. That puts Shefford 30% above the median of Quebec’s towns, $74,100. Because 2020 was the first year of the pandemic, emergency benefits make up part of these before-tax incomes.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
Without a car, 3% of Shefford’s commuters get to work
Home was the workplace for 25%, where the middle of Canadian towns has 21%. Transit takes 0.9% of commuters, against 3.5% in the middle of Canadian towns. The car is the way to work for 97% of commuters.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: main mode of commuting; average durations by mode from table 98-10-0458 (whole municipalities only).
How long the commute from Shefford takes
Statistics Canada’s own average, timed exactly rather than by band, is 24.3 minutes. Trips under 15 minutes: 29%, fewer than the 31% in the middle of Quebec’s towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: commuting duration in five bands; our average uses each band’s middle (75 minutes for an hour or more), so it runs about two minutes above Statistics Canada’s own.
EI claims in the La Haute-Yamaska census division run 45% above their 2019 level
At its peak, in January 2021, 5,570 people were on EI, 3.9 times the 2019 average. That works out to around 3.6 beneficiaries per 100 people aged 15 to 64 across the division. Set against the same month a year before, the count in August 2026 fell by 5%.
Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance beneficiaries by census division (14-10-0323): all income benefits, not seasonally adjusted. EI counts are context, not part of any grade.
People receiving Employment Insurance each month, as a share of the 2019 average (100). Nobody publishes EI beneficiaries for Shefford alone, so this card uses the figure for the La Haute-Yamaska census division.
Shefford on foot: a D grade
Better than 13% of Canadian towns on two measures together, #492 of 507 in Quebec.
OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); active commuting from the 2021 Census.
Shefford places 126th of 690 on jobs and income among Canadian towns of 5,400 to 10,400
| # | Place | People | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labrador City Newfoundland and Labrador | 7,965 | 79% | 5.5% | $146K | A+ |
| 2 | Silverwood Heights Saskatchewan | 8,153 | 81% | 5.8% | $118K | A+ |
| 3 | North River Heights Manitoba | 7,228 | 82% | 8.4% | $143K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 16 | Boischatel Quebec | 9,250 | 85% | 4.8% | $118K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 18 | Chibougamau Quebec | 7,273 | 82% | 3.7% | $85K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 21 | Shannon Quebec | 7,088 | 81% | 3.7% | $113K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 124 | North Gower - Kars Ontario | 5,439 | 79% | 7.8% | $133K | A− |
| 125 | Huron South Ontario | 5,555 | 80% | 9% | $120K | A− |
| 126 | Shefford Quebec | 7,704 | 82% | 4.1% | $96K | A− |
| 127 | Plympton-Wyoming Ontario | 9,548 | 75% | 7.5% | $109K | A− |
| 128 | Otterburn Park Quebec | 9,460 | 85% | 4.6% | $104K | A− |
| … | ||||||
| 690 | Chertsey Quebec | 5,678 | 64% | 8.6% | $58K | D− |
Ordered by Jobs & income Grade: the top three, the places either side of Shefford, and others among Quebec’s towns.
Work in the places around Shefford
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shefford | 82% | 4.1% | $96K | 27.4 min | A− | D |
| Bromont 7.3 km | 82% | 4.6% | $100K | 29.1 min | A− | B− |
| Waterloo 8.3 km | 74% | 6.9% | $59K | 23.6 min | C− | A− |
| Granby 9.7 km | 78% | 5.6% | $63K | 19.9 min | B− | B+ |
| Roxton Pond 12.4 km | 83% | 6% | $79K | 26.2 min | B+ | B− |
| Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford 12.5 km | 82% | 2% | $76K | 29 min | B− | C+ |
| Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby 13.1 km | 84% | 2.6% | $95K | 24 min | A | C− |
The people of each place: the share in work, unemployment, household income and the average commute, with both grades once they come.
What this data can and can’t tell you
What each figure measures for Shefford, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- Household income. The census median total income of households in 2020, before tax; a neighbourhood’s is estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups.
- Trip times. One way, on a usual day, from the census’s travel-time bands. Band midpoints overstate it a little next to the figure Statistics Canada times.
- Where people commute. Built from the census table that pairs each worker’s home municipality with their workplace municipality. A job here means someone who usually works in the municipality, local or not.
- Employment Insurance. Statistics Canada counts EI beneficiaries each month by census division. Seasonal work makes it swing, so read it as a trend, not a jobless rate.
- The Labour Force Survey. Sampled each month and released for regions rather than towns, so its rate describes the area around the town.
- In work. Everyone with a job, whatever their age, divided by the residents aged 15 to 64 at the 2021 Census: below the municipality the census doesn’t split work by age, and this is the one rate every town and neighbourhood can be given.
- Unemployment. It counts only people who wanted work and had none in May 2021, as a share of those working or searching; students and retirees who weren’t looking stay out of both sides.
- Which towns we compare. Comparisons are with the median of Canadian towns and city neighbourhoods counting 2,500 people or more, reserves and entire cities excluded.
Questions about work in Shefford
How do people in Shefford get to work?
By car: 97% of commuters, 0.9% take public transit, 1.6% walk and 0.5% cycle; on census day 25% of those in work worked from home.
How long is the commute from Shefford?
27.4 minutes is the average trip, with 29% of commuters there in under 15 minutes and 10% taking an hour or more.
Where do people in Shefford work?
Only 8.6% work in Shefford itself; the rest go first to Granby (915) and Bromont (380).
How many jobs are there in Shefford?
Statistics Canada counted 228 businesses with employees in June 2026.
What is the unemployment rate in Shefford?
On census day in May 2021, unemployment stood at 4.1% of the labour force (9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns). For a recent figure, the Labour Force Survey put the Montérégie economic region at 4.3% in October 2026.
What is the average household income in Shefford?
Shefford’s middle household had $96,200 in 2020, before tax; Canadian towns have $85,900 at their middle.
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population (Census Profile) · Statistics Canada, tables 98-10-0458 and 98-10-0459 (commuting) · Statistics Canada, table 14-10-0323 (EI beneficiaries) · Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey (14-10-0459, 14-10-0462) · Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Counts (33-10-1176) · grades: 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).