SherbrookeQuebec
Some 184,135 people live in this town, in Quebec. Its population rose 7% from 2016 to 2021.
Is Sherbrooke a good place to live?
A well-rated place to live, with prices to match. Overall, Sherbrooke earns a B+, which places it #250 of 499 in Quebec. On that grade it does better than 70% of Canadian towns. Its strongest is health (A+). Walking, cycling and public transport work well here (A). The drawback is cost of living (C−). Its other grades sit near the middle: B for safety, B− for jobs & income and B for hazard risk.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. 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 Sherbrooke stand out
The 3 things Sherbrooke does most differently from other towns.
How Sherbrooke grades
Each subject compares Sherbrooke 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 →
Cathedral Basilica of St Michael, Sherbrooke and 10 more in and around Sherbrooke
Sights in Sherbrooke and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
CathedralCathedral Basilica of St Michael, Sherbrookein town
MuseumSherbrooke Nature and Science Museumin town · 40K visitors a year
MuseumSherbrooke History Museumin town
MuseumSherbrooke Museum of Fine Artsin town
MuseumUplands Cultural and Heritage Centrein townMuseumMuseumLennoxville Ascot Historical and Museum Societyin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Cathedral Basilica of St Michael, Sherbrooke: Libertad-pb, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sherbrooke Nature and Science Museum: Philip Bastarache, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sherbrooke History Museum: Philip Bastarache, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sherbrooke Museum of Fine Arts: Philip Bastarache, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Uplands Cultural and Heritage Centre: Cantons-de-l'Est, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sherbrooke.
Sherbrooke earns an A+ for health
Measured across the Région de l'Estrie: health survey and life expectancy
For Sherbrooke itself the measure is access: 3.7 km to the nearest hospital, much like the typical 3.7 km. The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 14% of adults, lower than both Quebec’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%). Lives in the region last 82.9 years on average (2022/2024): 84.8 for women, 81.0 for men. About as many adults call their health very good or excellent here as across Quebec, 57% against 57%.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Sherbrooke | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 57% | 56% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.9 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Measured against local pay, Sherbrooke costs more to live in than 77% of Canadian towns
16% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, between Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Owners put the median home at $250,000, below both Quebec’s towns ($300,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). Sherbrooke shares its rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom numbers with the rest of the Sherbrooke metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Sherbrooke | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $250,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 16% | 13% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 20% | 18% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.
Sherbrooke earns a B for safety
Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 16.1 per 1,000 residents a year. Per 1,000 residents, 10.3 violent crimes are recorded each year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Sherbrooke | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 16.1 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 10.3 | 12.4 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
A flood study covers Sherbrooke: 3 on the national inventory, the newest from Ville de Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke’s survey area, 7.3% over the radon guideline, is close to the typical town’s 6.6%. For earthquakes Sherbrooke is middling, $0.043 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Sherbrooke | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.043 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 7.3% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Area behind the radon tests figures: the Estrie health region
More people in Sherbrooke speak English and French than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 46%
People 65 and over make up 21% of the town, above Quebec’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (19%) alike. One measure of family life: 16% of residents are under 15.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
51.0% of Sherbrooke’s residents are women
88,145 women and 84,805 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Sherbrooke | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 63% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 21% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 16% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 64% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Sherbrooke runs from −3°C to 6°C
Expect around 26 cm of snow in November. Next comes December, with normal highs of −1°C and lows of −10°C. Precipitation in November averages 70 mm. The year peaks in July (26°C) and bottoms out in January (−15°C).
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −13°C | 217 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | −1°C | 235 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 12°C | 305 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 3°C | 258 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Lennoxville); the forecast is on the Weather page
12,280 residents per council seat in Sherbrooke, a higher ratio than 99% of Quebec municipalities
Sherbrooke’s council has 14 councillors and is led by Marie-Claude Bibeau, the mayor.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Sherbrooke’s public library works from 5 branches
The population Sherbrooke public library serves is 184,667.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Neither notably warm, cold, wet nor dry, Sherbrooke sits near the middle of Canadian towns
Rain and snow peak in August, at 104 mm. Snow totals 291 cm over the year, higher than both Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). A normal December brings 71 cm of snow, the most of any month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Sherbrooke | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 291 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 25.7°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,015 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 167 | 161 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Lennoxville)
Trips to work from Sherbrooke are shorter than from Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 21 min on average
87% of commuters drove, close to both Quebec’s towns (90%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Sherbrooke | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 21 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 87% | 90% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
Sherbrooke is 4.4 km from Mont-Orford National Park (Québec)
Within 10 km are 23 protected areas. The nearest national park is more than 100 km away. Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 4.1% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. Swimmers have 3 beaches within 5 km, Plage Lucien-Blanchard the nearest.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Sherbrooke | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 3 | 10 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 4.1% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
3 school boards share Sherbrooke
Within 3 km of Sherbrooke are 44 elementary schools, 17 secondary schools and 3 schools for every grade. Of the 64, 4 teach in English (10% of schools in Quebec).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École Alfred-DesRochersIn SherbrookeElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Bishop's College School EnglishIn SherbrookeSecondary | Secondary | – | Independent |
| École primaire de Lennoxville EnglishTeaches in EnglishElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Sherbrooke | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Ungraded on schools in Quebec, because the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
11 historic places in Sherbrooke, 6 of them top designations
The record has 2 Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings, 2 heritage railway stations and a municipal citation. Of the dated places, Chapelle Saint-Mark de Bishop's University is the oldest, from 1853. At the 2021 census, 18% of homes dated from before 1961, below Quebec’s towns (21%) and close to Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Sherbrooke | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 18% | 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 Sherbrooke
Famous people from Sherbrooke
240 notable people were born in Sherbrooke.
Photo credits
Garou: Wojciech Pędzich, CC BY 4.0 · Northrop Frye: Ashoola, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kim Boutin: Laetitiapp, CC BY-SA 4.0 · David Hall: unknown; User FreeMO on de.wikipedia, Public domain · David Perron: Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sean Patrick Maloney: United States Department of State, Public domain
Sherbrooke’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherbrooke | 184,135 | — | B+ | C− | B | A+ |
| Hatley | 2,512 | 8.2 | A+ | B+ | A− | A |
| Waterville | 2,643 | 11 | A | B | A− | A |
| Ascot Corner | 3,725 | 12 | A | B+ | B+ | A |
| Stoke | 3,272 | 12 | A | B+ | A− | A |
| Saint-Denis-de-Brompton | 5,249 | 15 | A | B+ | A− | A |
| Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley | 2,938 | 18 | A− | C+ | A− | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Sherbrooke
Do people in Sherbrooke speak French?
French comes first: 51.6% speak it alone, while 46% manage both languages (Canadian towns: 8%).
What kind of homes are in Sherbrooke?
37% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 3% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.1 people; 40% are one person living alone.
Who are the people of Sherbrooke?
Visible minorities are 10% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 9%, and Indigenous people 2%.
Has Sherbrooke grown?
It added people: 161,323 in 2016, 172,950 in 2021, 7.2% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 184,135.
About Sherbrooke
Town in Quebec
For Sherbrooke, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in Quebec, and every figure on its pages covers that whole area.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 184,135 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census subdivision
- 2443027
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).