StansteadQuebec
It is a town of 2,994 residents in Quebec. It is part of Memphrémagog, a census division.
Is Stanstead a good place to live?
Stanstead’s grades pull in different directions. It is a safe place by the numbers (A−). Its overall grade, B+, puts it better than 72% of Canadian towns. The ranking puts it #235 of 499 in Quebec. Health is a strength (A−). Jobs and pay trail most towns (C−). Homes are dear (C).
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 Stanstead grades
Each subject compares Stanstead 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 Stanstead stand out
The 3 things Stanstead does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Stanstead.
Violent crime weighs less where Stanstead is policed than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 58
The force’s area logs 8.2 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 40 over 2023–25, lower than both Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 7.9 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed. Nobody publishes Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 for Stanstead alone, so this card uses the figure for Memphrémagog MRC.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Stanstead | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 7.9 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 40 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 58 | 88 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 8.2 | 12.4 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Household incomes in Stanstead are lower than in 96% of Canadian towns
Commutes averaged 22 min, below Quebec’s towns (27 min) and Canadian towns (26 min) alike. 87% of commuters took the car to work at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Stanstead | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 87% | 90% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
Less long-term illness in Stanstead’s health region: 14% on the three conditions, the typical Canadian town 17%
Adults who call their own health very good or excellent: 57%, close to Quebec’s towns (56%) and above Canadian towns (52%). For 2022/2024, the region’s figure is 82.9 years at birth, 84.8 for women and 81.0 for men. Measured from where Stanstead’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 27 km away, beyond the typical 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Stanstead | 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 · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the Région de l'Estrie
Owners in Stanstead value their homes at only 3.7 times what a household earns; the typical Canadian town is at 4.7
Owners put the median home at $200,000, lower than both Quebec’s towns ($300,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). 69% of households own their home.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Stanstead | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $200,000 | $300,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 17% | 13% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 69% | 70% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 19% | 18% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
Stanstead has cooler summers than Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: July highs of 24.7°C
Rain and melted snow add up to 1,217 mm a year, above both Quebec’s towns (1,041 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm). A normal December brings 71 cm of snow, the most of any month. Between the last spring frost, 19 May, and the first in autumn, 30 September, lie 133 days. June is the wettest month, with 130 mm of rain and snow on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Stanstead | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 291 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,217 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 24.7°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Coaticook)
Hazards in Stanstead: wildfire low, radon over the guideline in 7.3% of tested homes
Shaking is about as much of a worry in Stanstead as in most places, at $0.038 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). The national flood inventory has no study of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Stanstead | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.038 | $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 · Radon tests: the Estrie health region
Protected land is scarce around Stanstead: 0.3% within 10 km
For a swim, Plage Weir is the beach within 5 km. The nearest national park is more than 100 km away. The 10 km around town hold 4 protected areas. 1.1 km out lies the largest, Proposed Michael-Dunn Biodiversity Reserve, at 118 ha.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Stanstead | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.3% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Stanstead in November: highs near 5°C, lows near −3°C
For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Coaticook forecast. Then December: −2°C by day, −9°C at night. Snow is normal by November, about 26 cm over the month. A normal November brings 91 mm of rain and snow.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −12°C | 264 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | 0°C | 278 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 13°C | 369 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 3°C | 305 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Coaticook); the forecast is on the Weather page
Jody Stone leads Stanstead as mayor
Of the 78 Commons seats from Quebec, the Liberal Party of Canada holds 44.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Stanstead has one public library, Bibliothèque De Stanstead
It stands 0.8 km from the centre of Stanstead.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
More people in Stanstead speak English and French than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 62%
Immigrants make up 8.9% of residents, higher than both Quebec’s towns (2.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). 2.2% of residents have an Indigenous identity, above Quebec’s towns (1.5%) but below 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
48.0% of Stanstead’s residents are women
Here the census found 1,470 men and 1,355 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Stanstead | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 57% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 27% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 32% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 36% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Teaching in English: 2 of Stanstead’s 3 schools
In or within 3 km of Stanstead: 2 elementary schools and 1 secondary school.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École du Jardin-des-FrontièresIn StansteadElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Collège Stanstead EnglishIn StansteadSecondary | Secondary | – | Independent |
| École primaire Sunnyside EnglishTeaches in EnglishElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Stanstead | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 2 | 3 |
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.
In Stanstead, 64% of homes go back before 1961
The list takes in 12 municipal citations and a Recognized Federal Heritage Building. Go back to 1810 and you reach Édifice Wilder-Pierce, the oldest of them. The registers put 15 historic places inside its boundary, 2 of them of the highest rank.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
| Heritage | Stanstead | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 64% | 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 Stanstead
Colby Curtis Museum and 4 more in and around Stanstead
The best-known places to visit in and around Stanstead come first; the full list is on the Attractions page.
Famous people from Stanstead
11 notable people were born in Stanstead.
Photo credits
Jason Lee: A. Atwood, Public domain · John Thomas Hackett: Unknown author, Public domain · Benjamin H. Steele: Frederick W. Baldwin, author. Vermont Watchman and State Journal Press (Montpelier, VT), publisher., Public domain · Hiram R. Steele: Unknown author, Public domain
About Stanstead
Town in Quebec
Every figure TownRatings gives for Stanstead covers the municipality as Statistics Canada maps it, one census subdivision in Quebec.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,994 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Memphrémagog
- Census subdivision
- 2445008
Stanstead’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanstead | 2,994 | — | B+ | C | A− | A− |
| Stanstead | 1,171 | 14 | — | C− | A− | A |
| Ayer's Cliff | 1,284 | 19 | — | B− | A− | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Stanstead
Do people in Stanstead speak French?
French is the common language here. 62% of residents also speak English (the median of Canadian towns: 8%), and 12.3% speak French but not English.
Who are the people of Stanstead?
Visible minorities are 0% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 9%, and Indigenous people 2%.
How old are the people of Stanstead?
48.8 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 27% of residents are 65 or over and 16% under 15.
Is Stanstead growing?
It added people: 2,788 in 2016, 2,824 in 2021, 1.3% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 2,994.
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).