Thetford MinesQuebec
Its census division is Les Appalaches. 27,155 people live in this town in Quebec.
Is Thetford Mines a good place to live?
Thetford Mines grades A− overall and ranks #180 of 499 in Quebec. That leaves it better than 82% of Canadian towns. Residents are healthier than most (A). Homes are affordable (B+). Natural hazards weigh more here (C−). Its other grades sit near the middle: B for safety, B− for jobs & income and B for walkability.
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 Thetford Mines grades
Each subject compares Thetford Mines 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 Thetford Mines stand out
The 3 things Thetford Mines does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Thetford Mines.
For health, Thetford Mines is ahead of 87% of Canadian towns
Source area for health survey and life expectancy: the Région de la Chaudière-Appalaches
Smokers make up 13% of the region’s adults, higher than both Quebec’s towns (12%) and Canadian towns (12%). In the health survey, nearly three in five adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, close to Quebec’s 57%. People in the region live to 82.8 on average: 84.4 for women and 81.3 for men in 2022/2024. The town’s own part is the trip to care: residents of Thetford Mines live 3.7 km from a hospital on average, close to the typical town’s 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Thetford Mines | 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
Summers stay cool in Thetford Mines: July afternoons reach 23.5°C, below Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
The most precipitation falls in July: 140 mm in a normal year. Some 358 cm of snow falls in a typical year, above both Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). Also worth knowing: on a January night, the temperature in Thetford Mines falls to about −16.1°C. Most of the snow comes in December, about 81 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Thetford Mines | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 358 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 23.5°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,324 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 177 | 161 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Thetford Mines)
Wildfire low, radon 13%: how Thetford Mines stands on hazards
Averaged over the years, quake damage costs $0.049 per $1,000 of buildings, below Quebec’s towns ($0.14) and close to Canadian towns ($0.030). No one has filed a flood map for Thetford Mines on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Thetford Mines | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 13% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.049 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Area behind the radon tests figures: the Chaudiere-Appalaches health region
Home ownership in Thetford Mines, 66%, runs below Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
Shared with the rest of the Thetford Mines metro area: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 11% of households, below Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. Rent took 17% 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 | Thetford Mines | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 11% | 13% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 66% | 70% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 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.
24% of Thetford Mines’s residents speak English and French (Quebec’s towns: 44%; Canadian towns: 7.5%)
2.8% of residents belong to a visible minority, below Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 1.2% of residents, 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
Women make up 51.6% of Thetford Mines
Here the census found 12,615 men and 13,455 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Thetford Mines | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 54% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 33% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 22% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 57% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Thetford Mines is graded a B for safety
Violent incidents in its police area came to 15.6 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Quebec’s towns (12.4) and Canadian towns (12). The force’s area logs 15.4 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. For Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, the only official count covers all of Appalaches MRC, Thetford Mines included.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Thetford Mines | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 15.4 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 15.6 | 12.4 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
What November brings in Thetford Mines: −4°C at night, 3°C by day
Snowfall in a normal November: 28 cm. Expect about 91 mm of rain and snow over November. July brings the warmest days, 24°C; January the coldest nights, −16°C. ECCC’s forecast for Thetford Mines is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −5°C | −14°C | 309 mm |
| Spring | 8°C | −2°C | 305 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 12°C | 396 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | 2°C | 315 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Thetford Mines); the forecast is on the Weather page
Marc-Alexandre Brousseau is mayor of Thetford Mines
Of the 78 Commons seats from Quebec, the Liberal Party of Canada holds 44.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Thetford Mines’s public library is Bibliotheque De L'Amitie
The library is 8.3 km from the centre of Thetford Mines.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Commuters in Thetford Mines have a short way to work, 17 min on average, less than in Quebec’s towns and across Canadian towns
By car: that was how 93% of commuters travelled at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Thetford Mines | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 17 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 93% | 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.
5.9 km from Thetford Mines to Frontenac National Park (Québec)
OpenStreetMap shows 2 unnamed beaches within 5 km. Within 100 km there is no national park. Parks and reserves take up 2.4% of the ground within 10 km, below Quebec’s towns (4.9%) and close to Canadian towns (2.3%).
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Thetford Mines | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 2.4% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
18 schools in and around Thetford Mines: 13 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and 2 schools for every grade
In English: 2 of the 18 schools, where in Quebec the share is 10%.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École AIBLIn Thetford MinesElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| École Saint-LouisIn Thetford MinesAll grades | All grades | – | French public |
| École primaire Saint-Patrick EnglishTeaches in EnglishElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Thetford Mines | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Source note: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school, so there’s no schools grade in Quebec.
Older housing stands out in Thetford Mines: 40% predates 1961
| Heritage | Thetford Mines | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 40% | 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 Thetford Mines
Musee Mineralogique et Minier de Thetford Mines and 2 more in and around Thetford Mines
From museums to parks and historic sites: Thetford Mines’s places to visit and those just beyond its edge, most famous first.
MuseumMusee Mineralogique et Minier de Thetford Minesin townAttractionAttractionPlongéin townWater parkWater parkJardin d'eauin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Musee Mineralogique et Minier de Thetford Mines: ChristianT, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Thetford Mines
43 notable people were born in Thetford Mines.
Photo credits
Simon Gamache: Fanny Schertzer, CC BY 3.0 · Jean-Marie Beaudet: Conrad Poirier, Public domain · Bob Fillion: Unknown author, Public domain · Michel Louvain: Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Christian Paradis: Firefingers10, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Thetford Mines
Town in Quebec
For Thetford Mines, 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
- 27,155 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census division
- Les Appalaches
- Census subdivision
- 2431084
Thetford Mines’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thetford Mines | 27,155 | — | A− | B+ | B | A |
| Saint-Joseph-de-Coleraine | 1,920 | 15 | — | A− | B | B+ |
| Adstock | 3,203 | 17 | A | A | B | A− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Thetford Mines
Do people in Thetford Mines speak French?
Almost everyone does. 24% are bilingual, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%, and 76% speak French and no English.
How old are the people of Thetford Mines?
Its median age is 53.6, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 14% of residents; over-65s, 33%.
Has Thetford Mines grown?
It added people: 25,403 in 2016, 26,072 in 2021, 2.6% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 27,155.
What kind of homes are in Thetford Mines?
Mostly 63% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2 people on average, and 40% have just one.
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).