The village takes its name from "Havre Boucher", a natural harbour that opens onto St. George's Bay to the north. The community has expanded from its original setting on the west side of the harbour to now encompass the communities of Auld's Cove, Cape Jack, East Havre Boucher, West Havre Boucher, Frankville and Linwood.
Havre Boucher is largely rural and dependent upon the fishing industry, and as a service centre for the surrounding area.
Formerly an incorporated village, offering its residents political control through an elected governing body known as a "village commission" which operated under the auspices of the Nova Scotia Municipal Services Act, its status was dissolved in 2018.[2]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Havre Boucher had a population of 281 living in 128 of its 137 total private dwellings, a change of -9.1% from its 2016 population of 309. With a land area of 2.69 km2 (1.04 sq mi), it had a population density of 104.5/km2 (270.6/sq mi) in 2021.[3]