Kingstonin Kings, Subd. A, Nova Scotia
Statistics Canada places it in the Kings census division. The town has 24,574 residents and lies in Nova Scotia.
Is Kingston a good place to live?
More weak spots than strong ones. Where it falls short is health (D). Overall, Kingston earns a D: better than 13% of Canadian towns, and #50 of 88 in Nova Scotia. Owners valued their homes at a median $240,000 in 2021, which is 3.4 years of the typical household’s pay. Hazard risk is low (A−). Its other grades sit near the middle: C+ for safety and B− for walkability.
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
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 police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around 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.
How Kingston grades
Each subject compares Kingston 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 Kingston stand out
The 2 things Kingston does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Kingston.
Kingston gets a D for health
Shared with the rest of the Zone 1 - Western: health survey and life expectancy
The region has more smokers than Nova Scotia, 19% of adults to 14%, but the survey finds 44% of adults in very good or excellent health, below Nova Scotia’s towns (49%) and Canadian towns (52%) alike. Across the region, life runs to 80.0 years on average: women 82.5, men 77.6, in 2022/2024. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Kingston’s is long: 12 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Kingston | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 19% | 15% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 44% | 49% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.0 | 80.0 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Kingston is on Canada’s flood inventory: 3 listed, led by Province of Nova Scotia
Measured across the Zone 2 health region: radon tests
Radon around Kingston is ordinary for Canada: 5.6% of tested homes over the guideline (6.6% typical). Shaking is about as much of a worry in Kingston as in most places, at $0.022 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Burn scars are few around Kingston, with 0.1% of the land within 25 km touched by fire since 1986 (0.004% a year).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Kingston | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 5.6% | 13% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.022 | $0.018 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Summer runs warm in Kingston: July highs of 26.2°C, above Nova Scotia’s towns and Canadian towns
There are 153 days of frost in a typical year, about level with Canadian towns (159) and above Nova Scotia’s towns (133). The frost-free season runs from 10 May to 5 October, 147 days. A normal December brings 125 mm of precipitation, more than any other month. Snow peaks in January: 78 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Kingston | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 268 cm | 215 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 26.2°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,137 mm | 1,393 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −9.8°C | −8.9°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Greenwood)
Home values sit low against pay in Kingston: 3.4 times household income, where the typical Canadian town is at 4.7
Owners make up 74% of households, lower than Nova Scotia’s towns (82%) and near Canadian towns (74%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 14% of households, higher than Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) yet lower than Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Kingston | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 14% | 13% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $240,000 | $250,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 74% | 82% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.
Commuters in Kingston have a short way to work, 20 min on average, less than in Nova Scotia’s towns and across Canadian towns
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Kingston | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 20 min | 23 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Kingston gets a C+ for safety
Its police area recorded 17.1 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Nova Scotia’s towns (14.5) and Canadian towns (12). Where it is policed, thefts, break-ins and damage came to 31.4 per 1,000 a year, about level with Canadian towns (31.2) and below Nova Scotia’s towns (36.2). Behind Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 sits data gathered across the Kings County detachment area, with Kingston one part of it.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Kingston | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 17.1 | 14.5 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 31.4 | 36.2 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq IPCA, an Indigenous protected area, lies within 10 km of Kingston
One named trail is close: the Woodville Hiking Trail. The closest of Canada’s national parks is Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, at 43 km. Within 5 km lie 5 beaches, unnamed on the map.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Kingston | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 4.8% | 8.7% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 20 | 23.5 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
A normal November in Kingston runs from freezing to 9°C
Snowfall in a normal November: 15 cm. Next comes December, with normal highs of 3°C and lows of −6°C. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 120 mm. Also worth knowing: at the extremes, July afternoons reach 26°C and January nights −10°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −8°C | 316 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 251 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 12°C | 237 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 4°C | 333 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Greenwood); the forecast is on the Weather page
Federally, Kingston is divided between 2 ridings, among them Acadie—Annapolis and Kings—Hants
60% of Kingston residents have Chris d'Entremont as their MP; most of the rest have Kody Blois.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Kingston has two public libraries, Kingston Library and GACSTC Library
Without open library statistics in Nova Scotia, the page names Kingston’s libraries but shows no visits or loans.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
In and around Kingston, 11 schools: 9 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 school for every grade
Of the 11, one teaches in French (6% of schools in Nova Scotia). Schooling here is split between 2 boards, above Nova Scotia’s towns (1) but below Canadian towns (3).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge and District Elementary SchoolIn KingstonElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| École Rose-des-Vents FrenchIn KingstonAll grades | All grades | – | French public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Kingston | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Nearest secondary school | 3.7 km | 4.3 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Towns in Nova Scotia aren’t in the schools rankings: the province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20.
9,460 households and a median age of 45.6: who lives in Kingston
22% of residents are 65 or over, between Nova Scotia’s towns (25%) and Canadian towns (19%). One measure of family life: 17% 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
50.1% of Kingston’s residents are women
The 2021 census counted 11,210 women and 11,145 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Kingston | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 22% | 25% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 48% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Nova Scotia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Kingston’s past, on the record: 2 historic places
The earliest construction date, 1952, belongs to Hangar 9. Homes from before 1961 make up a quarter of the stock, below Nova Scotia’s towns (28%) but above Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
| Heritage | Kingston | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 25% | 28% | 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 Kingston
Oaklawn Farm Zoo and 12 more in and around Kingston
Sights in Kingston and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
MuseumApple Capital Museum700 m outside town, to the northeast
MuseumCharles Macdonald Concrete House Museum3.9 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumGreenwood Military Aviation Museumin townHistoric shipHistoric shipArcturus (CP140A)in townHistoric shipHistoric shipArgus (CP 107)in townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Apple Capital Museum: Letterofmarque, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Charles Macdonald Concrete House Museum: Skinnzy, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Kingston
12 notable people were born in Kingston.
Photo credits
Ernest Howard Armstrong: Harry J. Moss, Public domain · Frederick Gilbert King: Unknown author Uploaded by Marksouthworth, Public domain · Lindley Murray Moore: Cornell, Thomas C, Public domain
About Kingston
Town in Nova Scotia
Kingston is a municipality in Nova Scotia, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 24,574 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Nova Scotia
- Census division
- Kings
- Census subdivision
- 1207001
Kingston’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston | 24,574 | — | D | C | C+ | D |
| Berwick | 2,631 | 8 | C− | C− | C+ | C− |
| Annapolis County, Subdivision C | 5,694 | 16 | D | C+ | C− | D |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Kingston
Who are the people of Kingston?
At the 2021 census, 4% were immigrants and 3% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 5% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What kind of homes are in Kingston?
81% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.3 people; 27% are one person living alone.
Has Kingston grown?
It grew from 22,234 people in 2016 to 22,355 in 2021, up 0.5%; the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 24,574.
How old are the people of Kingston?
Its median age is 45.6, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2.
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).