Windsorin West Hants, Nova Scotia
20,318 people call this town in Nova Scotia home. Statistics Canada places it in the Hants census division.
Is Windsor a good place to live?
Several subjects drag its grade down. Incomes are on the low side (D). Homes are dear (C). Where it does best is health (B). The overall grade lands at D, #54 of 88 in Nova Scotia. On that grade it does better than 12% of Canadian towns.
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. 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 Windsor grades
Each subject compares Windsor 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 Windsor stand out
The 3 things Windsor does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Windsor.
Trips to work from Windsor take longer than from Nova Scotia’s towns or Canadian towns: 32 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Windsor | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 32 min | 23 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
Windsor households put 37% of their income into housing and transport, more than the 29% typical across Canada
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 16% of households, above Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) but below Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers four in five households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Windsor | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $230,000 | $250,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 16% | 13% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 80% | 82% | 74% |
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.
Windsor is graded a C+ for safety
The violent crime rate is 18.4 per 1,000 residents a year. Its violent severity index came to 99, close to Nova Scotia’s towns (94) and above Canadian towns (86).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Windsor | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 18.4 | 14.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 99 | 94 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
July afternoons in Windsor reach 25.9°C (Nova Scotia towns 23.1°C, Canadian towns 25.5°C)
Rain and melted snow add up to 1,216 mm a year, lower than Nova Scotia’s towns (1,393 mm) yet higher than Canadian towns (883 mm). For the wettest month, look to December: 134 mm on average. Between the last spring frost, 19 May, and the first in autumn, 1 October, lie 134 days. January nights in Windsor drop to −9.1°C on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Windsor | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 25.9°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 232 cm | 215 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,216 mm | 1,393 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −9.1°C | −8.9°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Waterville Cambridge)
51% of adults around Windsor rate their health very good or excellent
Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Zone 4 - Central
Arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure affect 18% of the region’s adults on average, lower than Nova Scotia’s towns (20%) yet higher than Canadian towns (17%). The region has fewer smokers than Nova Scotia, 11% of adults to 14%. Life expectancy in the region is 81.4 years (83.4 for women, 79.3 for men, 2022/2024). What sets Windsor apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 7.7 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Windsor | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 11% | 15% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 20% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.4 | 80.0 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 51% | 49% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Windsor is on Canada’s flood inventory: 4 listed, led by Halifax Regional Municipality
Radon topped the guideline in 13% of tested homes, close to Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) and above Canadian towns (6.6%). Little of the land around Windsor has burned: 0.1% within 25 km since 1986, or 0.002% a year. Windsor doesn’t get its own radon tests figures; the ones here come from the Zone 6 health region.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Windsor | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 13% | 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
143 public protected areas lie within 10 km of Windsor
For a provincial park, Card Lake Provincial Park lies 4.3 km off. Fundy National Park is the closest national park, 76 km from town. One named trail is close: the Wetlands Loop.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Windsor | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 143 | 23.5 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 5.7% | 8.7% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
11 schools in and around Windsor: 9 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools
None of them teaches in French, though 6% of schools in Nova Scotia do.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn District Elementary SchoolIn WindsorElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Avon View High SchoolIn WindsorSecondary · Grades 9–RG | Secondary · Grades 9–RG | – | English public |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Source note: the province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20, so there’s no schools grade in Nova Scotia.
Expect November days around 9°C in Windsor, nights around 1°C
About 15 cm of snow falls in a normal November. Then December: 3°C by day, −5°C at night. November normally sees 125 mm of precipitation. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Windsor forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −8°C | 338 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 274 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 13°C | 251 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 5°C | 353 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Waterville Cambridge); the forecast is on the Weather page
Kody Blois (Liberal Party of Canada) holds Kings—Hants, the riding that includes Windsor
The Liberal Party of Canada has 11 of the 11 MPs elected in Nova Scotia.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Windsor’s public library works from 3 branches
By name: A.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Who lives in Windsor: a median age of 48.8, 8,375 households
Immigrants make up 3.4% of residents, below Nova Scotia’s towns (4.3%) and Canadian towns (6.4%) alike. 4.1% of residents belong to a visible minority, close to Nova Scotia’s towns (4%) and below Canadian towns (15%).
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 51.5% of Windsor
Women numbered 10,055 and men 9,460 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Windsor | Nova Scotia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 61% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 25% | 25% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 52% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Nova Scotia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Blockhouse, from 1750, is Windsor’s oldest designated place
At the 2021 census, 32% of homes dated from before 1961, higher than both Nova Scotia’s towns (28%) and Canadian towns (18%). The lists give 6 historic places here, 3 in the top tier. Among the places are 2 provincial or municipal listings and a heritage railway station.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Windsor | Nova Scotia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 32% | 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 Windsor
Fort Edward and 10 more in and around Windsor
What there is to see in Windsor and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
MuseumFort Edwardin town
MuseumUniacke Estate Museum Park4.7 km outside town, to the eastSki hillSki hillSki Martockin townAttractionAttractionCamera Obscurain townMuseumMuseumChurchill Housein townMuseumMuseumClifton Museumin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Fort Edward: Hantsheroes, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Uniacke Estate Museum Park: Verne Equinox, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Windsor
39 notable people were born in Windsor.
Photo credits
George Lawrence Price: Gord Goddard, Public domain · Scott Brison: Halifax International Security Forum, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gerald Regan: Province House of Nova Scotia, Public domain · Amor De Cosmos: Unknown author, Public domain · Craig Scott: Djuradj Vujcic, CC BY 2.0 · George Elliott Clarke: Flickr contributor Harvey K, CC BY 2.0
About Windsor
Town in Nova Scotia
Every figure TownRatings gives for Windsor covers the municipality as Statistics Canada maps it, one census subdivision in Nova Scotia.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 20,318 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Nova Scotia
- Census division
- Hants
- Census subdivision
- 1208003
Windsor’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor | 20,318 | — | D | C | C+ | B |
| Kings County, Subdivision D | 6,517 | 18 | D | C | C+ | C− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Windsor
How old are the people of Windsor?
The typical resident is 48.8 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 25% of the population and under-15s at 15%.
Who are the people of Windsor?
Visible minorities are 4% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 3%, and Indigenous people 3%.
What kind of homes are in Windsor?
Households hold 2.3 people on average, and 28% have just one.
Is Windsor growing?
It added people: 19,016 in 2016, 19,509 in 2021, 2.6% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 20,318.
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).