Angusin Essa, Ontario
In Ontario, this town has 26,036 residents. Its population rose 9% from 2016 to 2021.
Is Angus a good place to live?
A town of contrasts. Police record less crime here than in most towns (A). The trade-off is cost of living (C). Walkability is weaker too (C). Overall, that makes a B, better than 65% of Canadian towns. It ranks #308 of 858 in Ontario. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for schools, B for health and C+ for jobs & income.
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. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
What makes Angus stand out
The 3 things Angus does most differently from other towns.
How Angus grades
Each subject compares Angus 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 →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Angus.
Angus is graded an A+ for hazard risk
In Health Canada’s survey, just 0.9% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). No wildfire is mapped within 25 km of Angus’ homes since 1986 (0% of the land, 0.001% a year). The national flood inventory has no study of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Angus | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 0.9% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.018 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
The police who cover Angus record less serious crime than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 33
Violent incidents in its police area came to 7 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12). Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 12.7 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Angus | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 12.7 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 33 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 51 | 76 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 7 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 published for the Nottawasaga (New Tecumseth/Essa/Adjala Tosorontio) detachment area, not by town
Rent takes less of local pay in Angus than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 17% of household income
Owners make up just over four in five households. The median home value was $700,000, close to Ontario’s towns ($695,000) and above Canadian towns ($406,000).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Angus | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 22% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $700,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 17% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 81% | 76% | 74% |
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.
Around Angus, 54% of adults call their health very good or excellent
Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit
The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Angus’ is long: 15 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. Life expectancy in the region is 81.5 years (83.5 for women, 79.5 for men, 2022/2024). Just over one in ten adults smoke, daily or now and then, about level with Canadian towns (12%) and above Ontario’s towns (10%).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Angus | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 54% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.5 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 12% | 10% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Children make up 20% of Angus, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
12% of residents came to Canada as immigrants, above Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%) alike. People 65 and over make up 12% of the town.
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 49.3% of Angus
11,325 women and 11,645 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Angus | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 68% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 12% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 16% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 50% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Trips to work from Angus take longer than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 32 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Angus | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 32 min | 29 min | 26 min |
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.
January lows in Angus: −11.3°C, against −9.1°C in Ontario’s towns and −13.5°C in Canadian towns
December is the snowiest month, with 42 cm on average. Frost usually lifts by 16 May and returns around 5 October: 141 days without it. A normal winter brings 174 cm of snow, above Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. The most precipitation falls in June: 83 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Angus | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 174 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −11.3°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 793 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 26.0°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Egbert)
Angus in November: highs near 6°C, lows near −1°C
About 22 cm of snow falls in a normal November. Into December, the normals move to freezing and −7°C. November normally sees 72 mm of precipitation. Over the year, July is warmest at 26°C by day and January coldest at −11°C by night.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −10°C | 157 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 183 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 13°C | 244 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 4°C | 210 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Egbert); the forecast is on the Weather page
Per resident, Angus spends less than 99% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities
Angus sends one MP to Ottawa from Simcoe—Grey, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada).
| Turnout | Angus | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 15% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
3 public library branches serve Angus
Essa Public Library serves 22,970 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
English or French, public or Catholic: Angus’s schools come under 4 boards
Within 3 km of Angus are 19 elementary schools and 5 secondary schools, teaching 14,145 students. The largest is Banting Memorial High School, with 1,475 students. On the tests, 3 of 23 schools land above the middle in Ontario, 12 under it.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our Lady of Grace School CatholicLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 875 | English Catholic |
| Banting Memorial High School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,475 | English public |
| ÉÉC Marguerite-Bourgeois-Borden FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 120 | French Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Angus | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest elementary school | 2.2 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Rouge National Urban Park lies 46 km beyond Angus’ edge
For walks, the Thornton-Cookstown Trans Canada Trail (hiking) runs within 2 km. The nearest provincial park, Earl Rowe Provincial Park, is 1.5 km away. The protected share within 10 km is 4.3%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. 2 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest East Beach.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Angus | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 4.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
One place in Angus, at the top of the registers
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Angus | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 17% | 22% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Base Borden Military Museum and 4 more in and around Angus
A first look at Angus’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
MuseumBase Borden Military Museumin townWater parkWater parkThornton Splash Parkin townMuseumMuseumSir Fredrick Banting Homestead/ Birthplace of Banting600 m outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumMuseum on the Boyne1.6 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumAir Force Annex400 m outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Base Borden Military Museum: Balcer, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Angus
Famous people from Angus
4 notable people were born in Angus.
Photo credits
Leonard Jennett Simpson: L. Lyonde, Public domain
Angus’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angus | 26,036 | — | B | C | A | B |
| Barrie | 174,469 | 15 | B− | D | B− | B+ |
| Adjala-Tosorontio | 11,948 | 19 | B | C− | A | B+ |
| Springwater | 24,144 | 19 | A− | C− | A+ | B+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Angus
Has Angus grown?
Yes: the census counted 21,083 in 2016 and 22,970 in 2021, a rise of 9%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 26,036.
What kind of homes are in Angus?
77% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 1% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.9 people; 16% are one person living alone.
Who are the people of Angus?
10% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 4% have an Indigenous identity and 12% are immigrants.
About Angus
Town in Ontario
Angus is a municipality in Ontario, 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
- 26,036 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Simcoe
- Metro area
- Essa
- Census subdivision
- 3543021
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).