BayhamOntario
It is a town of 7,935 residents in Ontario. Statistics Canada places it in the Elgin census division.
Is Bayham a good place to live?
The picture is mixed. Its schools fall short (C−). With a C overall, Bayham is better than just over a third of Canadian towns and ranks #657 of 858 in Ontario. It also trails on jobs & income (C−). Safety is its strong suit (A). At $472,000, the median home value in 2021 came to 5.7 times local household income.
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. 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 Bayham grades
Each subject compares Bayham 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 Bayham stand out
The 3 things Bayham does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bayham.
Violent crime weighs less where Bayham is policed than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 41
Across its police area, there are 11.6 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year. The index for the force that serves it came to 32, below Ontario’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67) alike. Violence across its police area runs at 6.9 per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Bayham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 11.6 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 32 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 41 | 76 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 6.9 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Area behind the Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures: the Elgin County detachment area
Commuters in Bayham travel further than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, 31 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Bayham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 31 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.
Bayham’s schools mostly sit under the middle in Ontario, 3 of the 5 with results
Teenagers have 15 km to go to the closest secondary school, higher than both Ontario’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km). Within 3 km of Bayham are 4 elementary schools and 1 secondary school, teaching 2,125 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westfield Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 635 | English public |
| Glendale High School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 820 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Bayham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 15 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest elementary school | 3.5 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Bayham’s hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 7.5% of area homes over the radon guideline
Area-wide: radon tests, counted over the Elgin-St. Thomas Health Unit
Seismic risk in Bayham sits near the middle: $0.022 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. Flood mapping: none on the national inventory of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Bayham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 7.5% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.022 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Children make up 25% of Bayham, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
People 65 and over make up 15% of the town, below both Ontario’s towns (19%) and Canadian towns (19%). Visible minorities make up 2% of the population, below Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike.
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 49.1% of Bayham
Women numbered 3,480 and men 3,610 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Bayham | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 25% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 60% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 15% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 41% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 31% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Bayham has warmer summers than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: July afternoons reach 27.5°C
January nights fall to −8.9°C on average, about level with Ontario’s towns (−9.1°C) and above Canadian towns (−13.5°C). Snow peaks in January: 28 cm in a normal year. A normal July brings 89 mm of precipitation, more than any other month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Bayham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 27.5°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 91 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −8.9°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 965 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Delhi)
49% of adults around Bayham rate their health very good or excellent
A hospital lies 16 km from the typical home, above Ontario’s towns (3.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km) alike. People in the region live to 80.6 on average: 83.0 for women and 78.2 for men in 2022/2024. A pharmacy is nearer: 7.8 km on average, with 0.1 within 3 km of the typical home. Bayham doesn’t get its own health survey and life expectancy figures; the ones here come from the Oxford Elgin St. Thomas Health Unit.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Bayham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.6 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 49% | 51% | 52% |
| Smokers | 12% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Rent takes less of local pay in Bayham than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 15% of household income
The owner-occupied share of households is 89%. Shelter took 30% or more of income for 18% of households, below Ontario’s towns (22%) and close to Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Bayham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 15% | 22% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 89% | 76% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $472,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 18% | 22% | 18% |
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.
In Bayham, November normally means 8°C afternoons and freezing nights
Then December: 2°C by day, −5°C at night. Expect about 83 mm of rain and snow over November. About 4 cm of snow falls in a normal November. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Tillsonburg forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −8°C | 216 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 1°C | 246 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 14°C | 250 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 5°C | 254 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Delhi); the forecast is on the Weather page
Only 25% of Bayham voters cast a ballot in 2022, fewer than in 86% of Ontario municipalities
The October 2022 vote made Ed Ketchabaw mayor of Bayham, heading 5 seats.
| Turnout | Bayham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 25% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Elgin County Library - Burwell and Elgin County Library - Straffordville are Bayham’s two public libraries
Its libraries report as part of a wider system, so there are no figures for Bayham in particular.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Bayham borders Port Burwell Provincial Park
0.5% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%). National parks are all over 100 km off. CPCAD lists 9 protected areas within 10 km. For a swim, Port Burwell East Beach (Municipal) is the nearest of 3 beaches within 5 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Bayham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.5% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
An older town: 37% of Bayham’s homes predate 1961
All told, the heritage lists hold 1 historic place within the town.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Bayham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 37% | 22% | 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 Bayham
HMCS Ojibwa and 2 more in and around Bayham
A first look at Bayham’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
MuseumHMCS Ojibwain town
MuseumAnnandale House (Tillsonburg Museum)3.8 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumPort Burwell Marine Museumin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- HMCS Ojibwa: Kmw2700, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Annandale House (Tillsonburg Museum): Colincan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Bayham
3 notable people were born in Bayham.
Photo credits
Mary Dignam: W. Briggs, Public domain
About Bayham
Town in Ontario
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Bayham is one census subdivision in Ontario, and TownRatings describes all of it.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 7,935 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Elgin
- Census subdivision
- 3534005
Bayham’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayham | 7,935 | — | C | C+ | A | C+ |
| Malahide | 9,995 | 13 | B− | C− | A | C+ |
| Aylmer | 8,371 | 14 | C | D | B+ | C+ |
| Tillsonburg | 21,450 | 17 | C− | D | B | B− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Bayham
What kind of homes are in Bayham?
Households hold 3.1 people on average, and 19% have just one.
Is Bayham growing?
No: the census counted 7,396 in 2016 and 7,096 in 2021, 4.1% fewer, against growth of 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 7,935.
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).