Bowmanvillein Clarington, Ontario
The town has 114,180 residents and lies in Ontario. Statistics Canada counts it in the Oshawa metro area.
Is Bowmanville a good place to live?
Strong in places, weak in others. With a B− overall, Bowmanville is better than 55% of Canadian towns and ranks #444 of 858 in Ontario. It does especially well on safety (A−). Homes are dear (C−). Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for schools, B for health, B− for jobs & income and B for walkability.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety is the regional police service's figure, shared with its other towns. 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 Bowmanville stand out
The 3 things Bowmanville does most differently from other towns.
How Bowmanville grades
Each subject compares Bowmanville 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 →
Jungle Cat World and 11 more in and around Bowmanville
What there is to see in Bowmanville and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
ZooSafari Zoo Campin town
Art galleryThe Robert McLaughlin Gallery4.5 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumParkwood4.4 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumClarington Museums and Archivesin townMuseumMuseumBowmanville Museumin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Safari Zoo Camp: Phklose ., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Robert McLaughlin Gallery: Hyfen, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Parkwood: Robert AD Scott, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bowmanville.
Bowmanville faces fewer hazards than 90% of Canadian towns
Shaking is about as much of a worry in Bowmanville as in most places, at $0.028 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Durham Region has mapped the flood hazard here: one study on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 0% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.028 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
More households own their home in Bowmanville than in Ontario’s towns or across Canadian towns: 86%
Measured across the Oshawa metro area: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom
Rent took 19% of household income, below both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 86% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 19% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 19% | 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.
For safety, Bowmanville gets an A−
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 46 over 2023–25, below both Ontario’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). Where it is policed, 7.9 violent incidents per 1,000 residents are recorded each year. Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 20.4 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 20.4 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 46 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 7.9 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 61 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Not measured by town: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 (the Durham Region (Oshawa/Whitby/Ajax) service area)
Very good or excellent health for 50% of adults in Bowmanville’s health region
Lives in the region last 82.6 years on average (2022/2024): 84.7 for women, 80.5 for men. For Bowmanville itself the measure is access, and it lags: 4.9 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. A pharmacy is nearer: 1.9 km on average, with 4.0 within 3 km of the typical home. Figures for health survey and life expectancy are published for the Durham Regional Health Unit as a whole, not for Bowmanville alone.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 50% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.6 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 11% | 10% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Bowmanville gets fewer frosts than 84% of Canadian towns
Winter lows in Bowmanville average −8.9°C in January. Gardeners get 167 frost-free days, from 30 April to 15 October. Some 102 cm of snow falls in a typical year, below Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. June is the wettest month, with 94 mm of rain and snow on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 102 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| Days with frost a year | 130 | 139 | 159 |
| January night low | −8.9°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 25.7°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Oshawa)
Children make up 19% of Bowmanville, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
People 65 and over make up 15% of the town, lower than both Ontario’s towns (19%) and Canadian towns (19%). 17% of residents belong to a visible minority, between Ontario’s towns (26%) and 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 50.9% of Bowmanville
Here the census found 49,785 men and 51,645 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 65% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 15% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 57% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Expect November days around 8°C in Bowmanville, nights around freezing
December follows at 2°C by day and −5°C by night. In November, the normal is 73 mm of rain and snow. Also worth knowing: july brings the warmest days, 26°C; January the coldest nights, −9°C. ECCC’s forecast for Oshawa is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −7°C | 196 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 2°C | 226 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 15°C | 254 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 231 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Oshawa); the forecast is on the Weather page
Bowmanville has one council seat for every 16,310 residents, more than 94% of municipalities in Ontario
Parts of Bowmanville vote in 2 different ridings for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario: Durham and Northumberland—Peterborough South.
| Turnout | Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 28% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
At 6.8 loans per person served, Clarington Public Library lends more than 87% of Ontario’s town libraries
From 3 branches, Clarington Public Library serves 110,891 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Commuters in Bowmanville travel further than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, 31 min on average
At the census, 93% of commuters went by car.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 31 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 93% | 88% | 89% |
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.
Schools in Bowmanville: 5 boards, side by side
In French: one of the 60 schools, where in Ontario the share is 10%. The largest is Maxwell Heights Secondary School, with 1,765 students. The 54 with results split, 10 in the upper two fifths in Ontario and 25 in the lower. Within 3 km of Bowmanville are 51 elementary schools, 8 secondary schools and 1 alternative or adult school, teaching 32,365 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Bowman Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 905 | English public |
| Maxwell Heights Secondary School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,765 | English public |
| École élémentaire Viola-Léger FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 130 | French public |
| St. Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School CatholicResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 400 | English Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 5 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
A national park 24 km from Bowmanville: Rouge National Urban Park
Walkers have 2 mapped routes close by, starting with the Oak Ridges Trail and Ganaraska Trail. Within 5 km are 9 beaches; East Beach is the nearest. 1.6% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%).
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.6% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
One place in Bowmanville, at the top of the registers
13% of its homes were built before 1961, below Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 13% | 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 Bowmanville
Famous people from Bowmanville
51 notable people were born in Bowmanville.
Photo credits
Bryan Bickell: Resolute, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mike Keenan: Resolute, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Charles Brent: Brown Bros., Public domain · Greg Nemisz: Resolute, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Brent Hughes: St. Louis Blues, Public domain · Sam Hughes: William James Topley, Public domain
Bowmanville’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowmanville | 114,180 | — | B− | C− | A− | B |
| Oshawa | 213,592 | 13 | B− | D− | A− | B+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Bowmanville
Has Bowmanville grown?
Yes: the census counted 92,013 in 2016 and 101,427 in 2021, a rise of 10.2%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 114,180.
What kind of homes are in Bowmanville?
Mostly 78% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 2% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.8 people on average, and 18% have just one.
Is Bowmanville a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 39.2, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2.
About Bowmanville
Town in Ontario
Statistics Canada treats Bowmanville as a single census subdivision in Ontario, and TownRatings keeps to that line.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 114,180 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Durham
- Metro area
- Oshawa
- Census subdivision
- 3518017
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).