20150705 - 12 - Collingwood, Ont. - First Street - Suburban Streetscape

CollingwoodOntario

Its population rose 14% from 2016 to 2021. Population 28,366: a town in Ontario.

3 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0

Population

28,366

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

50.8

years · Ontario’s towns: 46.8

Postsecondary

56%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

11%

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

TownGrade

#929 of 2,556

Is Collingwood a good place to live?

Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (A−). People here tend to be in good health (A−). The catch is cost of living (D−). Put together, the subjects come to a B overall, better than 63% of Canadian towns. Its place in the ranking is #335 of 858 in Ontario. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for safety and B for jobs & income.

Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.

StrongestA⁺Hazard risk A⁻Walkability A⁻HealthWeakestD⁻Cost of living

What makes Collingwood stand out

The 3 things Collingwood does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

8.6 times household income

Against 4.7 for the median of Canadian towns

Median owner’s estimate $700,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

Hazard risk

Better than 98%

of Canadian towns on hazard risk

Its hazard risk grade: A+.

Cost of living

Behind 96%

of Canadian towns on cost of living

Its cost of living grade: D−.

How Collingwood grades

Each subject compares Collingwood 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 grading works

Hazard riskBased on earthquake losses and radon in homes; a high wildfire risk can pull it downA⁺Open →Cost of livingHomes are among the least affordable for local incomesD⁻Open →WalkabilityNear the top of the towns comparedA⁻Open →HealthGraded on how healthy residents areA⁻Open →SchoolsSchools do better than mostB⁺Open →Jobs & incomeGraded on incomes, poverty and employmentBOpen →SafetyAbout average among the towns comparedBOpen →

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Collingwood.

Natural hazardsHazard risk A⁺

Collingwood earns an A+ for hazard risk

0.9% of radon tests in the survey area came in above the guideline, below Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%) alike. For earthquakes Collingwood is middling, $0.016 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. The national flood inventory has no study of the town.

Lowwildfire bandA⁺Hazard risk Grade

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Collingwood0.9%

Ontario’s towns4%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Collingwood	Ontario	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	0.9%	4%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.016	$0.043	$0.030

$0.016

expected earthquake loss a year per $1,000 of buildings

Low

wildfire band

Full pageCollingwood’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

WildfireLow wildfire band · No land burned within 25 km since 1986 FloodNo flood study on record Earthquakes$0.016 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon0.9% of tests above the guideline Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

HousingCost of living D⁻

Renting in Collingwood eats 24% of household income, more than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns

27% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, higher than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers 73% of households.

$700,000median home value, 2021D⁻Cost of living Grade

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Collingwood$700,000

Ontario$695,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Collingwood	Ontario	Canada
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	27%	22%	18%
Rent as a share of income	24%	22%	20%
Households owning their home	73%	76%	74%

$1,634

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$1,280

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageCollingwood’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$1,634 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey Cost of living8.6 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $700,000, against the median household income Owners and renters73% own their home

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. · Rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom published for the Collingwood metro area, not by town

HealthHealth A⁻

54% of adults around Collingwood rate their health very good or excellent

Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit

Measured from where Collingwood’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 2.3 km away, under the typical 3.7 km. Women in the region live to 83.5 and men to 79.5, 81.5 years taken together (2022/2024). A pharmacy is nearer: 1.7 km on average, with 2.6 within 3 km of the typical home.

54%very good or excellent healthA⁻Health Grade

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Collingwood54%

Ontario’s towns51%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Collingwood	Ontario	Canada
Very good or excellent health	54%	51%	52%
Life expectancy at birth	81.5	82.8	81.5
Smokers	12%	10%	12%

81.5

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

2.3 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

12%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

1.7 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageCollingwood’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey54% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care2.3 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 1.7 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 83.5, men 79.5 Conditions and habits17% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities

SchoolsSchools B⁺

The schools around Collingwood answer to 3 boards

Taken together, Collingwood and its 3 km edge hold 7 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools for 4,780 students. Over three years, results rose at 3 of its 9 tested schools. On the tests, 1 of 9 schools land above the middle in Ontario, 2 under it. Schooling in French is on offer at one of the 9; in Ontario, 10% of schools teach in it.

9schools within 3 kmB⁺Schools Grade

School	Level	Students	System
Admiral Collingwood Elementary School Second fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8	Elementary · Grades JK–8	600	English public
Collingwood Collegiate Institute Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12	Secondary · Grades 9–12	1,510	English public
ÉÉC Notre-Dame-de-la-Huronie FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–8	Elementary · Grades JK–8	130	French Catholic

See all 9 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

English public6

English Catholic2

French Catholic1

Schools within 3 km	Collingwood	Ontario	Canada
School boards	3	4	3

4,780

students at the schools within 3 km, 2024-25

1.1 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageCollingwood’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

The boards3 school boards · Simcoe County DSB Every school9 schools within 3 km · 7 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools Results1 of 9 in the top two fifths · of the schools with results, placed against every school in Ontario Language1 of 9 teach in French · 10% of schools in Ontario Questions“What schools are there in Collingwood?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25

Work & commuteJobs & income B

Trips to work from Collingwood are shorter than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 22 min on average

87% of commuters drove, near both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).

11%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van87%

Walk8%

Bicycle2%

Public transit1%

Census 2021	Collingwood	Ontario	Canada
Average trip	22 min	29 min	26 min
Car or van	87%	88%	89%

$82,000

median household income, 2020

24%

worked from home, May 2021

66%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageCollingwood’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment13% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work11% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to615 commuters · The biggest flow out: to The Blue Mountains

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.

Climate

July afternoons in Collingwood reach 25.3°C (Ontario towns 26.7°C, Canadian towns 25.5°C)

Frosty days number 131 in a normal year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). Expect January lows of around −8.7°C in Collingwood. December is the snowiest month, with 42 cm on average. Rain and snow peak in June, at 83 mm.

25.3°CJuly afternoons

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−0.1°C

Spring10.3°C

Summer24.2°C

Autumn14.4°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Collingwood	Ontario	Canada
January night low	−8.7°C	−9.1°C	−13.5°C
July afternoon high	25.3°C	26.7°C	25.5°C
Days with frost a year	131	139	159
Snowfall a year	174 cm	146 cm	141 cm

174 cm

of snow a year

131

days with frost a year

115

days with precipitation a year

Full pageCollingwood’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 25.3°C, January lows −8.7°C Rain and snow793 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow174 cm of snow a year Weather station0.8 km to the station · Collingwood

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Collingwood)

Who lives here

Older residents shape Collingwood: 30% are 65 or over, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns

13% of residents are children under 15. Visible minorities make up 6.9% of the population, below both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%).

50.8median age

CollingwoodOntarioCanada

OntarioCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

30%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree14%

Postsecondary qualification56%

Women and men · all residents

52.9% of Collingwood’s residents are women

Of the 2021 count, 13,115 were women and 11,700 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).

Who lives in Collingwood
	Collingwood	Ontario	Canada
Under 15	13%	15%	16%
15 to 64	57%	65%	64%
65+	30%	19%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	14%	15%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	56%	56%	56%

Full pageCollingwood’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages50.8 median age · 30% are 65 or over Households11,175 households · 2.2 people per household Immigrants13% are immigrants · 7% belong to a visible minority English and French8% speak both · 0% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

SafetySafety B

Collingwood earns a B for safety

For violence alone the index was 66, lower than both Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86). Thefts, break-ins and damage came to 29.4 per 1,000 residents a year, near Ontario’s towns (30.5) and lower than Canadian towns (31.2).

58Crime Severity Index

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202361

202458

202554

2023–2025	Collingwood	Ontario	Canada
Violent Crime Severity Index	66	76	86
Property crime per 1,000	29.4	30.5	31.2

non-violent Crime Severity Index

52%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageCollingwood’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety58 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Collingwood’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Collingwood safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average

Weather

Collingwood in November: highs near 8°C, lows near 1°C

Expect about 72 mm of rain and snow over November. A typical November adds 22 cm of snow. Across the year, normals run from −9°C nights in January to 25°C afternoons in July. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Collingwood forecast, on the Weather page.

8°Ca normal November afternoon

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November8°C

December2°C

January−1°C

February−1°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	0°C	−7°C	157 mm
Spring	10°C	1°C	183 mm
Summer	24°C	15°C	244 mm
Autumn	14°C	6°C	210 mm

1°C

a normal November night

72 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageCollingwood’s weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest July, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Collingwood); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Fewer than 88% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spend as much per resident as Collingwood

Federally, Collingwood sits in Simcoe—Grey, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), held by Terry Dowdall of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Turnout	Collingwood	Ontario	Canada
Municipal election, 2022	40%	31%	31%

Full pageCollingwood’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Who runs itTown council seats9

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade B

Collingwood Public Library logs 7 visits per person served, more than 95% of Ontario’s town libraries

Collingwood Public Library serves 24,811 people from a single building.

Full pageCollingwood’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

The libraries1 Libraries Places to belong1.9 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Outdoors

Collingwood is 45 km from Georgian Bay Islands National Park

The 10 km around town hold 15 protected areas. 2.7 km from town is Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, the nearest provincial park. Within 10 km of the town, 3.9% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town. 3 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Sunset Point Beach.

3.9%of the land within 10 km protected

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Collingwood3.9%

Ontario’s towns2.3%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Collingwood	Ontario	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	3.9%	2.3%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	9	4	4

45 km

to Georgian Bay Islands National Park

2.7 km

to Wasaga Beach Provincial Park

beaches within 5 km

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pageCollingwood’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas15 protected areas within 10 km · Wasaga Beach Provincial Park National & provincial parks45 km to a national park · Georgian Bay Islands National Park

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

History

Collingwood: 3 historic places, 2 with the highest designation

Go back to 1857 and you reach Lighttower, the oldest of them. Designations here include a provincial or municipal listing. Before 1961 is when nearly a fifth of the homes went up, lower than Ontario’s towns (22%) yet higher than Canadian towns (18%).

3historic places

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations2

Other federal designations0

Provincial and local listings1

Among them

1857

oldest construction date on the record

Heritage	Collingwood	Ontario	Canada
Homes built before 1961	19%	22%	18%

Full pageCollingwood’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registers3 historic places inside the town Highest designations2 top designations · Lighttower Older homes19% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Collingwood have?”

Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period

Nearby attractions

Blue Mountain Go Karts and 8 more in and around Collingwood

The best-known places to visit in and around Collingwood come first; the full list is on the Attractions page.

All attractions →

Theme parkTheme parkBlue Mountain Go Kartsin town

Ski hillBlue Mountain2.6 km outside town, to the west MuseumMuseumCollingwood Museumin town Ski hillSki hillCraigleith Ski Club4.1 km outside town, to the west Ski hillSki hillOsler Bluff Ski Club2.7 km outside town, to the southwest AttractionAttractionGreat Northern Exhibition Grounds700 m outside town, to the east

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (1)

Blue Mountain: Niels Elgaard Larsen - (WT-en) Elgaard at English Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Collingwood

15pages on Collingwood

The big questions

SafetyBCrime Severity Index 58 Housing & costD⁻Homes 8.6 × income Property pricesSchoolsB⁺9 schools within 3 km HealthA⁻Life expectancy 81.5 in its region Work & commuteB49% of adults in work Natural hazardsA⁺Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors3.9% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 25°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 50.8 History3 places on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Famous people from Collingwood

30 notable people were born in Collingwood.

See all 30 →

Reg NobleCanadian ice hockey player · 1895–1962

Lynn JohnstonCanadian cartoonist · born 1947

Stacey DalesCanadian basketball player and sports reporter · born 1979

Mary-Margaret McMahonCanadian politician · born 1966

Darryl SlyCanadian ice hockey player · 1939–2007

Claire AlexanderCanadian ice hockey defenceman · born 1945

Photo credits

Reg Noble: Unknown author, Public domain · Lynn Johnston: mackbrad, CC BY 2.0 · Stacey Dales: Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mary-Margaret McMahon: Stephanie Clark, CC BY-SA 4.0

Collingwood’s neighbours

The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada

StaynerWasaga BeachThornburyCollingwood

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Collingwood	28,366	—	B	D⁻	B	A⁻
Stayner	16,571	13	B	D	A	B⁺
Wasaga Beach	28,736	14	D	D⁻	B⁺	B⁺
Thornbury	11,162	17	A⁻	D	A	C⁺

People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.

Questions about Collingwood

Has Collingwood grown?

Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 21,793 to 24,811 residents (up 13.8%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 28,366.

Who are the people of Collingwood?

Visible minorities are 7% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 13%, and Indigenous people 2%.

What kind of homes are in Collingwood?

Mostly 56% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 4% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.2 people on average, and 34% have just one.

About Collingwood

Town in Ontario

The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Collingwood 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: 28,366 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Ontario
Census division: Simcoe
Census subdivision: 3543031

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).