Draytonin Mapleton, Ontario
11,518 people live in this town in Ontario. Its census division is Wellington.
Is Drayton a good place to live?
Drayton’s overall grade of A puts it better than 91% of Canadian towns, #47 of 858 in Ontario. It is a safe place by the numbers (A+). Jobs & income is another plus (A). Housing is expensive (C). The rest of its grades are middling: B for health, B for walkability and B for hazard risk.
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 Drayton grades
Each subject compares Drayton 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 Drayton stand out
The 3 things Drayton does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Drayton.
The force covering Drayton records less serious violence than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, at 28
The index for the force that serves it came to 29, below Ontario’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67) alike. The force’s area logs 4.9 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. What’s more, across its police area, there are 13.6 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Drayton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 13.6 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 28 | 76 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 29 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 4.9 | 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: one figure for all of the Wellington County detachment area
Household incomes in Drayton are higher than in 92% of Canadian towns
91% of commuters drove, higher than Ontario’s towns (88%) and near Canadian towns (89%). Workers spend 26 min getting to work, on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Drayton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 91% | 88% | 89% |
| Average trip | 26 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
The nearest high school to Drayton is 17 km away
They come under 4 school boards. Results have climbed at 5 of 8 schools over three years. No French-language school is among them; in Ontario, one in ten schools are.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 435 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Drayton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 17 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
A town of families: 27% of people in Drayton are under 15, more than in Ontario’s towns and across Canadian towns
People 65 and over make up 12% of the town, below both Ontario’s towns (19%) and Canadian towns (19%). 1.7% of residents belong to a visible minority, lower than both 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
49.5% of Drayton’s residents are women
The 2021 census counted 5,370 women and 5,470 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Drayton | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 27% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 61% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 12% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 39% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 36% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Rent takes less of local pay in Drayton than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 16% of household income
The median home value was $695,000, close to Ontario’s towns ($695,000) and above Canadian towns ($406,000). Home ownership covers 86% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Drayton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 13% | 22% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 22% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 86% | 76% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $695,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
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.
July afternoons in Drayton reach 25.4°C (Ontario towns 26.7°C, Canadian towns 25.5°C)
Some 115 cm of snow falls in a typical year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). Midwinter nights in Drayton bottom out at −10.7°C on average. Most of the snow comes in January, about 32 cm. For the wettest month, look to June: 100 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Drayton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 1,035 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
| Snowfall a year | 115 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 25.4°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −10.7°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Elora)
Drayton is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Grand River Conservation Authority
More homes than usual carry radon here, 11% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. Shaking is about as much of a worry in Drayton as in most places, at $0.017 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Drayton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 11% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.017 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Very good or excellent health for 51% of adults in Drayton’s health region
Measured across the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Health Unit: health survey and life expectancy
13% of adults smoke, daily or now and then, higher than both Ontario’s towns (10%) and Canadian towns (12%). A baby born in the region can expect 82.4 years, 84.5 for a girl and 80.2 for a boy (2022/2024). Closer to home, a hospital is 15 km from the average resident of Drayton, further than the usual 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Drayton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.4 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Drayton in November: highs near 6°C, lows near −2°C
July brings the warmest days, 25°C; February the coldest nights, −11°C. Expect about 92 mm of rain and snow over November. November usually brings some 9 cm of snow. ECCC’s forecast for North Perth is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −9°C | 255 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 240 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 13°C | 281 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 4°C | 258 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Elora); the forecast is on the Weather page
Per resident, Drayton spends less than 87% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities
Locally, Drayton is governed as part of Mapleton, a township.
| Turnout | Drayton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 26% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Drayton’s public library is Wellington County Library - Drayton Branch
The library is 0.6 km from the centre of Drayton.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The nearest provincial park to Drayton is Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, 35 km away
One protected area lies within 10 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Drayton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Drayton
RARE BOOK & PRINT GALLERY and 5 more within 40 km
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Drayton; with it, the best known within 40 km.
MuseumTHEMUSEUM37 km southeast
MuseumWellington County House of Industry and Refuge23 km east
MuseumJoseph Schneider Haus37 km southeast
MuseumCastle Kilbride39 km south
MuseumWoodside36 km southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- THEMUSEUM: Illustratedjc, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge: Tudor Costache, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Joseph Schneider Haus: Yoho2001, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castle Kilbride: Tudor Costache, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Woodside: Carole Moran from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Drayton
5 notable people were born in Drayton.
Photo credits
Roger Martin: World Economic Forum, CC BY-SA 2.0
About Drayton
Town in Ontario
For Drayton, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in Ontario, and every figure on its pages covers that whole area.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 11,518 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Wellington
- Census subdivision
- 3523033
Questions about Drayton
What kind of homes are in Drayton?
Single-detached houses make up 88% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 13% of households are one person, and the average is 3.3.
Who are the people of Drayton?
At the 2021 census, 8% were immigrants and 2% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 1% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
Is Drayton growing?
It added people: 10,527 in 2016, 10,839 in 2021, 3% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 11,518.
Is Drayton a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 32, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 27% of residents; over-65s, 12%.
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).