DrydenOntario

TownGrade

#1,160 of 2,556

A town of 7,808 in Ontario. Statistics Canada places it in the Kenora census division.

Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0

Population

7,808

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

years · Ontario’s towns: 46.8

Postsecondary

47%

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

Walk, cycle, transit

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

Is Dryden a good place to live?

What it saves you on housing, it gives back elsewhere. It is easy to get around without a car (A−). With a B overall, Dryden sits #436 of 858 in Ontario. Set against the rest, it does better than 55% of Canadian towns. Cost of living is a strength too (B+). Crime is the sore point (D).

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. 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⁻WalkabilityWeakestDSafety

How Dryden grades

Each subject compares Dryden 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

SafetyBased on crimes reported per residentDOpen →WalkabilityAmong the easiest places to get around without a carA⁻Open →Cost of livingAhead of most towns comparedB⁺Open →Jobs & incomeGraded on incomes, poverty and employmentB⁺Open →HealthResidents’ health trails most townsCOpen →SchoolsGraded on exam and test resultsB⁺Open →Hazard riskBased on earthquake losses and radon in homes; a high wildfire risk can pull it downBOpen →

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Dryden stand out

The 3 things Dryden does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

2.5 times household income

Against 4.7 for the median of Canadian towns

Median owner’s estimate $200,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

Safety

Behind 89%

of Canadian towns on safety

Its safety grade: D.

Residents 65 and over

Who lives here

24% are 65 or over

The midpoint across Canadian towns is 19%

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Dryden.

SafetySafety D

Violent crime weighs more on Dryden than on Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 238

138Crime Severity Index

Police recorded 36.2 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, above Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12) alike. Each year brings 36.8 property incidents per 1,000 residents.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

2023164

2024143

2025106

2023–2025	Dryden	Ontario	Canada
Violent Crime Severity Index	238	76	86
Violent crime	36.2	10.5	12
Property crime per 1,000	36.8	30.5	31.2

non-violent Crime Severity Index

68%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageDryden’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety138 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Dryden’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Dryden safe?”

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

HousingCost of living B⁺

Renting in Dryden costs 17% of household income, less than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns

$200,000median home value, 2021B⁺Cost of living Grade

Just over one in ten households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. Households that own their home make up 73%.

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

Dryden$200,000

Ontario$695,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Dryden	Ontario	Canada
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	11%	22%	18%
Rent as a share of income	17%	22%	20%

$860

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$830

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

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

Renting$860 a month · The median rent at the 2021 census Cost of living2.5 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $200,000, 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.

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁺

Commuters in Dryden have a short way to work, 15 min on average, less than in Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns

9%walk, cycle or take transit

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

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van89%

Walk9%

Bicycle1%

Census 2021	Dryden	Ontario	Canada
Average trip	15 min	29 min	26 min
Car or van	89%	88%	89%

$82,000

median household income, 2020

worked from home, May 2021

89%

of commuters work inside the municipality

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

Unemployment8.3% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work9% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to90 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Kenora, Unorganized

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

Winter nights bite in Dryden: January lows of −22.3°C, colder than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns

24.3°CJuly afternoons

There are 194 days of frost in a typical year, higher than both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). Frost usually lifts by 17 May and returns around 28 September: 133 days without it. Summer highs in Dryden reach 24.3°C in July. November is the snowiest month, with 41 cm on average.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−9.4°C

Spring8.2°C

Summer23.2°C

Autumn8.0°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Dryden	Ontario	Canada
January night low	−22.3°C	−9.1°C	−13.5°C
Days with frost a year	194	139	159
July afternoon high	24.3°C	26.7°C	25.5°C
Snowfall a year	213 cm	146 cm	141 cm

213 cm

of snow a year

194

days with frost a year

133

frost-free days, 17 May to 28 Sep

112

days with precipitation a year

Full pageDryden’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 24.3°C, January lows −22.3°C Rain and snow796 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow213 cm of snow a year Weather station76 km to the station · Sioux Lookout

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

HealthHealth C

Life expectancy around Dryden is 73.7 years, 7.8 less than for the typical Canadian town

44%very good or excellent healthCHealth Grade

The health survey and life expectancy numbers here cover the Northwestern Health Unit

16% of adults smoke, daily or now and then, above both Ontario’s towns (10%) and Canadian towns (12%). In the health survey, 44% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, fewer than Ontario’s 51%. What sets Dryden apart within its region is distance, and at 2.6 km to a hospital it is ordinary (3.7 km typical).

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Dryden44%

Ontario’s towns51%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Dryden	Ontario	Canada
Life expectancy at birth	73.7	82.8	81.5
Very good or excellent health	44%	51%	52%
Smokers	16%	10%	12%
Chronic conditions (average share)	16%	17%	17%

73.7

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

16%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

2.4 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageDryden’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey44% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care2.6 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 2.4 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 75.2, men 72.3 Conditions and habits16% 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⁺

Dryden has 2 French-language schools among its 6

6schools within 3 kmB⁺Schools Grade

Taken together, Dryden and its 3 km edge hold 4 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools for 1,600 students. On the tests, 1 of 4 schools land above the middle in Ontario, 2 under it.

School	Level	Students	System
Open Roads Public School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8	Elementary · Grades JK–8	355	English public
Dryden High School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12	Secondary · Grades 9–12	575	English public
École catholique de l'Enfant-Jésus FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–8	Elementary · Grades JK–8	–	French Catholic
New Prospect Public School Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–8	Elementary · Grades JK–8	315	English public

See all 6 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

English public3

French Catholic2

English Catholic1

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

1,600

students at the schools within 3 km, 2024-25

1.3 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageDryden’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Language2 of 6 teach in French · 10% of schools in Ontario Every school6 schools within 3 km · 4 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools Results1 of 4 in the top two fifths · of the schools with results, placed against every school in Ontario The boards3 school boards · Keewatin-Patricia DSB Questions“What schools are there in Dryden?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25

Natural hazardsHazard risk B

Dryden’s hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 14% of area homes over the radon guideline

Lowwildfire bandBHazard risk Grade

Fire seldom reaches Dryden: since 1986, 0.1% of the land within 25 km has burned (0.002% a year). No flood study for Dryden is on the national inventory.

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

Dryden14%

Ontario’s towns4%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Dryden	Ontario	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	14%	4%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.006	$0.043	$0.030

$0.006

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

Low

wildfire band

8.9 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

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

Radon14% of tests above the guideline WildfireLow wildfire band · 0.1% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986 FloodNo flood study on record Earthquakes$0.006 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

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

Weather

What November brings in Dryden: −8°C at night, −1°C by day

−1°Ca normal November afternoon

Across the year, normals run from −22°C nights in January to 24°C afternoons in July. Into December, the normals move to −9°C and −17°C. In November, the normal is 53 mm of rain and snow. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Dryden forecast, on the Weather page.

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

November−1°C

December−9°C

January−12°C

February−8°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−9°C	−20°C	94 mm
Spring	8°C	−4°C	167 mm
Summer	23°C	12°C	309 mm
Autumn	8°C	0°C	226 mm

−8°C

a normal November night

53 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageDryden’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 (Sioux Lookout); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

More of Dryden voted in 2022 than in most of Ontario: 43%, ahead of 80% of municipalities

The October 2022 vote made Jack Harrison mayor of Dryden, heading 7 seats.

Turnout	Dryden	Ontario	Canada
Municipal election, 2022	43%	31%	31%

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

Who runs itCity Member of ParliamentEric Melillo

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade B⁺

Dryden Public Library logs 5.6 visits per person served, more than 86% of Ontario’s town libraries

Dryden Public Library serves 7,388 people from a single building.

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

The libraries1 Libraries Places to belong3.7 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Who lives here

More of Dryden’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 20%

48median age

Visible minorities make up 4.2% of the population, lower than both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%). 6.1% of residents came to Canada as immigrants, lower than Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and near Canadian towns (6.4%).

DrydenOntarioCanada

OntarioCanada

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

24%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree20%

Postsecondary qualification47%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 51.4% of Dryden

In 2021 there were 3,800 women to 3,590 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.

Who lives in Dryden
	Dryden	Ontario	Canada
Under 15	14%	15%	16%
15 to 64	62%	65%	64%
65+	24%	19%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	20%	15%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	47%	56%	56%

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

Immigrants6% are immigrants · 4% belong to a visible minority Ages48 median age · 24% are 65 or over Households3,315 households · 2.2 people per household English and French7% speak both · 0.1% speak French but not English

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

Outdoors

Few places match Dryden for protected land nearby: more than nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns

11%of the land within 10 km protected

The nearest national park is more than 100 km away. 3 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Johnson's Beach. 4 areas within 10 km are protected for nature.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Dryden11%

Ontario’s towns2.3%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Dryden	Ontario	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	11%	2.3%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	4	4	4

At the edge

to Aaron Provincial Park

beaches within 5 km

Full pageDryden’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas4 protected areas within 10 km · Lola Lake Provincial Park National & provincial parksAt the edge to a provincial park · Aaron Provincial Park

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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Dryden

15pages on Dryden

The big questions

SafetyDCrime Severity Index 138 Housing & costB⁺Homes 2.5 × income Property pricesSchoolsB⁺6 schools within 3 km HealthCLife expectancy 73.7 in its region Work & commuteB⁺53% of adults in work Natural hazardsBWildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors11% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 24°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 48 HistoryTown hallFamous people

Famous people from Dryden

9 notable people were born in Dryden.

See all 9 →

Chris ProngerCanadian ice hockey defenceman · born 1974

Wayne MuloinCanadian ice hockey defenceman · born 1941

Dennis OwcharCanadian ice hockey player · born 1953

Patricia O'CallaghanCanadian soprano · born 1970

Bruce RamsayCanadian ice hockey player · born 1969

Orvis A. KennedyCanadian politician · 1907–1997

Photo credits

Chris Pronger: http://www.VancityAllie.com, CC BY 2.0 · Wayne Muloin: Axel Studio, Public domain

About Dryden

Town in Ontario

For Dryden, 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: 7,808 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Ontario
Census division: Kenora
Census subdivision: 3560027

Questions about Dryden

Who are the people of Dryden?

At the 2021 census, 6% were immigrants and 4% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 20% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.

Is Dryden a young town or an old one?

The typical resident is 48 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 24% of the population and under-15s at 14%.

What kind of homes are in Dryden?

Single-detached houses make up 77% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 34% of households are one person, and the average is 2.2.

Has Dryden grown?

Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 7,749 to 7,388 residents (4.7% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 7,808.

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).