Durhamin West Grey, Ontario
Population 14,355: a town in Ontario. It is part of Grey, a census division.
Is Durham a good place to live?
Nothing here grades far from typical. Cost of living is its weak spot (C). With a C+ overall, Durham sits #595 of 858 in Ontario. Set against the rest, it does better than just over two fifths of Canadian towns. It is a safe place by the numbers (B+). Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B for schools, C+ for health and B for hazard risk.
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 Durham grades
Each subject compares Durham 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 Durham stand out
The 2 things Durham does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Durham.
Rent takes less of local pay in Durham than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 16% of household income
86% of households own their home, above both Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 14% of households, below Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Durham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 14% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 86% | 76% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $500,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.
Durham gets a B+ for safety
Each year brings 19.9 property incidents per 1,000 residents. For violence alone the index was 63, below both Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86). Violence accounts for 8 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Durham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 19.9 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 8 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 63 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Durham is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority
Health Canada’s survey found radon above the guideline in just over one in ten homes, above Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%) alike. Seismic risk runs low: $0.013 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Durham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 11% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.013 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Commuters in Durham travel further than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, 30 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Durham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 30 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
July highs in Durham: 25.1°C, against 26.7°C in Ontario’s towns and 25.5°C in Canadian towns
A normal January brings 111 cm of snow, the most of any month. Some 385 cm of snow falls in a typical year, higher than both Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). The coldest nights come in January, when Durham averages a low of −10.9°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Durham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 385 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 25.1°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,035 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −10.9°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Mount Forest)
Durham’s health region counts 17% of adults who smoke, above the typical Canadian town’s 12%
Expected years of life at birth: 81.3, about level with Canadian towns (81.5) and below Ontario’s towns (82.8). The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 48%, behind the 51% for Ontario. Closer to home, a hospital is 5.9 km from the average resident of Durham, further than the usual 3.7 km. Behind health survey and life expectancy sits data gathered across the Grey Bruce Health Unit, with Durham one part of it.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Durham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17% | 10% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 48% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.3 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
4 school boards share Durham
Over three years, results rose at 11 of its 12 tested schools. From the town centre, high school starts 14 km away, above Ontario’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km) alike. None of them teaches in French, though 10% of schools in Ontario do. Within 3 km of Durham are 11 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools, teaching 4,190 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Cross Public School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 450 | English public |
| John Diefenbaker Senior School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 625 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Durham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 14 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Visible minorities make up less of Durham than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 2.4%
Immigrants make up 7.8% of residents, near Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and higher than Canadian towns (6.4%). 2.2% of residents have an Indigenous identity, above Ontario’s towns (1.6%) but below Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
49.2% of Durham’s residents are women
Here the census found 6,670 men and 6,460 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Durham | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 25% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 23% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 47% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Durham runs from −2°C to 6°C
Over the year, July is warmest at 25°C by day and February coldest at −11°C by night. Into December, the normals move to −1°C and −7°C. About 48 cm of snow falls in a normal November. In November, the normal is 92 mm of rain and snow.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −10°C | 255 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | 0°C | 240 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 13°C | 281 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 4°C | 258 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Mount Forest); the forecast is on the Weather page
Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Durham in Ottawa as MP for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound
Across Ontario, 71 of the 122 MPs sit with the Liberal Party of Canada.
| Turnout | Durham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 35% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
West Grey Public Library draws 1.8 visits per person served, behind 87% of Ontario’s town libraries
West Grey Public Library serves 13,131 people from 3 branches.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park, 17 km away, is the closest provincial park to Durham
Parks and reserves take up 0.3% of the ground within 10 km, below Ontario’s towns (2.3%) and Canadian towns (2.3%) alike. For a national park, Georgian Bay Islands National Park is 85 km away. OpenStreetMap shows 2 unnamed beaches within 5 km. Biggest among them: Fawcett, 37 ha, 6.0 km off.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Durham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 7 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Before 1961: 38% of the homes in Durham
| Heritage | Durham | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 38% | 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 Durham
Famous people from Durham
14 notable people were born in Durham.
Photo credits
John Diefenbaker: White House Photo Office, Public domain · Jeff MacMillan: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Hugh Cowan: Renzoy16, CC BY-SA 4.0 · William James Dunlop: Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Public domain
About Durham
Town in Ontario
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Durham 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
- 14,355 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Grey
- Census subdivision
- 3542004
Durham’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
Questions about Durham
Who are the people of Durham?
Visible minorities are 2% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 8%, and Indigenous people 2%.
What kind of homes are in Durham?
Single-detached houses make up 88% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 24% of households are one person, and the average is 2.5.
How old are the people of Durham?
Half its people are older than 49.6 (the middle of Canadian towns: 45.2); children under 15 make up 16%, people 65 and over 25%.
Is Durham growing?
It added people: 12,518 in 2016, 13,131 in 2021, 4.9% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 14,355.
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).