Duttonin Dutton/Dunwich, Ontario
It grew by 7% between the 2016 and 2021 censuses. Population 4,686: a town in Ontario.
Is Dutton a good place to live?
Dutton’s strongest subject is safety (A). Owners valued their homes at a median $452,000 in 2021, which is 5.1 years of the typical household’s pay. Put together, the subjects come to a B+ overall, ranking #222 of 858 in Ontario. On that grade it does better than 71% of Canadian towns. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for schools, C+ for health, B− for jobs & income and B− for walkability.
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
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 Dutton grades
Each subject compares Dutton 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 Dutton stand out
The one thing Dutton does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Dutton.
The police who cover Dutton record less serious crime than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 32
For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 11.6 property crimes are reported each year. The violent index for its police area came to 41, below Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86) alike. Add to that, its police area records 6.9 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Dutton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 11.6 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 32 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 41 | 76 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 6.9 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Area behind the Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures: the Elgin County detachment area
Hazards in Dutton: wildfire low, radon over the guideline in 7.5% of tested homes
Seismic risk in Dutton sits near the middle: $0.020 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. No flood study for Dutton is on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Dutton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 7.5% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.020 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Data for radon tests covers the Elgin-St. Thomas Health Unit
Winters are mild in Dutton: January nights hold at −7.4°C, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Summer highs average 26.2°C in July, between Ontario’s towns (26.7°C) and Canadian towns (25.5°C). The frost-free season runs from 4 May to 14 October, 162 days. January is the snowiest month, with 28 cm on average. Also worth knowing: rain and snow peak in May, at 90 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Dutton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 91 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −7.4°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 129 | 139 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 26.2°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (New Glasgow)
Very good or excellent health for 49% of adults in Dutton’s health region
A hospital lies 12 km from the typical home, higher than both Ontario’s towns (3.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km). A baby born in the region can expect 80.6 years, 83.0 for a girl and 78.2 for a boy (2022/2024). Pharmacies are closer at hand, 3.3 km away on average and 0.5 of them within 3 km of a typical home. Nobody publishes health survey and life expectancy for Dutton alone, so this card uses the figure for the Oxford Elgin St. Thomas Health Unit.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Dutton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.6 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 49% | 51% | 52% |
| Smokers | 12% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
A normal November in Dutton runs from 1°C to 8°C
The year peaks in July (26°C) and bottoms out in January (−7°C). Rain and snow over a typical November come to 83 mm. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Rodney.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −6°C | 198 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 3°C | 245 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 15°C | 238 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 7°C | 247 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (New Glasgow); the forecast is on the Weather page
Fewer than 93% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spend as much per resident as Dutton
For local government, Dutton falls under Dutton/Dunwich, a municipality.
| Turnout | Dutton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 28% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Dutton’s public library is Elgin County Library - Dutton
It stands 0.3 km from the centre of Dutton.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
A provincial park at Dutton’s edge: John E. Pearce Provincial Park
Parks and reserves take up 0.2% of the ground within 10 km, lower than both Ontario’s towns (2.3%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). National parks are all over 100 km off. CPCAD lists 6 protected areas within 10 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Dutton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.2% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Trips to work from Dutton take longer than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 31 min on average
By car: that was how 94% of commuters travelled at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Dutton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 31 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 94% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Dutton’s teenagers travel 11 km to the nearest high school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunwich-Dutton Public School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 440 | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Dutton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 11 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Fewer of Dutton’s people belong to a visible minority than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 2%
Children under 15 make up 18% of residents. A fifth of residents are 65 or over, above both Ontario’s towns (19%) and Canadian towns (19%).
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 Dutton’s residents are women
In 2021 there were 2,040 women to 2,110 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| Dutton | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 63% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 20% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 50% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Rent takes less of local pay in Dutton than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 14% of household income
Owners make up 83% of households, higher than both Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 12% of households, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Dutton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 14% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 12% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 83% | 76% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $452,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Dutton keeps its older homes: 46% from before 1961
| Heritage | Dutton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 46% | 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 Dutton
Famous people from Dutton
6 notable people were born in Dutton.
Photo credits
Audrey McLaughlin: Frank Saptel, CC BY 2.0 · Ellis Wellwood Sifton: Unknown author, Public domain
About Dutton
Town in Ontario
For Dutton, 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
- 4,686 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Elgin
- Census subdivision
- 3534030
Dutton’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dutton | 4,686 | — | B+ | B− | A | C+ |
| West Lorne | 5,566 | 14 | B− | C+ | A | B− |
| Southwold | 5,473 | 17 | B− | C− | A | B− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Dutton
Who are the people of Dutton?
2% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 2% have an Indigenous identity and 6% are immigrants.
What kind of homes are in Dutton?
Mostly 90% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.6 people on average, and 23% have just one.
Has Dutton grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 3,866 to 4,152 residents (up 7.4%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 4,686.
Is Dutton a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 44, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2.
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).