EmoOntario

Home to 1,255 people, this town lies in Ontario. The population fell 10% between 2016 and 2021.

Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Population

1,255

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

41.2

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 Emo a good place to live?

The local economy does well (A). Health lags (C). It also trails on schools (C). Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work (C+).

An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; Emo has its subject grades alone.

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.

StrongestAJobs & income ACost of living

What makes Emo stand out

The 3 things Emo does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

3.2 times household income

Against 4.7 for the median of Canadian towns

Median owner’s estimate $300,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

Jobs & income

Better than 90%

of Canadian towns on jobs & income

Its jobs & income grade: A.

Cost of living

Better than 86%

of Canadian towns on cost of living

Its cost of living grade: A.

How Emo grades

Each subject compares Emo 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

An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Canadian towns; Emo has its subject grades alone.

Jobs & incomeIncomes and work are among the strongest comparedAOpen →Cost of livingIn the top fifth of the towns comparedAOpen →HealthGraded on how healthy residents areCOpen →SchoolsSchools trail most of those comparedCOpen →SafetyAbove the middle of the towns comparedB⁺Open →WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesC⁺Open →Hazard riskLess exposed to natural hazards than mostBOpen →

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Emo.

Work & commuteJobs & income A

Trips to work from Emo are shorter than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 25 min on average

92% of commuters drove, above Ontario’s towns (88%) and close to Canadian towns (89%).

7%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van92%

Walk4%

Public transit3%

Census 2021	Emo	Ontario	Canada
Average trip	25 min	29 min	26 min
Car or van	92%	88%	89%

$94,000

median household income, 2020

13%

worked from home, May 2021

40%

of commuters work inside the municipality

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

Unemployment7.5% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work7% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to110 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Fort Frances

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

HousingCost of living A

Rent takes less of local pay in Emo than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 9% of household income

Shelter took 30% or more of income for 13% of households, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). Just over three quarters of households own their home, near both Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%).

$300,000median home value, 2021ACost of living Grade

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

Emo$300,000

Ontario$695,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Emo	Ontario	Canada
Rent as a share of income	9%	22%	20%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	13%	22%	18%

$500

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$900

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

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

Renting$500 a month · The median rent at the 2021 census Cost of living3.2 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $300,000, against the median household income Owners and renters76% 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.

HealthHealth C

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

Measured across the Northwestern Health Unit: health survey and life expectancy

Closer to home, a hospital sits 4.1 km from the average resident of Emo, about the norm of 3.7 km. The region has more smokers than Ontario, 16% of adults to 11%. In the health survey, 44% of adults in the region rated their health very good or excellent, lower than both Ontario’s towns (51%) and Canadian towns (52%).

44%very good or excellent healthCHealth Grade

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Emo44%

Ontario’s towns51%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Emo	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

31 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageEmo’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey44% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care4.1 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 31 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

Climate

Winter nights bite in Emo: January lows of −21.0°C, colder than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns

Counting rain and snow alike, 731 mm falls in a year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (902 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm). Summer highs in Emo reach 25.2°C in July. January is the snowiest month, with 38 cm on average. June is the wettest month, with 109 mm of rain and snow on average.

25.2°CJuly afternoons

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−7.2°C

Spring9.7°C

Summer24.0°C

Autumn10.1°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Emo	Ontario	Canada
January night low	−21.0°C	−9.1°C	−13.5°C
Days with frost a year	196	139	159
July afternoon high	25.2°C	26.7°C	25.5°C
Precipitation a year	731 mm	902 mm	883 mm

157 cm

of snow a year

196

days with frost a year

112

days with precipitation a year

Full pageEmo’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 25.2°C, January lows −21.0°C Rain and snow731 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow157 cm of snow a year Weather station28 km to the station · Fort Frances

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

SchoolsSchools C

Emo’s teenagers travel 29 km to the nearest high school

Its elementary schools are small, 132 students on average, against 365 in Ontario.

3schools within 3 kmCSchools Grade

School	Level	Students	System
Donald Young Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8	Elementary · Grades JK–8	160	English public

See all 3 schools →

Schools within 3 km	Emo	Ontario	Canada
Nearest secondary school	29 km	1.2 km	1.2 km

395

students at the schools within 3 km, 2024-25

29 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageEmo’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Every school3 elementary schools Results0 of 3 in the top two fifths · of the schools with results, placed against every school in Ontario Language0 of 3 teach in French · 10% of schools in Ontario Questions“What schools are there in Emo?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25

SafetySafety B⁺

Emo’s grade for safety: a B+

The force’s area logs 12.4 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 49 over 2023–25, below both Ontario’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). Violence across its police area runs at 12.7 per 1,000 residents a year.

49Crime Severity Index

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202348

202463

202538

2023–2025	Emo	Ontario	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	12.4	30.5	31.2
Crime Severity Index	49	56	67
Violent Crime Severity Index	69	76	86

non-violent Crime Severity Index

65%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageEmo’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety49 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Emo’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Emo safe?”

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 Rainy River District detachment area

Natural hazardsHazard risk B

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

Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.008 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Fire seldom reaches Emo: since 1986, 0.1% of the land within 25 km has burned (0.002% a year). No one has filed a flood map for Emo on the national inventory.

Lowwildfire bandBHazard risk Grade

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

Emo14%

Ontario’s towns4%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Emo	Ontario	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	14%	4%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.008	$0.043	$0.030

$0.008

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

Low

wildfire band

9.6 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

Full pageEmo’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$0.008 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

Who lives here

More of Emo’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 10%

Children under 15 make up 19%, above Ontario’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (16%) alike. 5.5% of residents came to Canada as immigrants, below both Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%).

41.2median age

EmoOntarioCanada

OntarioCanada

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

19%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree20%

Postsecondary qualification47%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 51.9% of Emo

The 2021 census counted 625 women and 580 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.

Who lives in Emo
	Emo	Ontario	Canada
Under 15	19%	15%	16%
15 to 64	63%	65%	64%
65+	19%	19%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	20%	15%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	47%	56%	56%

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

Immigrants6% are immigrants · 0% belong to a visible minority Ages41.2 median age · 19% are 65 or over Households470 households · 2.5 people per household English and French3% speak both · 0% speak French but not English

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

Weather

Emo in November: highs near 1°C, lows near −7°C

Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Fort Frances forecast, on the Weather page. A typical November adds 31 cm of snow. Precipitation in November averages 43 mm.

1°Ca normal November afternoon

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

November1°C

December−6°C

January−9°C

February−6°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−7°C	−19°C	85 mm
Spring	10°C	−3°C	163 mm
Summer	24°C	11°C	297 mm
Autumn	10°C	0°C	186 mm

−7°C

a normal November night

43 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageEmo’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 (Fort Frances); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Each seat on Emo’s council speaks for just 250 residents, fewer than in 95% of Ontario municipalities

Voters in Emo chose Harold McQuaker as mayor in October 2022, for a 5-seat council.

Turnout	Emo	Ontario	Canada
Municipal election, 2022	38%	31%	31%

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

Who runs itTownship Member of ParliamentMarcus Powlowski

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade B⁺

Emo has no public library of its own; the nearest is Fort Frances Public Library, 32 km away

The population Emo public library serves is 1,204.

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

A year at the library3.8 visits per person served Places to belong9.6 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Outdoors

Emo has no protected land within 10 km

The nearest national park is more than 100 km away. The closest provincial park is Spruce Islands Provincial Park, 33 km from the edge of town.

0%of the land within 10 km protected

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Emo0%

Ontario’s towns2.3%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Emo	Ontario	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	0%	2.3%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	0	4	4

33 km

to Spruce Islands Provincial Park

Full pageEmo’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas0 protected areas within 10 km National & provincial parks33 km to a provincial park · Spruce Islands Provincial Park

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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Emo

15pages on Emo

The big questions

SafetyB⁺Crime Severity Index 49 Housing & costAHomes 3.2 × income Property pricesSchoolsC3 schools within 3 km HealthCLife expectancy 73.7 in its region Work & commuteA63% of adults in work Natural hazardsBWildfire band: low

Out and about

OutdoorsAttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 25°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 41.2 HistoryTown hallFamous people

Questions about Emo

Who are the people of Emo?

At the 2021 census, 6% were immigrants and 0% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 10% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.

Has Emo grown?

It went from 1,333 people in 2016 to 1,204 in 2021, down 9.7%, while the median of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. StatCan’s 2025 estimate is 1,255.

What kind of homes are in Emo?

90% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.5 people; 27% are one person living alone.

About Emo

Town in Ontario

Every figure TownRatings gives for Emo covers the municipality as Statistics Canada maps it, one census subdivision in Ontario.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 1,255 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Ontario
Census division: Rainy River
Census subdivision: 3559019

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).