Frontenac IslandsOntario
Population 1,963: a town in Ontario. Between 2016 and 2021, its population grew by 10%.
Is Frontenac Islands a good place to live?
Residents are healthier than most (B). Where it falls short is cost of living (D). It also trails on safety (C+).
Frontenac Islands is graded subject by subject, but Canadian towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. 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 Frontenac Islands grades
Each subject compares Frontenac Islands with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Frontenac Islands is graded subject by subject, but Canadian towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Frontenac Islands stand out
The 3 things Frontenac Islands does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Frontenac Islands.
Frontenac Islands is a town of owners: 93% of households own their home, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Owners put the median home at $500,000, lower than Ontario’s towns ($695,000) yet higher than Canadian towns ($406,000). 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. Frontenac Islands doesn’t get its own rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom figures; the ones here come from the Kingston metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Frontenac Islands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 12% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 93% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 24% | 22% | 20% |
| 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.
Visible minorities make up less of Frontenac Islands than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 1%
Immigrants make up nearly one in ten residents, above both Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). 1.3% of residents have an Indigenous identity, below Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%) alike.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 48.4% of Frontenac Islands
Women numbered 935 and men 995 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Frontenac Islands | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 8.8% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 55% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 37% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 8.9% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 65% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Frontenac Islands is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority
More homes than usual carry radon here, 11% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. NRCan expects $0.042 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in Frontenac Islands, near the typical $0.030.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Frontenac Islands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 11% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.042 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
The force covering Frontenac Islands records more serious violence than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, at 112
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 78 over 2023–25, higher than both Ontario’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 21.9 per 1,000 residents a year where it is policed.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Frontenac Islands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 112 | 76 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 21.9 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 78 | 56 | 67 |
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 Frontenac (Sharbot Lake) detachment area
Commuters in Frontenac Islands travel further than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, 37 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Frontenac Islands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 37 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.
Frontenac Islands’s teenagers travel 10 km to the nearest high school
The schools around it answer to 2 boards, below Ontario’s towns (4) and Canadian towns (3) alike. Young children have 7.5 km to the nearest elementary school, higher than both Ontario’s towns (0.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marysville Public SchoolIn Frontenac IslandsElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Frontenac Islands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest secondary school | 10 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 7.5 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
53% of adults around Frontenac Islands rate their health very good or excellent
Health survey and life expectancy for the Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Health Unit
Statistics Canada puts life expectancy at 81.8, below Ontario’s towns (82.8) and close to Canadian towns (81.5). The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Frontenac Islands’ is long: 12 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Frontenac Islands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 12% | 10% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 53% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.8 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
July highs in Frontenac Islands: 25.4°C, against 26.7°C in Ontario’s towns and 25.5°C in Canadian towns
Snow peaks in January: 45 cm in a normal year. The coldest nights, in January, bottom out at −11.5°C, between Ontario’s towns (−9.1°C) and Canadian towns (−13.5°C). September is the wettest month, with 100 mm of rain and snow on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Frontenac Islands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 25.4°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −11.5°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 984 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
| Snowfall a year | 158 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Kingston)
A normal November in Frontenac Islands runs from −1°C to 8°C
The year peaks in July (25°C) and bottoms out in January (−12°C). A normal December brings highs of 2°C, lows of −6°C. In November, the normal is 88 mm of rain and snow. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Kingston.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −1°C | −9°C | 229 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | 1°C | 238 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 15°C | 233 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 5°C | 285 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Kingston); the forecast is on the Weather page
More of Frontenac Islands voted in 2022 than in most of Ontario: 61%, ahead of 99% of municipalities
Frontenac Islands’ council of 5 was elected in October 2022, with Judy Greenwood-Speers as mayor.
| Turnout | Frontenac Islands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 61% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Kingston Frontenac Public Library - Howe Island and Kingston Frontenac Public Library - Wolfe Island Branch are Frontenac Islands’s two public libraries
Its libraries report as part of a wider system, so there are no figures for Frontenac Islands in particular.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Thousand Islands National Park lies 0.4 km beyond Frontenac Islands’ edge
Swimmers have 10 beaches within 5 km, Rotary Beach the nearest. The largest is Rideau Canal National Historic Site: 19,972 ha, 4.8 km from the edge of town. For a provincial park, Charleston Lake Provincial Park lies 24 km off.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Frontenac Islands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.7% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Frontenac Islands: 1 historic place, with the highest designation
Older housing, built before 1961, accounts for 28% of homes, above Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Frontenac Islands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 28% | 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 Frontenac Islands
The Old House Museum and 35 more in and around Frontenac Islands
A first look at Frontenac Islands’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
National park · Parks CanadaThousand Islands National Park600 m outside town, to the northeast
FortFort Frontenac3.4 km outside town, to the west
CathedralCathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception3.7 km outside town, to the west
FortFort Henry2.8 km outside town, to the west
Museum · Parks CanadaBellevue House3.8 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Thousand Islands National Park: Shroha, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Frontenac: P199, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception: SoftwareSimian (changes by Rabanus Flavus ), CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Henry: McCarthy Aero Service Ltd., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bellevue House: Skeezix1000, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from around Frontenac Islands
No notable person born in Frontenac Islands is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Bryan Adams: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0 · Robert Mundell: Triwbe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Grant Allen: Elliott & Fry, Public domain · Norman L. Bowen: Unknown author, Public domain · Jeff Sarwer: Aniaj, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mike Smith: Mathew Cerasoli from United States, CC BY 2.0
About Frontenac Islands
Town in Ontario
Statistics Canada treats Frontenac Islands as a single census subdivision in Ontario, and TownRatings keeps to that line.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 1,963 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Frontenac
- Metro area
- Kingston
- Census subdivision
- 3510005
Frontenac Islands’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontenac Islands | 1,963 | — | — | D | C+ | B |
| Kingston | 149,527 | 15 | B− | D | C+ | B+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Frontenac Islands
Is Frontenac Islands growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 1,760 to 1,930 residents (up 9.7%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 1,963.
Who are the people of Frontenac Islands?
Visible minorities are 1% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 9%, and Indigenous people 1%.
What kind of homes are in Frontenac Islands?
98% 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 2.1 people; 26% are one person living alone.
How old are the people of Frontenac Islands?
Its median age is 59.6, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 9% of residents; over-65s, 37%.
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).