Geraldtonin Greenstone, Ontario
It lies in Thunder Bay. 4,398 people call this town in Ontario home.
Is Geraldton a good place to live?
A tough set of grades. Where it falls short is schools (D−). Homes are affordable (A−). It is strong on walkability as well (A). All told, that adds up to a C− overall, better than 15% of Canadian towns. The ranking puts it #800 of 858 in Ontario. Police record more crime here than in most towns (D). Health is weaker too (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. 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 Geraldton grades
Each subject compares Geraldton 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 Geraldton stand out
The 3 things Geraldton does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Geraldton.
Around Geraldton, 4 schools of 11 teach in French
Counting a 3 km margin, Geraldton has 9 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools, for 575 students. Its elementary schools are small, 88 students on average, against 365 in Ontario. English and French, public and Catholic boards all run schools here.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| B A Parker Public SchoolLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 105 | English public |
| Geraldton Composite School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 170 | English public |
| École Notre-Dame-de-Fatima FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 90 | French Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Geraldton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
For the force that serves Geraldton, the Crime Severity Index is 199, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Measured across the Greenstone detachment area: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000
For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 40.3 violent incidents are reported each year. The violent index for its police area came to 262, higher than both Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86). On top of that, its police area records 61.1 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Geraldton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 199 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 262 | 76 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 40.3 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 61.1 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
On health, Geraldton falls short of 91% of Canadian towns
Smoking is commoner than in the province: 17% of adults, against 11% for Ontario, while life expectancy at birth in the region is 76.5 years, lower than both Ontario’s towns (82.8) and Canadian towns (81.5). Across the region, nearly half of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Ontario as a whole reaches 51%. For Geraldton itself, the measure is access: 21 km to the nearest hospital on average, with 45% of homes beyond 30 km. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Geraldton included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Geraldton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 76.5 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 17% | 10% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 49% | 51% | 52% |
| 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
Rent takes less of local pay in Geraldton than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 17% of household income
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 11% of households, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). The owner-occupied share of households is 77%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Geraldton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 11% | 22% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 22% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
Winter nights bite in Geraldton: January lows of −24.7°C, colder than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns
Frost usually lifts by 31 May and returns around 16 September: 106 days without it. There are 214 days of frost in a typical year, above both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). July afternoons in Geraldton average 23.6°C. Snow peaks in December: 44 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Geraldton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −24.7°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 214 | 139 | 159 |
| Snowfall a year | 249 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 23.6°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Geraldton)
Hazards in Geraldton: wildfire moderate, radon over the guideline in 12% of tested homes
Fire reaches the land around Geraldton now and then: 4.9% within 25 km since 1986 (0.12% a year), below the high band. Seismic risk runs low: $0.005 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. Flood mapping: none on the national inventory of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Geraldton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 12% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.005 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Commuters in Geraldton have a short way to work, 18 min on average, less than in both Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
85% of commuters drove to work at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Geraldton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 18 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 85% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
In Geraldton, November normally means −1°C afternoons and −9°C nights
Into December, the normals move to −8°C and −18°C. Expect about 53 mm of rain and snow over November. Also worth knowing: over the year, July is warmest at 24°C by day and January coldest at −25°C by night. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Greenstone (Geraldton) forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −10°C | −22°C | 98 mm |
| Spring | 7°C | −7°C | 160 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 10°C | 266 mm |
| Autumn | 8°C | −2°C | 239 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Geraldton); the forecast is on the Weather page
Per resident, Geraldton spends more than 96% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities
Geraldton is in the north, where the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s ridings don’t follow the 2013 federal map and have no open boundary file.
| Turnout | Geraldton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 25% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Geraldton earns a B for civic life grade
From 3 branches, Greenstone public library serves 4,309 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
More of Geraldton’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 33%
Children under 15 make up 17% of residents. Visible minorities make up 2.1% of the population, below Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike. Just over a fifth of residents have reached 65.
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 48.8% of Geraldton
Here the census found 2,105 women and 2,205 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.
| Geraldton | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 21% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 27% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 43% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A provincial park at Geraldton’s edge: Nakina Moraine Provincial Park
7 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Pamela Beach. 31 km separate the town from Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, its nearest national park. 10 protected areas lie within 10 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Geraldton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 10 | 4 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 2.8% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Before 1961: 39% of the homes in Geraldton
Inside the town the registers count 1 historic place.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Geraldton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 39% | 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 Geraldton
Famous people from Geraldton
4 notable people were born in Geraldton.
Photo credits
Jane Urquhart: John Carter, CC BY 2.5
About Geraldton
Town in Ontario
Every figure TownRatings gives for Geraldton 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
- 4,398 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Thunder Bay
- Census subdivision
- 3558075
Questions about Geraldton
Who are the people of Geraldton?
At the 2021 census, 3% were immigrants and 2% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 33% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
Do people in Geraldton speak French?
English and French are both spoken by 29% of residents, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%. French alone: 1.8%.
What kind of homes are in Geraldton?
Single-detached houses make up 87% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 33% of households are one person, and the average is 2.2.
Has Geraldton grown?
No: the census counted 4,636 in 2016 and 4,309 in 2021, 7.1% fewer, against growth of 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 4,398.
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).