Grey HighlandsOntario
This town in Ontario has a population of 12,148. Its population rose 6% from 2016 to 2021.
Is Grey Highlands a good place to live?
Some subjects shine; others lag. At C overall, Grey Highlands ranks #649 of 858 in Ontario. That leaves it better than just over a third of Canadian towns. Buying in is costly (C−). Schools lag (C). Also worth knowing: recorded crime is low (A). Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B for walkability and B for hazard risk.
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. 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 Grey Highlands grades
Each subject compares Grey Highlands 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 Grey Highlands stand out
The 2 things Grey Highlands does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Grey Highlands.
Violent crime weighs less on Grey Highlands than on Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 48
Property crime accounts for 15.2 incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Violence reaches 7.9 per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Grey Highlands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 15.2 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 48 | 76 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 7.9 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Measured against local pay, Grey Highlands costs more to live in than 80% of Canadian towns
Owners make up 87% of households, higher than both Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%). Rent took 18% of household income, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Grey Highlands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 87% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 18% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 19% | 22% | 18% |
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.
Grey Highlands gets a C for schools
The nearest secondary school is 6.8 km away, above Ontario’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km) alike. Over three years, results rose at 4 of its 4 tested schools. The 3 km around Grey Highlands counts 4 elementary schools and 1 secondary school, 2,120 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macphail Memorial Elementary School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 600 | English public |
| Grey Highlands Secondary School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 725 | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Grey Highlands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest elementary school | 6.9 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
| Nearest secondary school | 6.8 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
More smokers around Grey Highlands: 17% of adults, where the typical Canadian town has 12%
Health survey and life expectancy for the Grey Bruce Health Unit
In the health survey, 48% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, fewer than Ontario’s 51%. A baby born in the region can expect 81.3 years, 83.6 for a girl and 78.9 for a boy (2022/2024). A hospital lies 13 km from the typical home, higher than both Ontario’s towns (3.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Grey Highlands | 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
Commuters in Grey Highlands travel further than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, 33 min on average
The car took 90% of commuters, close to both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Grey Highlands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 33 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 90% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
Grey Highlands’ hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 11% of area homes over the radon guideline
Earthquakes matter little: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.015 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town. Flood mapping: none on the national inventory for Grey Highlands.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Grey Highlands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 11% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.015 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
July highs in Grey Highlands: 25.3°C, against 26.7°C in Ontario’s towns and 25.5°C in Canadian towns
Precipitation totals 1,035 mm a year, higher than both Ontario’s towns (902 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm). Grey Highlands sees January nights of −8.7°C on average. A normal December brings 42 cm of snow, the most of any month. Rain and snow peak in June, at 100 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Grey Highlands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −8.7°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 25.3°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,035 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 131 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Collingwood)
Grey Highlands in November: highs near 8°C, lows near 1°C
Expect around 22 cm of snow in November. December follows at 2°C by day and −5°C by night. November normally sees 92 mm of precipitation. July brings the warmest days, 25°C; January the coldest nights, −9°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −7°C | 255 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | 1°C | 240 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 15°C | 281 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 258 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Collingwood); the forecast is on the Weather page
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, which takes in Grey Highlands, is held by Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada)
The October 2022 vote made Paul McQueen mayor of Grey Highlands, heading 7 seats.
| Turnout | Grey Highlands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 35% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Grey Highlands Public Library lends 6.3 items per person served, more than 83% of Ontario’s town libraries
Grey Highlands Public Library serves 10,424 people from 3 branches.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
35 public protected areas lie within 10 km of Grey Highlands
The protected share within 10 km is 1.3%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. 57 km separate the town from Georgian Bay Islands National Park, its nearest national park. OpenStreetMap shows 4 walking routes nearby, including the Bruce Trail - Beaver Valley section and Bruce Trail - Blue Mountains section.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Grey Highlands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 35 | 4 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Fewer of Grey Highlands’s people belong to a visible minority than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 1.9%
First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 1.5% of residents, below both Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%). Immigrants make up 7.3% of residents, near Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and higher than Canadian towns (6.4%).
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 49.4% of Grey Highlands
Women numbered 5,155 and men 5,275 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Grey Highlands | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 21% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 48% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
An older town: 33% of Grey Highlands’s homes predate 1961
| Heritage | Grey Highlands | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 33% | 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 Grey Highlands
Beaver Valley Ski Club and 7 more in and around Grey Highlands
What there is to see in Grey Highlands and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
Famous people from Grey Highlands
9 notable people were born in Grey Highlands.
Photo credits
Chris Neil: Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walter Edward Harris: Arthur Roy / Library and Archives Canada, Public domain · Brad Tiley: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Farquhar Oliver: Gilbert A. Milne, Public domain
About Grey Highlands
Town in Ontario
The boundary here is Statistics Canada’s: Grey Highlands 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
- 12,148 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Grey
- Census subdivision
- 3542015
Grey Highlands’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grey Highlands | 12,148 | — | C | C− | A | C+ |
| Dundalk | 11,599 | 18 | C | D | A− | C |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Grey Highlands
Who are the people of Grey Highlands?
Visible minorities are 2% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 7%, and Indigenous people 2%.
What kind of homes are in Grey Highlands?
Mostly 93% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.5 people on average, and 25% have just one.
How old are the people of Grey Highlands?
Its median age is 46.8, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 18% of residents; over-65s, 24%.
Is Grey Highlands growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 9,804 to 10,424 residents (up 6.3%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 12,148.
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).