GuelphOntario
160,760 residents make their home in this town in Ontario. Between 2016 and 2021, its population grew by 9%.
Is Guelph a good place to live?
One weak subject stands out against an otherwise good record. At B overall, Guelph ranks #321 of 858 in Ontario. That leaves it better than 64% of Canadian towns. Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (A). Pupils here do better than most (A−). Homes are dear (D). Its other grades sit near the middle: B for safety, B for jobs & income and C+ for hazard risk.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in 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.
What makes Guelph stand out
The 3 things Guelph does most differently from other towns.
How Guelph grades
Each subject compares Guelph 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 →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Guelph.
Home ownership in Guelph, 66%, runs below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
A year’s rent came to 23% of the median household income, above both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Guelph | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 66% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 23% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 23% | 22% | 18% |
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. · Not measured by town: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom (the Guelph metro area)
Guelph’s schools belong to 4 boards that cover the same streets
Results lean high: 27 of 49 in the top two fifths in Ontario. John F Ross Collegiate and Vocational Institute is the biggest, at 2,115 students. Over three years, results rose at 32 of its 49 tested schools. 2 of the 54 teach in French, against 10% of schools in Ontario.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster Woods Public School Top fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 610 | English public |
| John F Ross Collegiate and Vocational Institute Second fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 2,115 | English public |
| ÉÉC Saint-René-Goupil FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 190 | French Catholic |
| Aberfoyle Public School Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 375 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Guelph | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Very good or excellent health for 51% of adults in Guelph’s health region
Statistics Canada puts the region’s life expectancy at 82.4, women 84.5 and men 80.2 (2022/2024). Smoking is commoner than in the province: 13% of adults, against 11% for Ontario. The town’s own part is the trip to care: residents of Guelph live 3.3 km from a hospital on average, close to the typical town’s 3.7 km. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Health Unit, Guelph included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Guelph | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.4 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Household incomes in Guelph are higher than in 79% of Canadian towns
Workers spend 24 min getting to work, on average. 87% of commuters drove, in line with Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Guelph | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 24 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 87% | 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.
Few people in Guelph are 65 or over: 16%, below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
A quarter of residents belong to a visible minority, about level with Ontario’s towns (26%) and above Canadian towns (15%). First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 1.6% of residents, about level with Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and below Canadian towns (2.8%).
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 51.3% of Guelph
By the 2021 count the town had 73,675 women and 70,065 men, while Canada has 50.9% women.
| Guelph | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 67% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 59% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
For safety, Guelph gets a B
Police recorded 9.1 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12). Each year brings 25 property incidents per 1,000 residents.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Guelph | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 25 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 9.1 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
January lows in Guelph: −10.3°C, against −9.1°C in Ontario’s towns and −13.5°C in Canadian towns
January is the snowiest month, with 32 cm on average. Between the last spring frost, 8 May, and the first in autumn, 5 October, lie 149 days. A normal winter brings 115 cm of snow, below Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. For the wettest month, look to July: 96 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Guelph | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 115 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −10.3°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 26.6°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 156 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Kitchener/Waterloo)
A flood study covers Guelph: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Grand River Conservation Authority
Radon is higher than usual: just over a tenth of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Seismic risk in Guelph sits near the middle: $0.024 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Guelph | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 11% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.024 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Expect November days around 7°C in Guelph, nights around −2°C
In November, the normal is 75 mm of rain and snow. Snow is normal by November, about 9 cm over the month. By December, a normal day reaches 1°C and a night falls to −6°C. Normal highs peak at 27°C in July; nights bottom out at −10°C in January.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −1°C | −9°C | 167 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 0°C | 218 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 13°C | 244 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 4°C | 221 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Kitchener/Waterloo); the forecast is on the Weather page
Guelph has one council seat for every 12,370 residents, more than nine in ten municipalities in Ontario
Voters in Guelph chose Cam Guthrie as mayor in October 2022, for a 13-seat council.
| Turnout | Guelph | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 28% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Guelph Public Library lends 13 items per person served, more than all but a few of Ontario’s town libraries
Guelph Public Library has 6 branches for the 144,356 people it serves.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
10 named trails run within 2 km of Guelph
The closest provincial park is Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, 30 km from the edge of town. For a swim, Guelph Lake Main Beach is the nearest of 5 beaches within 5 km. Also worth knowing: a drive of 87 km reaches Rouge National Urban Park, the nearest national park.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Guelph | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.9% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 6 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Guelph has 6 historic places on the registers, 3 in the top tier
The list takes in a Recognized Federal Heritage Building, a heritage railway station and a provincial or municipal listing. The oldest dated place, McCrae House, goes back to 1850. A fifth of its homes were built before 1961, between Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
- McCrae House 1850
- Guelph City Hall 1856
- Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception 1876
- Armoury 1906
| Heritage | Guelph | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 20% | 22% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Art Gallery of Guelph and 7 more in and around Guelph
What there is to see in Guelph and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
Art galleryArt Gallery of Guelphin town
GardenUniversity of Guelph Arboretumin town
National historic siteMcCrae Housein townMuseumMuseumGuelph Civic Museumin townArt galleryArt galleryMaria Pezzanoin townHeritage railwayHeritage railwayLocomotive 6167in townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Art Gallery of Guelph: JFVoll, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- University of Guelph Arboretum: Hay123.5, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- McCrae House: TheGiantVermin, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Guelph
Famous people from Guelph
174 notable people were born in Guelph.
Photo credits
Donna Strickland: Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden, CC BY 2.0 · Neve Campbell: GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0 · David Card: Roxanne Makasdjian and Alan Toth for the University of California, Berkeley, CC BY 3.0 · John McCrae: William Notman and Son, Public domain · Thomas Christopher Collins: Mykola Swarnyk, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Logan Couture: mark6mauno, CC BY-SA 2.0
Guelph’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guelph | 160,760 | — | B | D | B | B+ |
| Rockwood | 14,870 | 5.3 | A− | C | A+ | B |
| Puslinch | 8,577 | 9.9 | B+ | C | A+ | B |
| Grand River South | 10,723 | 17 | A− | C | C+ | A |
| Grand River North | 3,823 | 18 | B+ | C− | C+ | A |
| Cambridge | 165,354 | 18 | B | D | C+ | A |
| Idlewood | 5,005 | 18 | B+ | C | C+ | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Guelph
Has Guelph grown?
Yes: the census counted 131,794 in 2016 and 143,740 in 2021, a rise of 9.1%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 160,760.
What kind of homes are in Guelph?
49% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 12% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.5 people; 27% are one person living alone.
How old are the people of Guelph?
The typical resident is 38.4 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 16% of the population and under-15s at 16%.
About Guelph
Town in Ontario
Guelph is a municipality in Ontario, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 160,760 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Wellington
- Census subdivision
- 3523008
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).