HamiltonOntario
Its census division is Northumberland. 11,810 people call this town in Ontario home.
Is Hamilton a good place to live?
Mostly strong, with a single weak spot. Its strongest is safety (A+). Pupils here do better than most (B+). Getting around depends on the car (D). Homes are dear (C+). The overall grade comes out at B+, #260 of 858 in Ontario. Nationally, it does better than two thirds of Canadian towns.
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.
What makes Hamilton stand out
The 3 things Hamilton does most differently from other towns.
How Hamilton grades
Each subject compares Hamilton 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 Hamilton.
Violent crime weighs less on Hamilton than on Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 30
Violent crime is recorded at 4.1 per 1,000 residents a year. Property crime ran at 7.9 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, below Ontario’s towns (30.5) and Canadian towns (31.2) alike.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Hamilton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 7.9 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 30 | 76 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 4.1 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
A flood study covers Hamilton: 5 on the national inventory, the newest from Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
NRCan expects $0.026 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in Hamilton, near the typical $0.030. In Health Canada’s survey, 6.1% of homes tested in the town’s area exceeded 200 Bq/m³, close to the typical 6.6%.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Hamilton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 6.1% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.026 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Not measured by town: radon tests (the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Heal health region)
Hamilton’s 13 schools with results spread wide in Ontario, 3 in the top two fifths and 4 in the bottom two
No French-language school is among them; in Ontario, 10% of schools are. Secondary school means a trip of 8.5 km at the nearest, above Ontario’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km) alike. Counting a 3 km margin, Hamilton has 12 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools and 1 alternative or adult school, for 5,320 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| C R Gummow Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 795 | English public |
| Cobourg Collegiate Institute Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,110 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Hamilton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest secondary school | 8.5 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Most households in Hamilton own their home: 94%, more than in both Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
A year’s rent came to 15% of the median household income, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%). 12% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Hamilton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 94% | 76% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 12% | 22% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 15% | 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.
Smoking runs high around Hamilton: 18% of adults, the typical Canadian town 12%
Health survey and life expectancy for the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 49%; Ontario as a whole is at 51%. Expected years of life at birth: 81.0, about level with Canadian towns (81.5) and below Ontario’s towns (82.8). The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Hamilton’s is long: 8.6 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Hamilton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.0 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 49% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Summers stay cool in Hamilton: July afternoons reach 23.6°C, below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
January is the snowiest month, with 45 cm on average. Expect January lows of around −8.7°C in Hamilton. Frost comes on 126 days a year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). For the wettest month, look to June: 88 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Hamilton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 23.6°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 126 | 139 | 159 |
| January night low | −8.7°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 158 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Cobourg)
Hamilton’s household incomes are higher than in 90% of Canadian towns
A trip to work takes 29 min on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Hamilton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 29 min | 29 min | 26 min |
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.
Visible minorities make up less of Hamilton than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 3.5%
14% are under 15, lower than both Ontario’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (16%). Retirement age and beyond: nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or older.
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 49.7% of Hamilton
5,495 women and 5,565 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Hamilton | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 63% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 56% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Hamilton runs from freezing to 7°C
The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Cobourg. Next comes December, with normal highs of 2°C and lows of −5°C. In November, the normal is 76 mm of rain and snow. Snowfall in a normal November: 17 cm.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −7°C | 173 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | 2°C | 206 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 15°C | 235 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 227 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Cobourg); the forecast is on the Weather page
88% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spend more per resident than Hamilton
Provincially, Hamilton votes in Northumberland—Peterborough South; the open record doesn’t name its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, so the legislature’s own list is linked below.
| Turnout | Hamilton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 27% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Cobourg Public Library - Bewdley Branch and Cobourg Public Library - Gores Landing Branch are Hamilton’s two public libraries
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Hamilton is 2.5 km from Serpent Mounds Provincial Park
Swimmers have 4 beaches within 5 km, Cobourg Beach the nearest. Rouge National Urban Park is the closest national park, 68 km from town. Of the country within 10 km, 0.9% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%. What’s more, 14 protected areas lie within 10 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Hamilton | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.9% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Marie Dressler House and 4 more in and around Hamilton
From museums to parks and historic sites: Hamilton’s places to visit and those just beyond its edge, most famous first.
Everything we know about Hamilton
Famous people from Hamilton
4 notable people were born in Hamilton.
Photo credits
Mina Benson Hubbard: Unknown author, Public domain · William Renwick Riddell: International Press Limited, Public domain · Letitia Youmans: Photographer unidentified, Public domain · Pauline Browes: Greg Forbes, CC BY-SA 4.0
Hamilton’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 11,810 | — | B+ | C+ | A+ | C+ |
| Cobourg | 22,529 | 9.5 | C+ | D− | C+ | C+ |
| Port Hope | 18,446 | 12 | C | D | A | C+ |
| Alnwick/Haldimand | 8,197 | 13 | C+ | C | A+ | C |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Hamilton
What kind of homes are in Hamilton?
Mostly 95% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.6 people on average, and 18% have just one.
Who are the people of Hamilton?
Visible minorities are 4% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 9%, and Indigenous people 3%.
Has Hamilton grown?
Yes: the census counted 10,942 in 2016 and 11,059 in 2021, a rise of 1.1%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 11,810.
How old are the people of Hamilton?
The median resident is 49.6 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 14% are under 15 and 23% are 65 or over.
About Hamilton
Town in Ontario
Every figure TownRatings gives for Hamilton 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
- 11,810 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Northumberland
- Census subdivision
- 3514019
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).