BarnstownHamilton
It is one of 106 neighbourhoods of Hamilton. It is a neighbourhood of 6,603 residents in Hamilton.
Is Barnstown a good place to live?
Fewer journeys need a car (A). Barnstown’s overall grade, B−, puts it better than half of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #509 of 858 in Ontario. Its weakest subject is cost of living (C). Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for safety, B− for schools, B for health and C+ for jobs & income.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: this is the whole city's figure, because the city doesn't publish open neighbourhood crime rates. 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 Barnstown grades
Each subject compares Barnstown 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 Barnstown stand out
The 3 things Barnstown does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Barnstown.
Rent takes less of local pay in Barnstown than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 17% of household income
Owners make up just over four in five households, above both Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 18% of households, lower than Ontario’s towns (22%) and near Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Barnstown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 22% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 81% | 76% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 18% | 22% | 18% |
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. · Not measured by town: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom (the Hamilton metro area)
Barnstown is on Canada’s flood inventory: 2 listed, led by Hamilton Conservation Authority
The earthquake risk numbers here cover the city of Hamilton
Earthquake risk in Barnstown is ordinary: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.044 a year per $1,000 of value, close to the typical town’s $0.030. About as many homes carry radon around Barnstown as elsewhere, 5% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Barnstown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 5% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.044 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
53% of adults around Barnstown rate their health very good or excellent
A child born in the region can expect 81.2 years, below Ontario’s towns (82.8) and close to Canadian towns (81.5). 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 Barnstown live 4.2 km from a hospital on average, close to the typical town’s 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Barnstown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 53% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.2 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 17% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the City of Hamilton Health Unit
Households in Barnstown earn more than those in 96% of Canadian towns
The average trip to work took 26 min, below Ontario’s towns (29 min) and close to Canadian towns (26 min). Nearly nine in ten commuters took the car to work at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Barnstown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 26 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 89% | 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.
Barnstown gets fewer frosts than 73% of Canadian towns
January nights fall to −9.1°C on average, about level with Ontario’s towns (−9.1°C) and above Canadian towns (−13.5°C). The frost-free season runs from 1 May to 12 October, 164 days. A normal January brings 44 cm of snow, the most of any month. Rain and snow peak in July, at 98 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Barnstown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −9.1°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 26.6°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 139 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Hamilton)
More of Barnstown belongs to a visible minority than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 41%
17% are under 15, above both Ontario’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (16%). First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 1% of residents, 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 52.8% of Barnstown
Women numbered 3,490 and men 3,115 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Barnstown | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 64% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 19% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 58% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Expect November days around 8°C in Barnstown, nights around freezing
The year peaks in July (27°C) and bottoms out in February (−9°C). Next comes December, with normal highs of 2°C and lows of −5°C. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 78 mm. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Hamilton.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −8°C | 194 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 1°C | 231 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 14°C | 242 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 5°C | 236 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Hamilton); the forecast is on the Weather page
Council seats in Hamilton are spread thin, 40,030 residents each, more than in 99% of Ontario municipalities
City council runs Barnstown; in October 2022, Hamilton chose Andrea Horwath as mayor.
| Turnout | Barnstown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 35% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Barnstown has no public library of its own; the nearest is Hamilton Public Library - Turner Park Branch, 0.6 km away
Hamilton public library serves the whole of Hamilton, so the library figures on this page are the city’s: 592,000 people, Barnstown among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Barnstown’s schools come under 3 different boards
Of its 31 tested schools, 5 sit in the top two fifths in Ontario and 16 in the bottom two. Results have climbed at 25 of 31 schools over three years. St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School is the biggest, at 1,810 students. 17,430 students attend the 28 elementary schools and 4 secondary schools in or within 3 km of Barnstown.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| R A Riddell Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 735 | English public |
| St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School CatholicLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,810 | English Catholic |
| ÉÉC Monseigneur-de-Laval FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 435 | French Catholic |
| Corpus Christi Catholic Elementary School CatholicResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 415 | English Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Barnstown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Barnstown is graded a B− for safety
Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over the Hamilton service area
The index for the force that serves it came to 66, higher than Ontario’s towns (56) and near Canadian towns (67). The violent index for its police area came to 86, about level with Canadian towns (86) and above Ontario’s towns (76).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Barnstown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 66 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 86 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
The nearest provincial park to Barnstown is Bronte Creek Provincial Park, 24 km away
Count 16 protected areas within 10 km of town. 89 km separate the town from Rouge National Urban Park, its nearest national park. Of the country within 10 km, 4.9% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%. The largest is Windermere Basin Park: 39 ha, 9.7 km from the edge of town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Barnstown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 4.9% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Barnstown
Albion Falls and 11 more in and around Barnstown
A first look at Barnstown’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
WaterfallChedoke Falls3.6 km outside town, to the northwest
WaterfallButtermilk Falls4.1 km outside town, to the east
National historic siteAuchmar3.3 km outside town, to the northWaterfallWaterfallUpper Beckett Falls3.8 km outside town, to the northWaterfallWaterfallLower Beckett Falls3.8 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Chedoke Falls: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Buttermilk Falls: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Auchmar: JFVoll, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Barnstown
Neighbourhood in Hamilton
Barnstown is a neighbourhood of Hamilton, built by TownRatings from Statistics Canada’s smallest census areas and named from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 6,603 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Hamilton
- Census subdivision
- 3525005
Barnstown’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
Questions about Barnstown
Is Barnstown a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 41.5, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 17% of residents; over-65s, 19%.
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).