GibsonHamilton
Home to 7,581 people, this neighbourhood lies in Hamilton. Of Hamilton’s 106 neighbourhoods, this is one.
Is Gibson a good place to live?
Buying in is costly (D−). The local economy is weaker than most (D−). Where it does best is walkability (A+). All told, that adds up to a D overall and a rank of #823 of 858 in Ontario. That leaves it better than just over a tenth of Canadian towns. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for safety and B for health.
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.
What makes Gibson stand out
The 3 things Gibson does most differently from other towns.
How Gibson grades
Each subject compares Gibson 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 →
HMCS Haida and 32 more in and around Gibson
From museums to parks and historic sites: Gibson’s places to visit and those just beyond its edge, most famous first.
Historic ship · Parks CanadaHMCS Haida1.8 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumDundurn Castle3.4 km outside town, to the west
GardenRoyal Botanical Gardens4.2 km outside town, to the northwest
CathedralCathedral Basilica of Christ the King3.8 km outside town, to the west
Art galleryArt Gallery of Hamilton2 km outside town, to the west
WaterfallChedoke Falls4.3 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- HMCS Haida: Balcer~commonswiki, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Dundurn Castle: Nhl4hamilton (Rick Cordeiro), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Royal Botanical Gardens: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King: Jfvoll, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Art Gallery of Hamilton: MeganAGH, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chedoke Falls: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Gibson.
Household incomes in Gibson trail those of 95% of Canadian towns
On average, the journey to work lasts 30 min.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Gibson | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 30 min | 29 min | 26 min |
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.
Rent takes more of local pay in Gibson than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 36% of household income
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 31% of households, above both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). Owners put the median home at $460,000, between Ontario’s towns ($695,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). Nobody publishes rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom for Gibson alone, so this card uses the figure for the Hamilton metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Gibson | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 36% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 31% | 22% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $460,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
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.
4 school boards overlap in Gibson, covering Ontario’s four systems
Results lean low: 22 of 30 in the lower two fifths in Ontario. Over three years, results rose at 21 of its 30 tested schools. Cathedral High School is the biggest, at 1,650 students. Of the 33, 2 teach in French (10% of schools in Ontario).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. J. Edgar Davey Elementary Public School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 585 | English public |
| Cathedral High School CatholicLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,650 | English Catholic |
| ÉÉC Notre-Dame FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 215 | French Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Gibson | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Gibson’s hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 5% of area homes over the radon guideline
Shaking is about as much of a worry in Gibson as in most places, at $0.044 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). No one has filed a flood map for Gibson on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Gibson | 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 · Area behind the earthquake risk figures: the city of Hamilton
Winters are mild in Gibson: January nights hold at −6.3°C, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Some 115 cm of snow falls in a typical year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). A normal January brings 32 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 | Gibson | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 98 | 139 | 159 |
| January night low | −6.3°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 115 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 25.5°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Burlington Piers)
Very good or excellent health for 53% of adults in Gibson’s health region
Measured from where people live, the nearest hospital is 1.0 km away, lower than both Ontario’s towns (3.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km). Smoking is commoner than in the province: 13% of adults, against 11% for Ontario. Life expectancy in the region is 81.2 years (83.5 for women, 79.0 for men, 2022/2024). Gibson doesn’t get its own health survey and life expectancy figures; the ones here come from the City of Hamilton Health Unit.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Gibson | 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
More of Gibson belongs to a visible minority than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 37%
14% of residents are 65 or over. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 4.6% of residents, above Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%) alike. Children are 18% of the town.
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 48.1% of Gibson
In 2021 there were 3,640 women to 3,925 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| Gibson | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 69% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 14% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 30% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 42% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Gibson runs from 3°C to 8°C
Snowfall in a normal November: 9 cm. Expect about 78 mm of rain and snow over November. The year peaks in July (26°C) and bottoms out in January (−6°C). 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 | 1°C | −5°C | 194 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 3°C | 231 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 17°C | 242 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 9°C | 236 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Burlington Piers); the forecast is on the Weather page
Hamilton Centre, which takes in Gibson, is held by Aslam Rana (Liberal Party of Canada)
The Liberal Party of Canada has 71 of the 122 MPs elected in Ontario.
| Turnout | Gibson | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 35% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Gibson has one public library, Hamilton Public Library - Barton Branch
Gibson is served by Hamilton Public Library, the library of all of Hamilton, so the figures here are the city’s, for 592,000 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Gibson is graded a B− for safety
The index for the force that serves it came to 66, about level with Canadian towns (67) and above Ontario’s towns (56). For violence alone, its police area’s index was 86, about level with Canadian towns (86) and above Ontario’s towns (76).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Gibson | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 66 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 86 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: one figure for all of the Hamilton service area
From Gibson, Bronte Creek Provincial Park is the nearest provincial park (17 km)
Within 5 km lie 3 beaches, unnamed on the map. Rouge National Urban Park is the closest national park, 82 km from town. Out to 10 km from the town’s edge, 4.6% of the land is protected; 2.3% is typical for a Canadian town. The largest is Windermere Basin Park: 39 ha, 4.1 km from the edge of town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Gibson | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 4.6% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
An older town: 69% of Gibson’s homes predate 1961
| Heritage | Gibson | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 69% | 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 Gibson
Gibson’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gibson | 7,581 | — | D | D− | B− | B |
| Stipeley | 6,572 | 0.7 | D | D− | B− | B |
| St. Clair | 3,201 | 0.8 | D | D− | B− | B+ |
| Landsdale | 7,681 | 1 | D | D− | B− | B+ |
| Stinson | 3,969 | 1.1 | D | D− | B− | B+ |
| Blakeley | 3,151 | 1.2 | D | D− | B− | B+ |
| Industrial Sector A and Keith | 3,723 | 1.6 | D | D | B− | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Gibson
Is Gibson a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 36.6, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2.
About Gibson
Neighbourhood in Hamilton
Where Gibson begins and ends inside Hamilton is TownRatings’s line, traced along census dissemination areas and named after the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 7,581 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Hamilton
- Census subdivision
- 3525005
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).