GourleyHamilton
It is one of the 106 neighbourhoods that make up Hamilton. Population 5,271: a neighbourhood in Hamilton.
Is Gourley a good place to live?
Walking, cycling and public transport work well here (A−). Cost of living is its weak spot (C). All told, that adds up to a B− overall and a rank of #477 of 858 in Ontario. That leaves it better than 52% of Canadian towns. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B− for safety, B− for schools, B for health and B− 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.
What makes Gourley stand out
The 3 things Gourley does most differently from other towns.
How Gourley grades
Each subject compares Gourley 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 →
Chedoke Falls and 23 more in and around Gourley
What there is to see in Gourley and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
WaterfallChedoke Falls2.1 km outside town, to the north
CathedralCathedral Basilica of Christ the King4.7 km outside town, to the north
Art galleryArt Gallery of Hamilton4.5 km outside town, to the northWaterfallWaterfallPrincess Falls3.2 km outside town, to the northwestWaterfallWaterfallUpper Beckett Falls2.6 km outside town, to the northWaterfallWaterfallCliffview Falls2.4 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: 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
- 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
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Gourley.
More households own their home in Gourley than in Ontario’s towns or across Canadian towns: 91%
17% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, 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 | Gourley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 91% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 17% | 22% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020. · Not measured by town: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom (the Hamilton metro area)
Gourley’s hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 5% of area homes over the radon guideline
NRCan expects $0.044 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in Gourley, near the typical $0.030. No one has filed a flood map for Gourley on the national inventory. Gourley doesn’t get its own earthquake risk figures; the ones here come from the city of Hamilton.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Gourley | 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
Very good or excellent health for 53% of adults in Gourley’s health region
A baby born in the region can expect 81.2 years, 83.5 for a girl and 79.0 for a boy (2022/2024). At 13%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 11% for Ontario. Closer to home, a hospital sits 2.8 km from the average resident of Gourley, about the norm of 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Gourley | 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
Lighter winters: about 115 cm of snow a year in Gourley, less than in 81% of Canadian towns
Summer highs average 26.6°C in July, near Ontario’s towns (26.7°C) and higher than Canadian towns (25.5°C). Snow peaks in January: 32 cm in a normal year. Gardeners get 164 frost-free days, from 1 May to 12 October. In January, overnight lows in Gourley settle at −9.1°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Gourley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 115 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| 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)
Visible minorities make up more of Gourley than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 36%
0.9% of residents have an Indigenous identity, below both Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and 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 49.4% of Gourley
Of the 2021 count, 2,605 were women and 2,665 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).
| Gourley | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 70% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 13% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 15% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 57% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Gourley in November: highs near 8°C, lows near freezing
Precipitation in November averages 78 mm. Expect around 9 cm of snow in November. The month after, December, normally sees 2°C afternoons and −5°C nights. The year peaks in July (27°C) and bottoms out in February (−9°C).
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
Each seat on Hamilton’s council stands for 40,030 residents, more than in 99% of Ontario municipalities
City council runs Gourley; in October 2022, Hamilton chose Andrea Horwath as mayor.
| Turnout | Gourley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 35% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Gourley has no public library of its own; the nearest is Hamilton Public Library - Terryberry Branch, 1.7 km away
The library figures on this page are Hamilton’s: Hamilton public library serves all 592,000 people of the city, Gourley among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Gourley’s household incomes are higher than in 95% of Canadian towns
Workers spend 25 min getting to work, on average. Just over nine in ten commuters drove, higher than Ontario’s towns (88%) and near Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Gourley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 25 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 91% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
3 boards run the schools in and around Gourley
St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School is the biggest, at 1,810 students. Over three years, results rose at 26 of its 35 tested schools. One of the 38 teaches in French, against 10% of schools in Ontario. The 35 with results split, 9 in the upper two fifths in Ontario and 15 in the lower.
| 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 | Gourley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
For safety, Gourley gets a B−
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, higher than Ontario’s towns (76) and near Canadian towns (86).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Gourley | 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 published for the Hamilton service area, not by town
Bronte Creek Provincial Park, 23 km away, is the closest provincial park to Gourley
Of the land within 10 km, 6.5% has protected status, above both Ontario’s towns (2.3%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). 88 km separate the town from Rouge National Urban Park, its nearest national park. The 10 km around town hold 17 protected areas.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Gourley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 6.5% | 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 Gourley
Gourley’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
Questions about Gourley
How old are the people of Gourley?
Its median age is 39.5, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 17% of residents; over-65s, 13%.
About Gourley
Neighbourhood in Hamilton
Where Gourley 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
- 5,271 (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).