WaterdownHamilton
The neighbourhood has 23,858 residents and lies in Hamilton. It is one of 106 neighbourhoods of Hamilton.
Is Waterdown a good place to live?
Schools are its strong suit (A−). Work and incomes are strong (A−). Put together, the subjects come to a B+ overall, ranking #189 of 858 in Ontario. Nationally, it does better than 74% of Canadian towns. Its other grades sit near the middle: C+ for cost of living, B− for safety, B for health and B for walkability.
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 Waterdown grades
Each subject compares Waterdown 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 Waterdown stand out
The 3 things Waterdown does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Waterdown.
Waterdown’s schools come under 4 different boards
Taken together, Waterdown and its 3 km edge hold 13 elementary schools and 1 secondary school for 7,070 students. No French-language school is among them; in Ontario, one in ten schools are. The 13 with results split, 7 in the upper two fifths in Ontario and 2 in the lower.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guy B Brown Elementary Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 705 | English public |
| Waterdown District High School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,140 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Waterdown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Few Canadian towns have household incomes as high as Waterdown’s
Just over nine in ten commuters drove, higher than Ontario’s towns (88%) and near Canadian towns (89%). On average, the journey to work lasts 30 min.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Waterdown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 30 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 91% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
Waterdown is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Conservation Halton
About as many homes carry radon around Waterdown as elsewhere, 5% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. Shaking is about as much of a worry in Waterdown as in most places, at $0.044 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Waterdown 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 | Waterdown | 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
Winters are mild in Waterdown: January nights hold at −6.3°C, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Snow totals 115 cm over the year, below both Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). January is the snowiest month, with 32 cm on average. For the wettest month, look to July: 98 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Waterdown | 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)
Renting in Waterdown costs 15% of household income, less than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns
84% of households own their home, above both Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 18% of households, below Ontario’s towns (22%) and close to Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Waterdown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 15% | 22% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 84% | 76% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 18% | 22% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020. · Rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom: one figure for all of the Hamilton metro area
Around Waterdown, 53% of adults call their health very good or excellent
For Waterdown itself the measure is access, and it lags: 7.4 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. The region has more smokers than Ontario, 13% of adults to 11%. Lives here run to 81.2 years on average, lower than Ontario’s towns (82.8) and near Canadian towns (81.5). For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the City of Hamilton Health Unit, Waterdown included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Waterdown | 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
Waterdown: median age 37.4, 8,240 households
First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 1.2% of residents, lower than both Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%). Visible minorities make up 19% of the population, lower than Ontario’s towns (26%) yet higher than Canadian towns (15%).
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 51.1% of Waterdown
Women numbered 12,210 and men 11,670 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Waterdown | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 67% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 12% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 66% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Expect November days around 8°C in Waterdown, nights around 3°C
The year peaks in July (26°C) and bottoms out in January (−6°C). Precipitation in November averages 78 mm. November usually brings some 9 cm of snow. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Burlington.
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
Dan Muys (Conservative Party of Canada) holds Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North, the riding that includes Waterdown
Waterdown is part of Hamilton, which elected Andrea Horwath as mayor in October 2022.
| Turnout | Waterdown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 35% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Hamilton Public Library - Waterdown Branch and Waterdown Branch Library are Waterdown’s two public libraries
Hamilton Public Library serves the whole of Hamilton, so the library figures on this page are the city’s: 592,000 people, Waterdown among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
For safety, Waterdown gets a B−
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 66 over 2023–25, 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 | Waterdown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 66 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 86 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Not measured by town: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 (the Hamilton service area)
Burlington Easement begins at the edge of Waterdown
Of the land within 10 km, 4.4% has protected status, above Ontario’s towns (2.3%) and Canadian towns (2.3%) alike. For a provincial park, Bronte Creek Provincial Park lies 8.8 km off. 76 km separate the town from Rouge National Urban Park, its nearest national park.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Waterdown | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 4.4% | 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 Waterdown
Grindstone Cascade and 10 more in and around Waterdown
What there is to see in Waterdown and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
Art galleryTrue North Galleryin town
GardenRoyal Botanical Gardens3.6 km outside town, to the southeast
WaterfallBorer's Falls3.5 km outside town, to the southWaterfallWaterfallLower Hopkins Cascade2 km outside town, to the southWaterfallWaterfallDyment Falls4.6 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- True North Gallery: Lisa Jefferies, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Royal Botanical Gardens: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Borer's Falls: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Waterdown
9 notable people were born in Waterdown.
Photo credits
Carter Verhaeghe: Arc1294, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Leo Clarke: Gallaher Cigarette Cards, Public domain · George Davidson Grant: Unknown author , Published by Montreal Perrault Print. Co, Public domain · Morgan McAslan: John Shorten, CC BY 4.0
About Waterdown
Neighbourhood in Hamilton
TownRatings splits Hamilton into neighbourhoods drawn from census dissemination areas; Waterdown is one of them, named from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 23,858 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Hamilton
- Census subdivision
- 3525005
Waterdown’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterdown | 23,858 | — | B+ | C+ | B− | B |
| York Road | 4,931 | 7.1 | B+ | C− | B− | B |
| Burlington | 197,737 | 7.9 | A+ | C− | A | A |
| North End East | 4,816 | 8 | C− | D− | B− | B+ |
| Colborne | 7,447 | 8 | B+ | C | B− | B |
| Strathcona | 9,348 | 8.1 | C | D− | B− | B |
| Central | 3,698 | 8.2 | C− | D− | B− | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Waterdown
Is Waterdown a young town or an old one?
At 37.4, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 21% of the population and seniors 12%.
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).