Is Hanover a good place to live?
Taken together, its subjects give Hanover a C overall, better than 27% of Canadian towns. It ranks #714 of 858 in Ontario. Its weakest is cost of living (D). Fewer journeys need a car (A). Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for health and B for hazard risk.
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.
How Hanover grades
Each subject compares Hanover 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 Hanover stand out
The 3 things Hanover does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hanover.
Fewer households own their home in Hanover than in Ontario’s towns or across Canadian towns: 64%
Owners put the median home at $400,000, about level with Canadian towns ($406,000) and below Ontario’s towns ($695,000). Rent took nearly a quarter of household income, above both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Hanover | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 64% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 24% | 22% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $400,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 20% | 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.
Hanover’s Violent Crime Severity Index, 108, runs above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Violence accounts for 17 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Property crime ran at 37.9 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, above Ontario’s towns (30.5) and Canadian towns (31.2) alike.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Hanover | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 17 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 108 | 76 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 37.9 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Results around Hanover split both ways in Ontario: 2 of 4 schools high, 2 low
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover Heights Community School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 395 | English public |
| John Diefenbaker Senior School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 625 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Hanover | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Hazards in Hanover: wildfire low, radon over the guideline in 11% of tested homes
Seismic risk runs low: $0.013 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. Flood mapping: none on the national inventory for Hanover.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Hanover | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 11% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.013 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
July afternoons in Hanover reach 25.1°C (Ontario towns 26.7°C, Canadian towns 25.5°C)
Expect January lows of around −10.9°C in Hanover. Snow totals 385 cm over the year, above Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. Rain and snow peak in June, at 100 mm. January is the snowiest month, with 111 cm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Hanover | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 385 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 25.1°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,035 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −10.9°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Mount Forest)
Trips to work from Hanover are shorter than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 21 min on average
The car took 88% of commuters, close to both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Hanover | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 21 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 88% | 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.
Fewer of Hanover’s people belong to a visible minority than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 3.2%
Immigrants make up 6.2% of residents, about level with Canadian towns (6.4%) and below Ontario’s towns (7.6%). 1.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity, above Ontario’s towns (1.6%) but below 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
52.7% of Hanover’s residents are women
Women numbered 4,200 and men 3,770 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Hanover | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 30% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 23% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 42% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Hanover runs from −2°C to 6°C
Snowfall in a normal November: 48 cm. December follows at −1°C by day and −7°C by night. November normally sees 92 mm of precipitation. ECCC’s forecast for Walkerton is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −10°C | 255 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | 0°C | 240 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 13°C | 281 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 4°C | 258 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Mount Forest); the forecast is on the Weather page
Hanover’s MP is Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada), for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound
Provincially, Hanover votes in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound; 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 | Hanover | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 39% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
At 5.9 visits per person served, Hanover Public Library is busier than 88% of Ontario’s town libraries
A single building, Hanover Public Library, serves 7,967 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Little of the land around Hanover is protected: 0.1% within 10 km
National parks are all over 100 km off. A provincial park, MacGregor Point Provincial Park, lies 42 km away.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Hanover | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.1% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
More smokers around Hanover: 17% of adults, where the typical Canadian town has 12%
A child born in the region can expect 81.3 years, below Ontario’s towns (82.8) and close to Canadian towns (81.5). Across the region, 48% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Ontario as a whole reaches 51%. Measured from where Hanover’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 1.3 km away, under the typical 3.7 km. Hanover doesn’t get its own health survey and life expectancy figures; the ones here come from the Grey Bruce Health Unit.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Hanover | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17% | 10% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 48% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.3 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Older housing stands out in Hanover: 32% predates 1961
| Heritage | Hanover | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 32% | 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 Hanover
Famous people from Hanover
6 notable people were born in Hanover.
Photo credits
Peter Joseph Hundt: Basilica Heritage Foundation, CC BY 3.0 · Alexander Maitland Stephen: Unknown photographer, Public domain
About Hanover
Town in Ontario
For Hanover, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in Ontario, and every figure on its pages covers that whole area.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 8,723 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Grey
- Census subdivision
- 3542029
Hanover’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
Questions about Hanover
Who are the people of Hanover?
3% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 2% have an Indigenous identity and 6% are immigrants.
Is Hanover a young town or an old one?
At 49.2, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 15% of the population and seniors 30%.
Has Hanover grown?
Yes: the census counted 7,688 in 2016 and 7,967 in 2021, a rise of 3.6%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 8,723.
What kind of homes are in Hanover?
33% of households are one person, and the average is 2.2.
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).