WestmountKitchener
5,048 people call this neighbourhood in Kitchener home. It is one of the 37 neighbourhoods that make up Kitchener.
Is Westmount a good place to live?
Plenty to like here, at a price. People here tend to be in good health (A). It is easy to get around without a car (A+). Housing is expensive (D−). Overall, that makes a B+, better than nearly two thirds of Canadian towns. The ranking puts it #280 of 858 in Ontario.
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 Westmount grades
Each subject compares Westmount 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 Westmount stand out
The 3 things Westmount does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Westmount.
Home ownership in Westmount, 54%, runs below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
A year’s rent came to 25% of the median household income, higher than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%). For rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom, the only official count covers all of the Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo metro area, Westmount included.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Westmount | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 54% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 25% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 22% | 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.
Westmount scores better for health than 92% of Canadian towns
For Westmount itself the measure is access, and it scores well: 1.5 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. Smoking is rarer than in the province: 9% of adults, against 11% for Ontario. On average 16% of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, below Ontario’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike. Across the region, 53% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Ontario as a whole manages 51%. Westmount shares its health survey and life expectancy numbers with the rest of the Waterloo Health Unit.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Westmount | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Smokers | 9% | 10% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 53% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.8 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
A flood study covers Westmount: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Grand River Conservation Authority
Measured across the city of Kitchener: earthquake risk
NRCan expects $0.022 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in Westmount, near the typical $0.030. Radon is lower than usual: 4% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Westmount | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 4% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.022 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
3 boards run the schools in and around Westmount
In or within 3 km of Westmount: 34 elementary schools and 6 secondary schools, with 23,625 students. The largest is Resurrection Catholic Secondary School, with 1,920 students. Results are mixed: 9 of 34 schools above the middle in Ontario, 14 below it. Of the 40, one teaches in French (10% of schools in Ontario).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandhills Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 615 | English public |
| Resurrection Catholic Secondary School CatholicLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,920 | English Catholic |
| École élémentaire L'Harmonie FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 290 | French public |
| Mary Johnston Public School Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 375 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Westmount | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Household incomes in Westmount are higher than in 72% of Canadian towns
Driving is how 83% of commuters got to work at the census. Commutes averaged 25 min, below both Ontario’s towns (29 min) and Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Westmount | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 25 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 83% | 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.
Westmount earns a C+ for safety
Violent incidents in its police area came to 14.2 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12). Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 72 over 2023–25, above both Ontario’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). Nobody publishes Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 for Westmount alone, so this card uses the figure for the Waterloo Region (Kitchener) service area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Westmount | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 14.2 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Crime Severity Index | 72 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
January lows in Westmount: −10.3°C, against −9.1°C in Ontario’s towns and −13.5°C in Canadian towns
Most of the snow comes in January, about 32 cm. Between the last spring frost, 8 May, and the first in autumn, 5 October, lie 149 days. The warmest stretch brings July afternoons of 26.6°C, close to Ontario’s towns (26.7°C) and above Canadian towns (25.5°C). The most precipitation falls in July: 96 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Westmount | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 115 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −10.3°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 26.6°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 156 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Kitchener/Waterloo)
Children make up 17% of Westmount, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Visible minorities make up 27% of the population, close to Ontario’s towns (26%) and above Canadian towns (15%). 1% 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 51.8% of Westmount
2,435 men and 2,620 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Westmount | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 66% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 17% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 63% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
What November brings in Westmount: −2°C at night, 7°C by day
Precipitation in November averages 75 mm. By December, a normal day reaches 1°C and a night falls to −6°C. Snow is normal by November, about 9 cm over the month. Also worth knowing: across the year, normals run from −10°C nights in January to 27°C afternoons in July.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −1°C | −9°C | 167 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 0°C | 218 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 13°C | 244 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 4°C | 221 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Kitchener/Waterloo); the forecast is on the Weather page
The nearest public library to Westmount is Waterloo Public Library - Main, 2.1 km away
The library figures on this page are Kitchener’s: Kitchener public library serves all 292,240 people of the city, Westmount among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The nearest provincial park to Westmount is Trillium Woods Provincial Park, 47 km away
There is no national park within 100 km of the town. CPCAD lists 18 protected areas within 10 km. 5.7 km out lies the largest, Huron Natural Area, at 96 ha. 1.3% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%).
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Westmount | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 18 | 4 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Westmount
THEMUSEUM and 19 more in and around Westmount
What there is to see in Westmount and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
MuseumTHEMUSEUM2.1 km outside town, to the east
Art galleryCanadian Clay and Glass Gallery1.1 km outside town, to the north
MuseumJoseph Schneider Haus1.7 km outside town, to the east
MuseumWoodside3.3 km outside town, to the northeastGardenGardenWaterloo Park1.6 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionGrist Mill1.2 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- THEMUSEUM: Illustratedjc, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery: JFVoll, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Joseph Schneider Haus: Yoho2001, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Woodside: Carole Moran from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Westmount
Neighbourhood in Kitchener
Westmount is one of Kitchener’s neighbourhoods, which TownRatings draws from census dissemination areas and names from the city’s own map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 5,048 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Kitchener
- Census subdivision
- 3530013
Westmount’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westmount | 5,048 | — | B+ | D− | C+ | A |
| Victoria Hills | 10,760 | 0.7 | B− | D− | C+ | A |
| Cherry Hill | 6,304 | 1.2 | B− | D− | C+ | A |
| Victoria Park | 3,574 | 2 | B− | D− | C+ | A |
| Highland West | 12,476 | 2.2 | B+ | C− | C+ | A |
| Forest Hill | 5,760 | 2.3 | B− | D− | C+ | A |
| Meinzinger Park-Lakeside | 5,007 | 2.3 | B− | D− | C+ | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
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).