Little Currentin Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands, Ontario
2,764 residents make their home in this town in Ontario. Its census division is Manitoulin.
Is Little Current a good place to live?
Housing is expensive (C−). At C− overall, Little Current ranks #747 of 858 in Ontario. On that grade it does better than 21% of Canadian towns. Crime runs high (C). Natural hazards are few (A). It also does well on walkability (A−).
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. Safety is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but many visitors or second-home owners add to it, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk. 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 Little Current grades
Each subject compares Little Current 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 Little Current stand out
The 2 things Little Current does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Little Current.
Little Current is graded an A for hazard risk
Seismic risk runs low: $0.008 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. Radon around Little Current is ordinary for Canada: 5.2% of tested homes over the guideline (6.6% typical). Little of the land around Little Current has burned: 0.1% within 25 km since 1986, or 0.003% a year.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Little Current | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.008 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 5.2% | 4% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
More households own their home in Little Current than in Ontario’s towns or across Canadian towns: 82%
Owners put the median home at $300,000, below both Ontario’s towns ($695,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 17% of households, below Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Little Current | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $300,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 17% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 82% | 76% | 74% |
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.
The police who cover Little Current record more serious crime than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 82
The Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 numbers here cover the Little Current (Manitoulin) detachment area
Its police area recorded 18.6 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12). Property crime in the area its police cover: 19.7 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Little Current | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 18.6 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 19.7 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 82 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 109 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
The 3 schools of Little Current: 2 elementary schools and 1 secondary school
Measured from the centre, the closest high school lies 24 km off, above Ontario’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km) alike.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Current Public School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 305 | English public |
| Manitoulin Secondary School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 420 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Little Current | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 24 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Lives run shorter around Little Current: 79.1 years, 2.4 below the typical Canadian town’s region
Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Sudbury and District Health Unit
For Little Current itself the measure is access: 3.5 km to the nearest hospital, much like the typical 3.7 km. On average 20% of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, above Ontario’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike, and the region has more smokers than Ontario, 16% of adults to 11%. The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 51%; Ontario as a whole is at 51%.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Little Current | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.1 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
More of Little Current’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 17%
0.8% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%). Immigrants make up 4.4% of residents, lower than both Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%).
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 52.6% of Little Current
The 2021 census counted 1,385 women and 1,250 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Little Current | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 32% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 53% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Summers stay cool in Little Current: July afternoons reach 22.4°C, below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
September is the wettest month, with 103 mm of rain and snow on average. In January the thermometer sinks to −12.9°C overnight, about level with Canadian towns (−13.5°C) and below Ontario’s towns (−9.1°C). These figures are measured at Killarney, 35 km from the town.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Little Current | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 22.4°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −12.9°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 144 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Killarney)
In Little Current, November normally means 5°C afternoons and −1°C nights
Over the year, July is warmest at 22°C by day and January coldest at −13°C by night. By December, a normal day reaches −1°C and a night falls to −8°C. Precipitation in November averages 75 mm. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Killarney forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −11°C | 184 mm |
| Spring | 7°C | 0°C | 205 mm |
| Summer | 21°C | 15°C | 251 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 6°C | 272 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Killarney); the forecast is on the Weather page
Jim Belanger (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Little Current in Ottawa as MP for Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s northern ridings aren’t the federal ones and aren’t published as open data, so Little Current isn’t placed.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Little Current has one public library, Little Current Public Library
A single building, Little Current Public Library, serves 2,640 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
More of the land around Little Current is protected than around 9 in 10 Canadian towns
For a swim, Low Island Beach is the nearest of 5 beaches within 5 km. Bruce Peninsula National Park is the closest national park, 19 km from town. Within 10 km are 36 protected areas.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Little Current | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 13% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 9 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Little Current has a larger share of its working-age people in jobs than 63% of Canadian towns
On average, the journey to work lasts 25 min. 90% of commuters drove, near both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Little Current | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 25 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 90% | 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.
Heritage in Little Current: 1 historic place of the highest rank
Before 1961 is when 32% of the homes went up, above Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Little Current | 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 Little Current
About Little Current
Town in Ontario
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Little Current is one municipality in Ontario, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,764 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Manitoulin
- Census subdivision
- 3551017
Questions about Little Current
Who are the people of Little Current?
1% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 17% have an Indigenous identity and 4% are immigrants.
What kind of homes are in Little Current?
Single-detached houses make up 88% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 30% of households are one person, and the average is 2.2.
Is Little Current a young town or an old one?
Half its people are older than 55.6 (the middle of Canadian towns: 45.2); children under 15 make up 12%, people 65 and over 32%.
Is Little Current growing?
It lost people: 2,712 in 2016, 2,641 in 2021, 2.6% fewer, while the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 2,764.
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).