MarathonOntario

TownGrade

#1,003 of 2,556

Some 3,223 people live in this town, in Ontario. It lies in Thunder Bay.

Photo: davestew89 · CC BY 3.0

Population

3,223

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

43.2

years · Ontario’s towns: 46.8

Postsecondary

47%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

Is Marathon a good place to live?

Marathon’s strongest subject is cost of living (A+). With a B overall, Marathon sits #369 of 858 in Ontario. Nationally, it does better than three fifths of Canadian towns. Walking, cycling and public transport work well here (A). Pupils here do less well than most (C−).

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.

StrongestA⁺Cost of living AWalkability A⁻Hazard riskWeakestC⁻Schools

How Marathon grades

Each subject compares Marathon 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 grading works

Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesA⁺Open →WalkabilityAmong the easiest places to get around without a carAOpen →SchoolsNear the bottom of the towns comparedC⁻Open →Hazard riskBased on earthquake losses and radon in homes; a high wildfire risk can pull it downA⁻Open →HealthResidents’ health trails most townsCOpen →Jobs & incomeAhead of most towns comparedB⁺Open →SafetyGraded on crime per residentC⁺Open →

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Marathon stand out

The 3 things Marathon does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

1.6 times household income

Against 4.7 for the median of Canadian towns

Median owner’s estimate $150,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

Cost of living

Better than 99%

of Canadian towns on cost of living

Its cost of living grade: A+.

Walkability

Better than 86%

of Canadian towns on walkability

Its walkability grade: A.

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Marathon.

HousingCost of living A⁺

Renting in Marathon costs 12% of household income, less than in Ontario’s towns and across Canadian towns

$150,000median home value, 2021A⁺Cost of living Grade

7% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). Owners make up just over three quarters of households, near both Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%).

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Marathon$150,000

Ontario$695,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Marathon	Ontario	Canada
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	7%	22%	18%
Rent as a share of income	12%	22%	20%

$700

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$665

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageMarathon’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$700 a month · The median rent at the 2021 census Cost of living1.6 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $150,000, against the median household income Owners and renters76% own their home

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.

SchoolsSchools C⁻

4 of the 7 schools around Marathon teach in French

7schools within 3 kmC⁻Schools Grade

All four of Ontario’s systems run schools here, English and French, public and Catholic. 2 of 3 schools with results score below the middle in Ontario. Its elementary schools are small, 135 students on average, against 365 in Ontario. Taken together, Marathon and its 3 km edge hold 5 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools.

School	Level	Students	System
Margaret Twomey Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8	Elementary · Grades JK–8	150	English public
Marathon High School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12	Secondary · Grades 9–12	185	English public
École catholique Val-des-Bois FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–8	Elementary · Grades JK–8	–	French Catholic

See all 7 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

French public3

English public2

English Catholic1

French Catholic1

Schools within 3 km	Marathon	Ontario	Canada
School boards	4	4	3

0.6 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageMarathon’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Language4 of 7 teach in French · 10% of schools in Ontario Every school7 schools within 3 km · 5 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools Results0 of 3 in the top two fifths · of the schools with results, placed against every school in Ontario The boards4 school boards · CS public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario Questions“What schools are there in Marathon?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25

Natural hazardsHazard risk A⁻

Marathon gets an A− for hazard risk

Lowwildfire bandA⁻Hazard risk Grade

Seismic risk runs low: $0.003 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. Flood mapping: none on the national inventory for Marathon.

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Marathon12%

Ontario’s towns4%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Marathon	Ontario	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	12%	4%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.003	$0.043	$0.030

$0.003

expected earthquake loss a year per $1,000 of buildings

Low

wildfire band

14 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

Full pageMarathon’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

WildfireLow wildfire band · No land burned within 25 km since 1986 FloodNo flood study on record Earthquakes$0.003 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon12% of tests above the guideline Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

Climate

Marathon has colder winters than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −24.7°C

23.6°CJuly afternoons

The warmest afternoons come in July, at around 23.6°C in Marathon. Frosty days number 214 in a normal year, above both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). Frost usually lifts by 31 May and returns around 16 September: 106 days without it. For the wettest month, look to July: 108 mm on average.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−9.8°C

Spring6.8°C

Summer22.4°C

Autumn7.7°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Marathon	Ontario	Canada
January night low	−24.7°C	−9.1°C	−13.5°C
Days with frost a year	214	139	159
July afternoon high	23.6°C	26.7°C	25.5°C
Precipitation a year	762 mm	902 mm	883 mm

214

days with frost a year

106

frost-free days, 31 May to 16 Sep

114

days with precipitation a year

Full pageMarathon’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 23.6°C, January lows −24.7°C Rain and snow762 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Weather station125 km to the station · Geraldton

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Geraldton)

HealthHealth C

Lives run shorter around Marathon: 76.5 years, 5.0 below the typical Canadian town’s region

49%very good or excellent healthCHealth Grade

Shared with the rest of the Thunder Bay District Health Unit: health survey and life expectancy

The survey counts 17% of adults as smokers, above both Ontario’s towns (10%) and Canadian towns (12%). Across the region, 49% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Ontario as a whole reaches 51%. For Marathon itself the measure is access, and it scores well: 0.9 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Marathon49%

Ontario’s towns51%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Marathon	Ontario	Canada
Life expectancy at birth	76.5	82.8	81.5
Smokers	17%	10%	12%
Very good or excellent health	49%	51%	52%
Chronic conditions (average share)	18%	17%	17%

76.5

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

0.9 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

17%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

1.1 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageMarathon’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey49% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care0.9 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 1.1 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 79.0, men 74.1 Conditions and habits18% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁺

Trips to work from Marathon are shorter than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 20 min on average

9%walk, cycle or take transit

The car took 90% of commuters, near both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van90%

Walk7%

Public transit1%

Bicycle1%

Census 2021	Marathon	Ontario	Canada
Average trip	20 min	29 min	26 min
Car or van	90%	88%	89%

$92,000

median household income, 2020

worked from home, May 2021

79%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageMarathon’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment8.2% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work9% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to95 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Thunder Bay, Unorganized

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.

SafetySafety C⁺

Violent crime weighs more on Marathon than on Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 121

75Crime Severity Index

Each year, 22.7 violent crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents. Thefts, break-ins and damage came to 25 per 1,000 residents a year, below Ontario’s towns (30.5) and Canadian towns (31.2) alike.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202357

202471

202596

2023–2025	Marathon	Ontario	Canada
Violent crime	22.7	10.5	12
Violent Crime Severity Index	121	76	86
Property crime per 1,000	25	30.5	31.2

non-violent Crime Severity Index

59%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageMarathon’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety75 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Marathon’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Marathon safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average

Weather

In Marathon, November normally means −1°C afternoons and −9°C nights

−1°Ca normal November afternoon

Across the year, normals run from −25°C nights in January to 24°C afternoons in July. Looking ahead to December, expect highs near −8°C and lows near −18°C. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 53 mm. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Marathon forecast, on the Weather page.

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November−1°C

December−8°C

January−12°C

February−9°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−10°C	−22°C	98 mm
Spring	7°C	−7°C	160 mm
Summer	22°C	10°C	266 mm
Autumn	8°C	−2°C	239 mm

−9°C

a normal November night

53 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageMarathon’s weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest July, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Geraldton); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Fewer than 87% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities spend as much per resident as Marathon

Patty Hajdu (Liberal Party of Canada) is the MP for Thunder Bay—Superior North, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Marathon.

Turnout	Marathon	Ontario	Canada
Municipal election, 2022	42%	31%	31%

Full pageMarathon’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Who runs itTown council seats5

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade B⁻

Marathon Public Library lends 2.9 items per person served, fewer than 76% of Ontario’s town libraries

A single building, Marathon Public Library, serves 3,138 people.

Full pageMarathon’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

A year at the library3.6 visits per person served The libraries1 Libraries Places to belong4 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Who lives here

More of Marathon’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 18%

43.2median age

People 65 and over make up 16% of the town, below both Ontario’s towns (19%) and Canadian towns (19%). 6.1% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%).

MarathonOntarioCanada

OntarioCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

15%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree21%

Postsecondary qualification47%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 48.6% of Marathon

Of the 2021 count, 1,525 were women and 1,615 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).

Who lives in Marathon
	Marathon	Ontario	Canada
Under 15	15%	15%	16%
15 to 64	68%	65%	64%
65+	16%	19%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	21%	15%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	47%	56%	56%

Full pageMarathon’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Immigrants7% are immigrants · 6% belong to a visible minority Ages43.2 median age · 16% are 65 or over Households1,410 households · 2.2 people per household English and French15% speak both · 0.5% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

Outdoors

Pukaskwa National Park is 9.3 km from Marathon

4.6%of the land within 10 km protected

Protected areas cover 4.6% of the land within 10 km, above both Ontario’s towns (2.3%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). 30 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Cummings Beach. One mapped walking route passes within 2 km: the Voyageur Trail.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Marathon4.6%

Ontario’s towns2.3%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Marathon	Ontario	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	4.6%	2.3%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	4	4	4

9.3 km

to Pukaskwa National Park

At the edge

to Red Sucker Point Provincial Park

beaches within 5 km

Full pageMarathon’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas4 protected areas within 10 km · Pukaskwa National Park National & provincial parks9.3 km to a national park · Pukaskwa National Park Footpaths & routes1 named route · Voyageur Trail

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Marathon

15pages on Marathon

The big questions

SafetyC⁺Crime Severity Index 75 Housing & costA⁺Homes 1.6 × income Property pricesSchoolsC⁻7 schools within 3 km HealthCLife expectancy 76.5 in its region Work & commuteB⁺55% of adults in work Natural hazardsA⁻Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors4.6% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 24°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 43.2 HistoryTown hallFamous people

Famous people from Marathon

5 notable people were born in Marathon.

See all 5 →

Douglas CrosbyCanadian Catholic prelate · born 1949

Sean WirtzCanadian figure skater · born 1979

Andrew NerpinCanadian curler · born 1986

Craig KochanCurler · born 1974

Richard BottModerator of the United Church of Canada · born 1968

Photo credits

Douglas Crosby: JFVoll, CC BY-SA 4.0

About Marathon

Town in Ontario

Marathon is a municipality in Ontario, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 3,223 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Ontario
Census division: Thunder Bay
Census subdivision: 3558059

Questions about Marathon

Who are the people of Marathon?

Visible minorities are 6% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 7%, and Indigenous people 18%.

Do people in Marathon speak French?

Many do: 15% are bilingual in English and French (Canadian towns’ median: 8%), and 0.5% speak French only.

What kind of homes are in Marathon?

Mostly 74% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.2 people on average, and 31% have just one.

Is Marathon growing?

No: the census counted 3,273 in 2016 and 3,138 in 2021, 4.1% fewer, against growth of 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 3,223.

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).