Mount Forestin Wellington North, Ontario

TownGrade

#962 of 2,556

Statistics Canada places it in the Wellington census division. The town has 14,407 residents and lies in Ontario.

Photo: Tabercil · CC BY 3.0

Population

14,407

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

years · Ontario’s towns: 46.8

Postsecondary

39%

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 Mount Forest a good place to live?

With a B overall, Mount Forest is better than 61% of Canadian towns and ranks #349 of 858 in Ontario. It is a safe place by the numbers (A+). Fewer journeys need a car (A). Prices are high against local incomes (D). Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for schools, B for health, B− for jobs & income 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. Safety is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. 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⁺Safety AWalkabilityWeakestDCost of living

How Mount Forest grades

Each subject compares Mount Forest 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

SafetyVery little crime by comparisonA⁺Open →Cost of livingAmong the weakest of the towns comparedDOpen →WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesAOpen →HealthResidents are healthier than in most townsBOpen →SchoolsNear typical for the towns comparedC⁺Open →Hazard riskGraded on earthquake risk and radon, with high wildfire risk able to lower itBOpen →Jobs & incomeAbout average among the towns comparedB⁻Open →

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Mount Forest stand out

The 3 things Mount Forest does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Safety

Better than 96%

of Canadian towns on safety

Its safety grade: A+.

Postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree

Education

39% have a postsecondary qualification

The median of Canadian towns: 56%

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

Cost of living

Behind 88%

of Canadian towns on cost of living

Its cost of living grade: D.

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Mount Forest.

SafetySafety A⁺

For the force that serves Mount Forest, the Crime Severity Index is 29, below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns

29Crime Severity Index

Property crime in the area its police cover: 13.6 per 1,000 people a year. For violence alone, its police area’s index was 28, lower than both Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86). The force’s area logs 4.9 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202330

202429

202528

2023–2025	Mount Forest	Ontario	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	13.6	30.5	31.2
Violent Crime Severity Index	28	76	86
Crime Severity Index	29	56	67
Violent crime	4.9	10.5	12

non-violent Crime Severity Index

35%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageMount Forest’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety29 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Mount Forest’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Mount Forest safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: one figure for all of the Wellington County detachment area

HousingCost of living D

Mount Forest gets a D for cost of living

$500,000median home value, 2021DCost of living Grade

Owners put the median home at $500,000, between Ontario’s towns ($695,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). Households that own their home make up 74%.

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

Mount Forest$500,000

Ontario$695,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Mount Forest	Ontario	Canada
Median home value, 2021	$500,000	$695,000	$406,000
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	19%	22%	18%

$1,030

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$1,140

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageMount Forest’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Cost of living6.4 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $500,000, against the median household income Renting$1,030 a month · The median rent at the 2021 census Owners and renters74% own their home

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.

HealthHealth B

Around Mount Forest, 51% of adults call their health very good or excellent

51%very good or excellent healthBHealth Grade

Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Health Unit

What sets Mount Forest apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 8.5 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical). At 13%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 11% for Ontario. Life expectancy in the region is 82.4 years (84.5 for women, 80.2 for men, 2022/2024).

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Mount Forest51%

Ontario’s towns51%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Mount Forest	Ontario	Canada
Smokers	13%	10%	12%
Life expectancy at birth	82.4	82.8	81.5

82.4

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

8.5 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

13%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

3.5 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageMount Forest’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey51% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care8.5 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 3.5 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 84.5, men 80.2 Conditions and habits17% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

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

Climate

July afternoons in Mount Forest reach 25.1°C (Ontario towns 26.7°C, Canadian towns 25.5°C)

25.1°CJuly afternoons

Most of the snow comes in December, about 42 cm. Some 174 cm of snow falls in a typical year, above Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. The most precipitation falls in June: 100 mm in a normal year.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−2.1°C

Spring10.1°C

Summer24.0°C

Autumn13.0°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Mount Forest	Ontario	Canada
July afternoon high	25.1°C	26.7°C	25.5°C
Precipitation a year	1,035 mm	902 mm	883 mm
Snowfall a year	174 cm	146 cm	141 cm
January night low	−10.9°C	−9.1°C	−13.5°C

174 cm

of snow a year

158

days with frost a year

140

days with precipitation a year

Full pageMount Forest’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 25.1°C, January lows −10.9°C Rain and snow1,035 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow174 cm of snow a year Weather station12 km to the station · Mount Forest

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

SchoolsSchools C⁺

Mount Forest’s schools mostly sit under the middle in Ontario, 5 of the 6 with results

6schools within 3 kmC⁺Schools Grade

Within 3 km, 2 boards share the schools, lower than both Ontario’s towns (4) and Canadian towns (3). 1,900 students attend the 5 elementary schools and 1 secondary school in or within 3 km of Mount Forest.

School	Level	Students	System
Victoria Cross Public School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8	Elementary · Grades JK–8	450	English public
Wellington Heights Secondary School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12	Secondary · Grades 9–12	470	English public

See all 6 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

English public4

English Catholic2

Schools within 3 km	Mount Forest	Ontario	Canada
School boards	2	4	3
Nearest secondary school	13 km	1.2 km	1.2 km
Nearest elementary school	2.9 km	0.5 km	0.5 km

1,900

students at the schools within 3 km, 2024-25

13 km

to the nearest secondary school

2.9 km

to the nearest elementary school

Full pageMount Forest’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Results0 of 6 in the top two fifths · of the schools with results, placed against every school in Ontario Every school6 schools within 3 km · 5 elementary schools and 1 secondary school Language0 of 6 teach in French · 10% of schools in Ontario The boards2 school boards · Upper Grand DSB Questions“What schools are there in Mount Forest?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25

Natural hazardsHazard risk B

A flood study covers Mount Forest: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Grand River Conservation Authority

Lowwildfire bandBHazard risk Grade

Radon topped the guideline in just over a tenth of tested homes, above both Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%). Seismic risk in Mount Forest sits near the middle: $0.018 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030.

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

Mount Forest11%

Ontario’s towns4%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Mount Forest	Ontario	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	11%	4%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.018	$0.043	$0.030

$0.018

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

Low

wildfire band

flood study on the national inventory

Full pageMount Forest’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

FloodOne flood study on record WildfireLow wildfire band · No land burned within 25 km since 1986 Earthquakes$0.018 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon11% 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

Weather

What November brings in Mount Forest: −2°C at night, 6°C by day

6°Ca normal November afternoon

Precipitation in November averages 92 mm. A normal December brings highs of −1°C, lows of −7°C. Snowfall in a normal November: 22 cm. The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Mount Forest.

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

November6°C

December−1°C

January−3°C

February−3°C

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

−2°C

a normal November night

92 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageMount Forest’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 February

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

Town hall

One councillor per 2,880 residents: Mount Forest is more thinly represented than 73% of Ontario municipalities

Mount Forest is in Perth—Wellington for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, whose current MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) no open source we can use records yet.

Turnout	Mount Forest	Ontario	Canada
Municipal election, 2022	37%	31%	31%

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

Member of ParliamentJohn Nater council seats5

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade B⁺

Wellington County Library - Arthur Branch and Wellington County Library - Mount Forest Branch are Mount Forest’s two public libraries

Mount Forest has no library board of its own in the provincial statistics, so no visit or loan figures appear here.

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

The libraries2 Libraries Places to belong3 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Who lives here

Visible minorities make up less of Mount Forest than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 3.6%

42median age

22% of residents are 65 or over, above Ontario’s towns (19%) and Canadian towns (19%) alike. Immigrants make up 6% of residents, below Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%) alike.

Mount ForestOntarioCanada

OntarioCanada

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

19%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree29%

Postsecondary qualification39%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 51.1% of Mount Forest

Here the census found 6,355 women and 6,075 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.

Who lives in Mount Forest
	Mount Forest	Ontario	Canada
Under 15	19%	15%	16%
15 to 64	59%	65%	64%
65+	22%	19%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	29%	15%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	39%	56%	56%

Full pageMount Forest’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Immigrants6% are immigrants · 4% belong to a visible minority Ages42 median age · 22% are 65 or over Households4,795 households · 2.5 people per household English and French3% speak both · 0% speak French but not English

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

Outdoors

The nearest provincial park to Mount Forest is Boyne Valley Provincial Park, 25 km away

0.1%of the land within 10 km protected

93 km separate the town from Rouge National Urban Park, its nearest national park. 4 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. Within 10 km of the town, 0.1% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Mount Forest0.1%

Ontario’s towns2.3%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Mount Forest	Ontario	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	0.1%	2.3%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	0	4	4

93 km

to Rouge National Urban Park

25 km

to Boyne Valley Provincial Park

Full pageMount Forest’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas4 protected areas within 10 km National & provincial parks93 km to a national park · Rouge National Urban Park

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

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁻

The share of 15-to-64s with a job in Mount Forest tops that of 70% of Canadian towns

8%walk, cycle or take transit

The car carried just over nine in ten commuters at the census. Workers spend 28 min getting to work, on average.

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van91%

Walk7%

Bicycle1%

Public transit0%

Census 2021	Mount Forest	Ontario	Canada
Average trip	28 min	29 min	26 min
Car or van	91%	88%	89%

$78,000

median household income, 2020

19%

worked from home, May 2021

52%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageMount Forest’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment6.1% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work8% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to240 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Centre Wellington

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Mount Forest

15pages on Mount Forest

The big questions

SafetyA⁺Crime Severity Index 29 Housing & costDHomes 6.4 × income Property pricesSchoolsC⁺6 schools within 3 km HealthBLife expectancy 82.4 in its region Work & commuteB⁻60% of adults in work Natural hazardsBWildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors0.1% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 25°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 42 HistoryTown hallFamous people

Famous people from Mount Forest

16 notable people were born in Mount Forest.

See all 16 →

Dave SmithCanadian ice hockey player and coach · born 1968

Rae LuckockCanadian politician · 1893–1972

George Albert McGuireCanadian politician · 1871–1955

Michael HarrisCanadian politician · born 1979

Norman Platt LambertCanadian politician · 1885–1965

Charles EvansCanadian politician · 1882–1947

Photo credits

Dave Smith: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rae Luckock: Speaker of the Ontario Legislative Assembly, Public domain · George Albert McGuire: Unknown author, Public domain · Michael Harris: Laurelrusswurm, CC BY 3.0 · Norman Platt Lambert: Arthur Roy, Public domain

About Mount Forest

Town in Ontario

For Mount Forest, 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: 14,407 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Ontario
Census division: Wellington
Census subdivision: 3523050

Questions about Mount Forest

Who are the people of Mount Forest?

4% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 2% have an Indigenous identity and 6% are immigrants.

What kind of homes are in Mount Forest?

Mostly 75% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.5 people on average, and 27% have just one.

Is Mount Forest growing?

Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 11,914 to 12,431 residents (up 4.3%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 14,407.

How old are the people of Mount Forest?

The median resident is 42 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 19% are under 15 and 22% are 65 or over.

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).