Muskoka LakesOntario
The town, home to 8,463 people, lies in Ontario. It lies in Muskoka.
Is Muskoka Lakes a good place to live?
A town of contrasts. Crime is low (A−). At B overall, Muskoka Lakes ranks #379 of 858 in Ontario. It comes out better than nearly three fifths of Canadian towns. The catch is cost of living (C−). Walkability is weaker too (C). Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for schools and B for health.
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.
What makes Muskoka Lakes stand out
The 3 things Muskoka Lakes does most differently from other towns.
How Muskoka Lakes grades
Each subject compares Muskoka Lakes 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 →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Muskoka Lakes.
Muskoka Lakes faces fewer hazards than 92% of Canadian towns
Radon topped the guideline in 0.9% of tested homes, lower than both Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%). District Municipality of Muskoka has mapped the flood hazard here: one study on the national inventory. Seismic risk in Muskoka Lakes sits near the middle: $0.020 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
| Hazards | Muskoka Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 0.9% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.020 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
More households own their home in Muskoka Lakes than in Ontario’s towns or across Canadian towns: 91%
A year’s rent came to 18% of the median household income, below Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Muskoka Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 91% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 18% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 18% | 22% | 18% |
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 Muskoka Lakes record less serious crime than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 43
The force’s area logs 14.8 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. For violence alone, its police area’s index was 53, below both Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86). Violent crime in the area its police cover: 6.9 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Muskoka Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 14.8 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 53 | 76 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 43 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 6.9 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Area behind the Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures: the Bracebridge (Muskoka Lakes and Georgian Bay) detachment area
More of Muskoka Lakes’ 15-to-64s are in work than in 81% of Canadian towns
94% of commuters drove to work at the census. The average trip to work took 29 min, about level with Ontario’s towns (29 min) and above Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Muskoka Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 94% | 88% | 89% |
| Average trip | 29 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Fewer of Muskoka Lakes’s people belong to a visible minority than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 1.4%
First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 4.3% of residents, above Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%) alike. Immigrants make up 7.4% of residents, close to Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and above 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 47.7% of Muskoka Lakes
The 2021 census counted 3,655 women and 4,000 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Muskoka Lakes | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 58% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 32% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 57% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Muskoka Lakes has colder winters than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −15.3°C
October is the wettest month, with 111 mm of rain and snow on average. Frost comes on 175 days a year, above both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). Expect July highs of around 25.3°C in Muskoka Lakes. Snow peaks in January: 67 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Muskoka Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 278 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −15.3°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 175 | 139 | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 1,062 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Muskoka)
Georgian Bay Islands National Park lies 14 km beyond Muskoka Lakes’ edge
Within 10 km are 26 protected areas. Protected areas cover 6.3% of the land within 10 km; for the typical Canadian town it is 2.3%. 12 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Cedar Beach. One mapped walking route passes within 2 km: the Torrance Barrens Trail.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Muskoka Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 18 | 4 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 6.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
54% of adults around Muskoka Lakes rate their health very good or excellent
A child born in the region can expect 81.5 years, lower than Ontario’s towns (82.8) and near Canadian towns (81.5). Closer to home, a hospital is 20 km from the average resident of Muskoka Lakes, further than the usual 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Muskoka Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 54% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.5 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 12% | 10% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit
3 school boards share Muskoka Lakes
Elementary schools here average 198 students; in Ontario, 365. The nearest secondary school is 19 km away, above Ontario’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km) alike. The 3 km around Muskoka Lakes counts 4 elementary schools and 1 secondary school, 1,630 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monsignor Michael O'Leary School CatholicLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 345 | English Catholic |
| Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 840 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Muskoka Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 19 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 5.6 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
| School boards | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
What November brings in Muskoka Lakes: −3°C at night, 5°C by day
November normally sees 103 mm of precipitation. Into December, the normals move to −1°C and −10°C. Snow is normal by November, about 33 cm over the month. Normal highs peak at 25°C in July; nights bottom out at −15°C in January.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −13°C | 235 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −2°C | 244 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 12°C | 267 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 2°C | 316 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Muskoka); the forecast is on the Weather page
Fewer than 91% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spend as much per resident as Muskoka Lakes
Scott Aitchison (Conservative Party of Canada) is the MP for Parry Sound—Muskoka, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Muskoka Lakes.
| Turnout | Muskoka Lakes | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 35% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Muskoka Lakes Library is Muskoka Lakes’s public library
Muskoka Lakes Library serves 7,652 people from a single building.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Bala's Museum and 6 more in and around Muskoka Lakes
From museums to parks and historic sites: Muskoka Lakes’s places to visit and those just beyond its edge, most famous first.
MuseumWoodchester Villa4.4 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumMuskoka Lakes Museumin townWater parkWater parkBuschin townZooZooTall Timbers Islandin townMuseumMuseumTorrance Museumin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Woodchester Villa: Colin Old, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Muskoka Lakes
Questions about Muskoka Lakes
Has Muskoka Lakes grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 6,588 to 7,652 residents (up 16.2%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 8,463.
Who are the people of Muskoka Lakes?
Visible minorities are 1% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 7%, and Indigenous people 4%.
What kind of homes are in Muskoka Lakes?
97% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.2 people; 30% are one person living alone.
How old are the people of Muskoka Lakes?
The typical resident is 57.2 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 32% of the population and under-15s at 10%.
About Muskoka Lakes
Town in Ontario
Every figure TownRatings gives for Muskoka Lakes covers the municipality as Statistics Canada maps it, one census subdivision in Ontario.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 8,463 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Muskoka
- Census subdivision
- 3544053
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).