PembrokeOntario
Statistics Canada places it in the Renfrew census division. Some 15,479 people live in this town, in Ontario.
Is Pembroke a good place to live?
The data are hard on it. Where it falls short is safety (C−). It lags on cost of living as well (C−). Walking, cycling and public transport work well here (A). All told, that adds up to a D overall, better than 15% of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #806 of 858 in Ontario. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for schools and C+ for health.
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 Pembroke grades
Each subject compares Pembroke 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 Pembroke stand out
The 3 things Pembroke does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Pembroke.
Violent crime weighs more on Pembroke than on Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 153
Each year, 30.7 violent crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents. Thefts, break-ins and damage came to 36.7 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Ontario’s towns (30.5) and Canadian towns (31.2).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Pembroke | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 30.7 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 153 | 76 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 36.7 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Measured against local pay, Pembroke costs more to live in than 82% of Canadian towns
The median home value was $250,000, below Ontario’s towns ($695,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000) alike. A year’s rent came to nearly a quarter of the median household income, higher than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%). Pembroke shares its rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom numbers with the rest of the Pembroke metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Pembroke | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $250,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Rent as a share of income | 23% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 22% | 22% | 18% |
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.
Commuters in Pembroke have a short way to work, 19 min on average, less than in Ontario’s towns and across Canadian towns
The car took 86% of commuters, about level with both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Pembroke | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 19 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 86% | 88% | 89% |
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.
Pembroke has colder winters than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −17.9°C
Some 199 cm of snow falls in a typical year, above Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. A normal January brings 49 cm of snow, the most of any month. For the wettest month, look to June: 96 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Pembroke | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −17.9°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 199 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 26.3°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Petawawa)
Wildfire low, radon 8%: how Pembroke stands on hazards
NRCan’s model puts the yearly earthquake loss at $0.10 per $1,000 of building value, higher than both Ontario’s towns ($0.043) and Canadian towns ($0.030). Fire seldom reaches Pembroke: since 1986, 0.6% of the land within 25 km has burned (0.02% a year). No one has filed a flood map for Pembroke on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Pembroke | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.10 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8% | 4% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Pembroke’s health region counts 16% of adults who smoke, above the typical Canadian town’s 12%
Statistics Canada puts life expectancy at 81.0, below Ontario’s towns (82.8) and close to Canadian towns (81.5). On self-rated health the region tracks the province: 50% very good or excellent, 51% for Ontario. What sets Pembroke apart within its region is a short trip to hospital, 1.5 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Pembroke | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 16% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.0 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 50% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Not measured by town: health survey and life expectancy (the Renfrew County and District Health Unit)
5 of the 15 schools around Pembroke teach in French
Within 3 km of Pembroke are 10 elementary schools and 5 secondary schools, teaching 4,950 students. Catholic schools make up 8 of 15, above the 34% in Ontario. All four of Ontario’s systems run schools here, English and French, public and Catholic. Of its 11 tested schools, 4 sit in the top two fifths in Ontario and 5 in the bottom two.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champlain Discovery Public School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 610 | English public |
| Bishop Smith Catholic High School CatholicLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 700 | English Catholic |
| École élémentaire catholique Jeanne-Lajoie FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 530 | French Catholic |
| École secondaire catholique Jeanne-Lajoie FrenchResults in the top fifth in OntarioSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 220 | French Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Pembroke | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Pembroke in November: highs near 5°C, lows near −4°C
Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Pembroke forecast, on the Weather page. Snow is normal by November, about 25 cm over the month. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 77 mm.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −4°C | −15°C | 191 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | −3°C | 222 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 11°C | 276 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 2°C | 244 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Petawawa); the forecast is on the Weather page
Cheryl Gallant (Conservative Party of Canada) holds Algonquin—Renfrew—Pembroke, the riding that includes Pembroke
71 of the 122 MPs from Ontario belong to the Liberal Party of Canada.
| Turnout | Pembroke | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 35% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Pembroke Public Library logs 5.3 visits per person served, more than 82% of Ontario’s town libraries
Pembroke Public Library serves 14,364 people from a single building.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
More of Pembroke’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 13%
3.6% of residents belong to a visible minority, lower than both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%). Immigrants make up 4.5% of residents, below Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%) alike.
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 53.2% of Pembroke
6,730 men and 7,640 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Pembroke | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 27% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 45% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
The nearest provincial park, Petawawa Terrace Provincial Park, is 7.8 km from Pembroke
No national park lies within 100 km. Within 10 km of the town, 1% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Pembroke | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 1% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 5 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
In Pembroke, 48% of homes go back before 1961
Inside the town the registers count 1 historic place.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
- Armoury 1914
| Heritage | Pembroke | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 48% | 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 Pembroke
St. Columbkille Cathedral and 3 more in and around Pembroke
What there is to see in Pembroke and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
CathedralSt. Columbkille Cathedralin townMuseumMuseumChamplain Trail Museumin townMuseumMuseum42Nd Field Regiment Lanark & Renfrew (1St Air Defence Regiment) Scottish RCA Regimental Museumin townMuseumMuseumMurray L. Moore Hydro Museumin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- St. Columbkille Cathedral: Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Pembroke
55 notable people were born in Pembroke.
Photo credits
Tom Green: Kristen Wong, Public domain · Dave Trottier: Unknown author, Public domain · Frank Nighbor: The original uploader was Scorpion0422 at English Wikipedia ., Public domain · Harry Cameron: Unknown author, Public domain · Robert James Manion: Photographe : J. J. Hisgrove, Public domain · Albert Hudson: Yousuf Karsh, Public domain
About Pembroke
Town in Ontario
TownRatings counts Pembroke as Statistics Canada does, as one municipality in Ontario; the census, crime and housing figures all follow that boundary.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 15,479 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Renfrew
- Census subdivision
- 3547064
Pembroke’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pembroke | 15,479 | — | D | C− | C− | C+ |
| Laurentian Valley | 9,714 | 4.1 | B+ | B | A | C+ |
| L'Isle-aux-Allumettes Quebec | 1,413 | 9.9 | — | B− | B | B |
| Petawawa | 19,606 | 14 | A | B+ | A+ | C |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Pembroke
Who are the people of Pembroke?
Visible minorities are 4% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 5%, and Indigenous people 13%.
How old are the people of Pembroke?
The typical resident is 46.4 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 27% of the population and under-15s at 14%.
What kind of homes are in Pembroke?
58% 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 2.1 people; 38% are one person living alone.
Has Pembroke grown?
It added people: 13,882 in 2016, 14,364 in 2021, 3.5% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 15,479.
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).