Port HopeOntario
18,446 people call this town in Ontario home. Its census division is Northumberland.
Is Port Hope a good place to live?
With a C overall, Port Hope is better than 33% of Canadian towns and ranks #663 of 858 in Ontario. Prices are high against local incomes (D). Police record less crime here than in most towns (A). The rest of its grades are middling: C+ for health and B for walkability.
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 Port Hope stand out
The 3 things Port Hope does most differently from other towns.
How Port Hope grades
Each subject compares Port Hope 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 Port Hope.
Violent crime weighs less on Port Hope than on Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 36
Property crime ran at 14.8 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, below Ontario’s towns (30.5) and Canadian towns (31.2) alike. Per 1,000 residents, 8.4 violent crimes are recorded each year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Port Hope | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 14.8 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 36 | 76 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 8.4 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Measured against local pay, Port Hope costs more to live in than nine in ten Canadian towns
78% of households own their home, close to Ontario’s towns (76%) and above Canadian towns (74%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 21% of households, about level with Ontario’s towns (22%) and above Canadian towns (18%). Figures for rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom are published for the Port Hope metro area as a whole, not for Port Hope alone.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Port Hope | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 21% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 78% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 22% | 22% | 20% |
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.
Most schools around Port Hope score below the middle in Ontario: 4 of 6
The Catholic boards run 1 of its 6 schools, below the 34% in Ontario. Taken together, Port Hope and its 3 km edge hold 5 elementary schools and 1 secondary school for 1,705 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ganaraska Trail Public School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 440 | English public |
| Port Hope High School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 220 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Port Hope | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
A flood study covers Port Hope: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Durham Region
Radon tests for the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Heal health region
About as many homes carry radon around Port Hope as elsewhere, 6.1% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. Shaking is about as much of a worry in Port Hope as in most places, at $0.030 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Port Hope | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 6.1% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.030 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Household incomes in Port Hope top those of 71% of Canadian towns
The average trip to work took 29 min, close to Ontario’s towns (29 min) and above Canadian towns (26 min). Driving is how 92% of commuters got to work at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Port Hope | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 92% | 88% | 89% |
| Average trip | 29 min | 29 min | 26 min |
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.
Summers stay cool in Port Hope: July afternoons reach 23.6°C, below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
On a January night, the temperature in Port Hope falls to about −8.7°C. Frosty days number 126 in a normal year, below both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). The most precipitation falls in June: 88 mm in a normal year. Most of the snow comes in January, about 45 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Port Hope | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 23.6°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 126 | 139 | 159 |
| January night low | −8.7°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 158 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Cobourg)
18% of adults smoke in the health region around Port Hope, against 12% for the typical Canadian town
Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
A baby born in the region can expect 81.0 years, 83.0 for a girl and 79.0 for a boy (2022/2024). Self-rated health is ordinary for Ontario: nearly half of the region’s adults say very good or excellent, the province 51%. Measured from where Port Hope’s residents live, a hospital is 3.7 km away, near the 3.7 km most towns see.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Port Hope | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.0 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 49% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Fewer of Port Hope’s people belong to a visible minority than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 4.5%
Immigrants make up 10% of residents, above Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%) alike. 2.6% of residents have an Indigenous identity, between Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
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 51.6% of Port Hope
Here the census found 8,915 women and 8,375 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.
| Port Hope | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 28% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 53% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Port Hope runs from freezing to 7°C
In November, the normal is 76 mm of rain and snow. A typical November adds 17 cm of snow. By December, a normal day reaches 2°C and a night falls to −5°C. Normal highs peak at 24°C in July; nights bottom out at −9°C in January.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −7°C | 173 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | 2°C | 206 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 15°C | 235 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 227 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Cobourg); the forecast is on the Weather page
Fewer than 86% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spend as much per resident as Port Hope
In the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Port Hope belongs to Northumberland—Peterborough South; who holds it as MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) isn’t on an open record, so no one is named.
| Turnout | Port Hope | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 43% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Each person Port Hope Public Library serves borrows 6.1 items, more than at 81% of Ontario’s town libraries
From 2 branches, Port Hope Public Library serves 17,294 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Within 54 km of Port Hope: Rouge National Urban Park
2 mapped walking routes pass within 2 km, among them the Ganaraska Trail and Oak Ridges Trail. For a provincial park, Serpent Mounds Provincial Park lies 17 km off. The protected share within 10 km is 0.3%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. Count 5 protected areas within 10 km of town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Port Hope | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Port Hope keeps its older homes: 38% from before 1961
The lists give 4 historic places here, one in the top tier. St. Mark's Church, begun in 1822, is the oldest by its record. Counted by designation, there are 2 provincial or municipal listings and a heritage railway station.
Historic places by designation · inside the town
| Heritage | Port Hope | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 38% | 22% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Ganaraska Forest Centre and 5 more in and around Port Hope
A first look at Port Hope’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
Everything we know about Port Hope
Famous people from Port Hope
24 notable people were born in Port Hope.
Photo credits
William Sowden Sims: RJHall, Public domain · Shane O'Brien: Resolute, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Alexander Low Waddell: Unknown author, Public domain · Albert Schultz: Canadian Film Centre, CC BY 2.0 · Dennis O'Brien: Dennis O'Brien, CC BY 2.5 · Victor Williams: Steele and Company, Public domain
Port Hope’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
Questions about Port Hope
How old are the people of Port Hope?
50.8 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 28% of residents are 65 or over and 13% under 15.
Who are the people of Port Hope?
5% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 3% have an Indigenous identity and 10% are immigrants.
What kind of homes are in Port Hope?
72% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 6% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.3 people; 27% are one person living alone.
Is Port Hope growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 16,753 to 17,294 residents (up 3.2%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 18,446.
About Port Hope
Town in Ontario
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: Port Hope is one municipality in Ontario, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 18,446 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Northumberland
- Census subdivision
- 3514020
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).