Port Perryin Scugog, Ontario
This town in Ontario has a population of 23,928. Statistics Canada places it in the Durham census division.
Is Port Perry a good place to live?
Plenty to like here, at a price. Port Perry’s overall B+ puts it #259 of 858 in Ontario. It comes out better than 67% of Canadian towns. Safety is where it shines (A−). Buying in is costly (C). The rest of its grades are middling: B for schools, B for health, B− for jobs & income and B− for walkability.
Safety is the regional police service's figure, shared with its other towns. 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 Port Perry grades
Each subject compares Port Perry 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 Port Perry stand out
The 3 things Port Perry does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Port Perry.
Port Perry gets an A for hazard risk
For earthquakes Port Perry is middling, $0.023 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. 5 flood studies cover the town, the latest by Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Port Perry | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 0% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.023 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Port Perry gets an A− for safety
Shared with the rest of the Durham Region (Oshawa/Whitby/Ajax) service area: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 46 over 2023–25, lower than both Ontario’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). The force’s area logs 20.4 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Violence across its police area runs at 7.9 per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Port Perry | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 20.4 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 46 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 7.9 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 61 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Most households in Port Perry own their home: 87%, more than in both Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
A year’s rent came to 16% of the median household income, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%). 17% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Port Perry | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 22% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 87% | 76% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 17% | 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.
1 of Port Perry’s 9 schools are Catholic, fewer than the 34% in Ontario
None of them teaches in French, though one in ten schools in Ontario do. The schools around it answer to 2 boards, lower than both Ontario’s towns (4) and Canadian towns (3). Counting a 3 km margin, Port Perry has 7 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools, for 4,470 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| R H Cornish Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 645 | English public |
| Uxbridge Secondary School Second fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,025 | English public |
| Greenbank Public School Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 135 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Port Perry | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest elementary school | 3.7 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
| Nearest secondary school | 3.6 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Very good or excellent health for 50% of adults in Port Perry’s health region
Measured across the Durham Regional Health Unit: health survey and life expectancy
Statistics Canada puts life expectancy at 82.6, close to Ontario’s towns (82.8) and above Canadian towns (81.5). Closer to home, a hospital is 5.8 km from the average resident of Port Perry, further than the usual 3.7 km. For everyday care, the nearest pharmacy is 4.8 km away on average (0.9 within 3 km).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Port Perry | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 50% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.6 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 11% | 10% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Port Perry gets fewer frosts than 84% of Canadian towns
Between the last spring frost, 30 April, and the first in autumn, 15 October, lie 167 days. In January the thermometer sinks to −8.9°C overnight, about level with Ontario’s towns (−9.1°C) and above Canadian towns (−13.5°C). June is the wettest month, with 94 mm of rain and snow on average. January is the snowiest month, with 34 cm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Port Perry | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 102 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| Days with frost a year | 130 | 139 | 159 |
| January night low | −8.9°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 25.7°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Oshawa)
Port Perry skews older, with 24% of residents 65 or over, more than in both Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Children under 15 make up 14%, below both Ontario’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (16%). Visible minorities make up 5.2% of the population, below both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%).
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 50.5% of Port Perry
In 2021 there were 10,905 women to 10,680 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| Port Perry | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 54% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Port Perry runs from freezing to 8°C
Normal highs peak at 26°C in July; nights bottom out at −9°C in January. Then December: 2°C by day, −5°C at night. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 73 mm. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Port Perry forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −7°C | 196 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 2°C | 226 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 15°C | 254 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 231 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Oshawa); the forecast is on the Weather page
Port Perry’s council spends less per resident than 97% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities
Port Perry sends one MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from Durham, though no open record we can reuse gives the name.
| Turnout | Port Perry | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 18% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Port Perry has one public library, Scugog Public Library
From the centre of Port Perry, it is 2.6 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Trips to work from Port Perry take longer than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 35 min on average
The car took 93% of commuters, above Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%) alike.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Port Perry | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 35 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 93% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Rouge National Urban Park is 9.0 km from Port Perry
The Oak Ridges Trail is the one mapped walking route close by. The closest provincial park is Uxbridge Urban Provincial Park, 2.3 km from the edge of town. CPCAD lists 32 protected areas within 10 km. For a swim, Sand Bar Beach is the beach within 5 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Port Perry | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 2.9% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Heritage in Port Perry: 1 historic place of the highest rank
Older housing, built before 1961, accounts for 25% of homes, higher than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Port Perry | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 25% | 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 Port Perry
Palmer Park Splash Pad and 9 more in and around Port Perry
What there is to see in Port Perry and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
Heritage railwayYork–Durham Heritage Railway2.6 km outside town, to the west
MuseumLeaskdale Manse3.8 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumScugog Shores Historical Museumin townMuseumMuseumScugog Shores Museumin townSki hillSki hillSki Lakeridge Resort Limited300 m outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- York–Durham Heritage Railway: Peter Daniel, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Leaskdale Manse: Dottiemockery, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Port Perry
15 notable people were born in Port Perry.
Photo credits
Emily VanCamp: Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0 · John Ross Roach: Unknown author, Public domain · Mackenzie Bent: Luu, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kate Beirness: GMcIsaac, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Markus Phillips: Kilaseell, CC BY-SA 4.0 · J. F. Paxton: Unknown author, Public domain
About Port Perry
Town in Ontario
Every figure TownRatings gives for Port Perry 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
- 23,928 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Durham
- Census subdivision
- 3518020
Port Perry’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Perry | 23,928 | — | B+ | C | A− | B |
| Uxbridge | 22,618 | 18 | B+ | D | A− | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Port Perry
What kind of homes are in Port Perry?
89% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 1% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.6 people; 20% are one person living alone.
Who are the people of Port Perry?
At the 2021 census, 11% were immigrants and 5% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 2% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
Is Port Perry growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 21,617 to 21,581 residents (0.2% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 23,928.
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).