PuslinchOntario
The town has 8,577 residents and lies in Ontario. Between 2016 and 2021, its population grew by 8%.
Is Puslinch a good place to live?
Some subjects shine; others lag. Overall, Puslinch earns a B+, which places it #180 of 858 in Ontario. Set against the rest, it does better than three quarters of Canadian towns. Its strongest subject is safety (A+). Jobs & income is a strength too (A). Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work (D). Owners valued their homes at a median $1,000,000 in 2021, which is 7.5 years of the typical household’s pay. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for health and C+ for hazard risk.
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. 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.
How Puslinch grades
Each subject compares Puslinch 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 Puslinch stand out
The 3 things Puslinch does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Puslinch.
The police who cover Puslinch record less serious crime than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a Crime Severity Index of 29
Property crime in its police area ran at 13.6 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Ontario’s towns (30.5) and Canadian towns (31.2). Where it is policed, 4.9 violent incidents per 1,000 residents are recorded each year. Nobody publishes Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 for Puslinch alone, so this card uses the figure for the Wellington County detachment area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Puslinch | 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 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Puslinch has some of the highest household incomes of any Canadian town
Commutes averaged 28 min, close to Ontario’s towns (29 min) and above Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Puslinch | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 28 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.
More households own their home in Puslinch than in Ontario’s towns or across Canadian towns: 95%
16% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Puslinch | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $1,000,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 95% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 16% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 16% | 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. · Area behind the rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom figures: the Guelph metro area
Puslinch’s schools come under 5 different boards
The largest is St Benedict Catholic Secondary School, with 1,955 students. Results are mixed: 17 of 35 schools above the middle in Ontario, 6 below it. In or within 3 km of Puslinch: 30 elementary schools and 7 secondary schools, with 18,145 students. One of the 37 teaches in French, against 10% of schools in Ontario.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silverheights Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 685 | English public |
| St Benedict Catholic Secondary School CatholicLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,955 | English Catholic |
| ÉÉC Saint-René-Goupil FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 190 | French Catholic |
| Aberfoyle Public School Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 375 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Puslinch | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest secondary school | 4.1 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Around Puslinch, 51% of adults call their health very good or excellent
Smoking is commoner than in the province: 13% of adults, against 11% for Ontario. For 2022/2024, the region’s figure is 82.4 years at birth, 84.5 for women and 80.2 for men. Closer to home, a hospital is 11 km from the average resident of Puslinch, further than the usual 3.7 km. Puslinch doesn’t get its own health survey and life expectancy figures; the ones here come from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Health Unit.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Puslinch | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.4 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
A flood study covers Puslinch: 2 on the national inventory, the newest from Conservation Halton
11% of radon tests in the survey area came in above the guideline, above both Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%). Shaking is about as much of a worry in Puslinch as in most places, at $0.026 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Puslinch | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 11% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.026 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
January lows in Puslinch: −10.3°C, against −9.1°C in Ontario’s towns and −13.5°C in Canadian towns
July afternoons reach 26.6°C on average, near Ontario’s towns (26.7°C) and higher than Canadian towns (25.5°C). The frost-free season runs from 8 May to 5 October, 149 days. Also worth knowing: most of the snow comes in January, about 32 cm. A normal July brings 96 mm of precipitation, more than any other month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Puslinch | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 115 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −10.3°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 26.6°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 156 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Kitchener/Waterloo)
An older town: 23% of people in Puslinch are 65 or over, more than in Ontario’s towns and across Canadian towns
The under-15s are 14% of the population here. 13% of residents belong to a visible minority, below Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%) 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 49.2% of Puslinch
Here the census found 4,040 men and 3,905 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Puslinch | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 63% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 60% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Puslinch in November: highs near 7°C, lows near −2°C
November usually brings some 9 cm of snow. A normal December brings highs of 1°C, lows of −6°C. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 75 mm. July brings the warmest days, 27°C; January the coldest nights, −10°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −1°C | −9°C | 167 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 0°C | 218 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 13°C | 244 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 4°C | 221 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Kitchener/Waterloo); the forecast is on the Weather page
98% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spend more per resident than Puslinch
Voters in Puslinch chose James Seeley as mayor in October 2022, for a 5-seat council.
| Turnout | Puslinch | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 23% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Puslinch’s public library is Wellington County Library - Puslinch Branch
The library is 1 km from the centre of Puslinch.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
18 mapped walking routes pass Puslinch
Count 29 protected areas within 10 km of town. Swimmers have 5 beaches within 5 km, Hemlock Cresent Beach the nearest. Rouge National Urban Park is the closest national park, 80 km from town. The nearest provincial park, Bronte Creek Provincial Park, is 20 km away.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Puslinch | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 11 | 4 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 2.2% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Puslinch
The Donkey Sanctuary and 13 more in and around Puslinch
From museums to parks and historic sites: Puslinch’s places to visit and those just beyond its edge, most famous first.
MuseumFashion History Museum1.6 km outside town, to the southwest
GardenUniversity of Guelph Arboretum1.1 km outside town, to the northwest
Art galleryArt Gallery of Guelph2.5 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumHalton County Radial Railway4.4 km outside town, to the north
National historic siteMcCrae House3.5 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Fashion History Museum: Jean1183, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- University of Guelph Arboretum: Hay123.5, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Art Gallery of Guelph: JFVoll, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Halton County Radial Railway: DavidArthur, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- McCrae House: TheGiantVermin, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from Puslinch
8 notable people were born in Puslinch.
Photo credits
John Cullen: Unknown author, Public domain · John Idington: William James Topley, Public domain · David Jamieson: GRIER, Sir Edmund Wyly (1862-1957), Public domain
About Puslinch
Town in Ontario
TownRatings counts Puslinch 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
- 8,577 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Wellington
- Metro area
- Guelph
- Census subdivision
- 3523001
Puslinch’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
Questions about Puslinch
Has Puslinch grown?
It added people: 7,336 in 2016, 7,944 in 2021, 8.3% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 8,577.
What kind of homes are in Puslinch?
Single-detached houses make up 94% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 18% of households are one person, and the average is 2.8.
How old are the people of Puslinch?
The median resident is 49.2 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 14% are under 15 and 23% 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).