Stirlingin Stirling-Rawdon, Ontario
A town of 5,489 in Ontario. Statistics Canada counts it in the Belleville - Quinte West metro area.
Is Stirling a good place to live?
Stirling’s grades pull in different directions. Pupils here do better than most (A+). Safety is a strength too (A+). A median home here was worth $400,000 at the census, or 4.9 times what the middle household earns in a year. What holds it back is health (D). Put together, the subjects come to a B overall, better than 56% of Canadian towns. It ranks #411 of 858 in Ontario.
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.
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. 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 Stirling grades
Each subject compares Stirling 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 Stirling stand out
The 3 things Stirling does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Stirling.
The nearest high school to Stirling is 16 km away
The closest elementary school is 3.8 km away, above Ontario’s towns (0.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km) alike.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stirling Public School Second fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 690 | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Stirling | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 16 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 3.8 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Violent crime weighs less on Stirling than on Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 33
Violent incidents came to 5.9 per 1,000 residents a year, below Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12) alike. Each year brings 12.2 property incidents per 1,000 residents.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Stirling | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 12.2 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 33 | 76 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 5.9 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
For health, Stirling gets a D
Chronic conditions run at 20% of adults, age-standardised, higher than both Ontario’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (17%), and at 18%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 11% for Ontario. The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 45%, behind the 51% for Ontario. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Stirling’s is long: 18 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. Stirling shares its health survey and life expectancy numbers with the rest of the Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Stirling | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 45% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.8 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Measured against local pay, Stirling costs more to live in than 78% of Canadian towns
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 16% of households, below both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). The owner-occupied share of households is 82%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Stirling | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 16% | 22% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $400,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 82% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 19% | 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.
More commuters in Stirling drive than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 94%
The average trip to work took 29 min, near Ontario’s towns (29 min) and higher than Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Stirling | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 94% | 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.
Stirling is on Canada’s flood inventory: 2 listed, led by Lower Trent Conservation
In Health Canada’s survey, 12% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). Earthquake risk in Stirling is ordinary: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.034 a year per $1,000 of value, close to the typical town’s $0.030.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Stirling | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 12% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.034 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
January nights in Stirling drop to −11.2°C (Ontario towns −9.1°C, Canadian towns −13.5°C)
Rain and snow peak in September, at 92 mm. Frost usually lifts by 1 May and returns around 10 October: 161 days without it. Summer highs average 26.5°C in July, about level with Ontario’s towns (26.7°C) and above Canadian towns (25.5°C). Snow peaks in January: 44 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Stirling | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −11.2°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 26.5°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 146 | 139 | 159 |
| Snowfall a year | 155 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Trenton)
What November brings in Stirling: −2°C at night, 7°C by day
Normal highs peak at 27°C in July; nights bottom out at −11°C in January. Expect about 84 mm of rain and snow over November. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Stirling forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −10°C | 215 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 1°C | 230 mm |
| Summer | 25°C | 14°C | 228 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 4°C | 267 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Trenton); the forecast is on the Weather page
Stirling’s MP is Shelby Kramp-Neuman (Conservative Party of Canada), for Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga
Of the 122 Commons seats from Ontario, the Liberal Party of Canada holds 71.
| Turnout | Stirling | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 39% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Stirling has one public library, Stirling-Rawdon Public Library
Stirling-Rawdon Public Library serves 5,015 people from a single building.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The The Great Trail (Eastern Ontario) runs by Stirling
CPCAD lists 17 protected areas within 10 km. The protected share within 10 km is 1.3%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. The closest of Canada’s national parks is Thousand Islands National Park, at 81 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Stirling | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Visible minorities make up less of Stirling than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 3.7%
Children under 15 count for 17% of the people here. 4.4% of residents have an Indigenous identity, above both Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%). The 65-and-over age group makes up nearly a quarter of residents.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
50.3% of Stirling’s residents are women
Women numbered 2,525 and men 2,490 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Stirling | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 61% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 22% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 46% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
An older town: 44% of Stirling’s homes predate 1961
| Heritage | Stirling | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 44% | 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 Stirling
Farmtown Park and 3 more in and around Stirling
Museums, historic sites, parks, gardens and days out in and near Stirling, the best known first.
Famous people from Stirling
4 notable people were born in Stirling.
Photo credits
Jim Pollock: Legislative Assembly of Ontario, CC BY 4.0
About Stirling
Town in Ontario
Every figure TownRatings gives for Stirling 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
- 5,489 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Hastings
- Metro area
- Belleville - Quinte West
- Census subdivision
- 3512020
Stirling’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stirling | 5,489 | — | B | C− | A+ | D |
| Campbellford | 15,103 | 19 | C− | D | A | C+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Stirling
Who are the people of Stirling?
Visible minorities are 4% 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 Stirling?
Mostly 87% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.5 people on average, and 24% have just one.
Is Stirling growing?
Yes: the census counted 4,882 in 2016 and 5,015 in 2021, a rise of 2.7%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 5,489.
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).