Thornburyin The Blue Mountains, Ontario
11,162 people call this town in Ontario home. Statistics Canada places it in the Grey census division.
Is Thornbury a good place to live?
Schools do well (A+). Crime is low (A). Prices are high against local incomes (D). Health is a weak point (C+). The overall grade comes out at A−, #158 of 858 in Ontario. Nationally, it does better than 76% of Canadian towns.
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. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but many visitors or second-home owners add to it, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk. 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 Thornbury grades
Each subject compares Thornbury 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 Thornbury stand out
The 3 things Thornbury does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Thornbury.
Thornbury’s teenagers travel 13 km to the nearest high school
The closest elementary school is 2.6 km away, higher than both Ontario’s towns (0.5 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Valley Community School Second fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 620 | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Thornbury | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 13 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 2.6 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Most households in Thornbury own their home: 87%, more than in Ontario’s towns or across Canadian towns
21% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, close to Ontario’s towns (22%) and above Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Thornbury | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 87% | 76% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 21% | 22% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Thornbury’s Violent Crime Severity Index, 46, runs below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Violence accounts for 6.2 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Property crime accounts for 19.2 incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Thornbury | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 19.2 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 46 | 76 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 6.2 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
For jobs & income, Thornbury gets a B+
The average trip to work took 26 min, below Ontario’s towns (29 min) and close to Canadian towns (26 min). 87% of commuters drove to work at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Thornbury | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 26 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 87% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Hazards in Thornbury: wildfire low, radon over the guideline in 11% of tested homes
Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.010 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). The national flood inventory has no study for Thornbury.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Thornbury | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 11% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.010 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Older residents shape Thornbury: 34% are 65 or over, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Children under 15 make up 9.9%, lower than both Ontario’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (16%). Immigrants make up 13% of residents, above 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 50.9% of Thornbury
By the 2021 count the town had 4,780 women and 4,610 men, while Canada has 50.9% women.
| Thornbury | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.9% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 34% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 8.5% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 67% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Thornbury’s health region counts 17% of adults who smoke, above the typical Canadian town’s 12%
Measured across the Grey Bruce Health Unit: health survey and life expectancy
Lives here run to 81.3 years on average, about level with Canadian towns (81.5) and below Ontario’s towns (82.8). In the health survey, 48% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, fewer than Ontario’s 51%. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Thornbury’s is long: 12 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Thornbury | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 17% | 10% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 48% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.3 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Few Canadian towns get more snow than Thornbury: about 385 cm a year
Thornbury sees January nights of −8.7°C on average. A normal January brings 111 cm of snow, the most of any month. Rain and melted snow add up to 1,074 mm a year, above Ontario’s towns (902 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm) alike. A July afternoon in Thornbury typically reaches 25.3°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Thornbury | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 385 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| Precipitation a year | 1,074 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −8.7°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 25.3°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Collingwood)
What November brings in Thornbury: 1°C at night, 8°C by day
Across the year, normals run from −9°C nights in January to 25°C afternoons in July. In November, the normal is 110 mm of rain and snow. A typical November adds 48 cm of snow. Looking ahead to December, expect highs near 2°C and lows near −5°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −7°C | 292 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | 1°C | 232 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 15°C | 232 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 319 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Collingwood); the forecast is on the Weather page
Thornbury spends more per resident than 99% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities
The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Thornbury is Simcoe—Grey, and Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons.
| Turnout | Thornbury | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 29% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Thornbury has one public library, L.E. Shore Library
From the centre of Thornbury, it is 2.4 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Thornbury has 34 public protected areas within 10 km
Georgian Bay Islands National Park is the closest national park, 48 km from town. Walkers have 5 mapped routes close by, starting with the Bruce Trail - Beaver Valley section and Bruce Trail - Blue Mountains section. Within 5 km lie 8 beaches, unnamed on the map.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Thornbury | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 34 | 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 Thornbury
Blue Mountain and 9 more in and around Thornbury
From museums to parks and historic sites: Thornbury’s places to visit and those just beyond its edge, most famous first.
Ski hillBlue Mountainin townSki hillSki hillGeorgian Peaks Clubin townSki hillSki hillCraigleith Ski Clubin townSki hillSki hillOsler Bluff Ski Clubin townAttractionAttractionScenic Cavesin townMuseumMuseumSheffield Park Black History Museumin townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Blue Mountain: Niels Elgaard Larsen - (WT-en) Elgaard at English Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from around Thornbury
2 notable people were born in Thornbury; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Reg Noble: Unknown author, Public domain · Lynn Johnston: mackbrad, CC BY 2.0 · Stacey Dales: Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
About Thornbury
Town in Ontario
TownRatings counts Thornbury 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
- 11,162 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Grey
- Census subdivision
- 3542045
Thornbury’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornbury | 11,162 | — | A− | D | A | C+ |
| Collingwood | 28,366 | 17 | B | D− | B | A− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Thornbury
Has Thornbury grown?
Yes: the census counted 7,025 in 2016 and 9,390 in 2021, a rise of 33.7%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 11,162.
Who are the people of Thornbury?
Visible minorities are 3% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 13%, and Indigenous people 1%.
What kind of homes are in Thornbury?
Single-detached houses make up 80% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 1% are in high-rise apartments. 29% of households are one person, and the average is 2.1.
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).