TillsonburgOntario
It is a town of 21,450 residents in Ontario. It is part of Oxford, a census division.
Is Tillsonburg a good place to live?
Where it falls short is cost of living (D). Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (B+). Overall, that makes a C−, better than nearly a quarter of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #733 of 858 in Ontario. The rest of its grades are middling: B for safety, B− for health and C+ for hazard 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.
What makes Tillsonburg stand out
The 3 things Tillsonburg does most differently from other towns.
How Tillsonburg grades
Each subject compares Tillsonburg 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 Tillsonburg.
Measured against local pay, Tillsonburg costs more to live in than 89% of Canadian towns
Area-wide: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom, counted over the Tillsonburg metro area
Owners put the median home at $500,000, between Ontario’s towns ($695,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). 71% of households own their home.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $500,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 18% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 71% | 76% | 74% |
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.
Tillsonburg’s grade for schools: a C−
The schools around it answer to 2 boards, lower than both Ontario’s towns (4) and Canadian towns (3). Over three years, results rose at 4 of its 6 tested schools. Taken together, Tillsonburg and its 3 km edge hold 5 elementary schools and 1 secondary school for 2,855 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westfield Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 635 | English public |
| Glendale High School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 820 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Tillsonburg’s grade for safety: a B
For violence alone the index was 63, lower than both Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86). Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 24.5 per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 24.5 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 63 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Commuters in Tillsonburg have a short way to work, 22 min on average, less than in Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
93% of commuters drove, above both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 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.
Summer runs warm in Tillsonburg: July highs of 27.5°C, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Most of the snow comes in January, about 43 cm. A normal January night drops to −8.9°C, near Ontario’s towns (−9.1°C) and higher than Canadian towns (−13.5°C). The most precipitation falls in July: 89 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 27.5°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −8.9°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 965 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 140 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Delhi)
Tillsonburg’s hazards at a glance: a low wildfire record and 12% of area homes over the radon guideline
For earthquakes Tillsonburg is middling, $0.022 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. The national flood inventory has no study of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 12% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.022 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Data for radon tests covers the Oxford County Health Unit
Visible minorities make up less of Tillsonburg than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 5.7%
2.7% of residents have an Indigenous identity, about level with Canadian towns (2.8%) and above Ontario’s towns (1.6%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
52.3% of Tillsonburg’s residents are women
Of the 2021 count, 9,735 were women and 8,880 men (women across Canada: 50.9%).
| Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 57% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 29% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 23% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 44% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Tillsonburg runs from freezing to 8°C
July brings the warmest days, 28°C; January the coldest nights, −9°C. The month after, December, normally sees 2°C afternoons and −5°C nights. November usually brings some 13 cm of snow. Expect about 83 mm of rain and snow over November.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −8°C | 216 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 1°C | 246 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 14°C | 250 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 5°C | 254 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Delhi); the forecast is on the Weather page
Tillsonburg spends less per resident than 77% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities
Deb Gilvesy was elected mayor of Tillsonburg in October 2022, on a council of 7 seats.
| Turnout | Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 38% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Oxford County Library - Tillsonburg is Tillsonburg’s public library
It stands 1 km from the centre of Tillsonburg.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Very good or excellent health for 49% of adults in Tillsonburg’s health region
Lives here run to 80.6 years on average, lower than both Ontario’s towns (82.8) and Canadian towns (81.5). For Tillsonburg itself the measure is access, and it scores well: 1.5 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. A pharmacy is nearer: 1.1 km on average, with 2.0 within 3 km of the typical home. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Oxford Elgin St. Thomas Health Unit, Tillsonburg included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.6 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 49% | 51% | 52% |
| Smokers | 12% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Tillsonburg has 0.2% protected land within 10 km
Trillium Woods Provincial Park is the closest provincial park, at 20 km. Within 100 km there is no national park. One mapped walking route passes within 2 km: the Tillsonburg.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.2% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Heritage in Tillsonburg: 1 historic place of the highest rank
22% of its homes were built before 1961, near Ontario’s towns (22%) and higher than Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Tillsonburg | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 22% | 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 Tillsonburg
Famous people from Tillsonburg
19 notable people were born in Tillsonburg.
Photo credits
Jay Triano: Alex English, Jay Triano, Marc Iavaroni.jpg : chensiyuan derivative work: Arbor to SJ, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tillson Harrison: Unknown author, Public domain · Christopher Mabee: Caroline Paré, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lloyd Andrews: Unknown author, Public domain · Russell Oatman: Unknown author, Public domain
Tillsonburg’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tillsonburg | 21,450 | — | C− | D | B | B− |
| South-West Oxford | 8,375 | 15 | B | C | A | B− |
| Norwich | 12,321 | 16 | B− | C− | A | C+ |
| Bayham | 7,935 | 17 | C | C+ | A | C+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Tillsonburg
Is Tillsonburg growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 15,872 to 18,615 residents (up 17.3%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 21,450.
How old are the people of Tillsonburg?
Its median age is 49.2, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 14% of residents; over-65s, 29%.
What kind of homes are in Tillsonburg?
Mostly 68% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 6% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.2 people on average, and 31% have just one.
About Tillsonburg
Town in Ontario
Statistics Canada treats Tillsonburg as a single census subdivision in Ontario, and TownRatings keeps to that line.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 21,450 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Oxford
- Census subdivision
- 3532004
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).