North RiverdaleToronto
This neighbourhood in Toronto has a population of 11,491. Toronto is split into 158 neighbourhoods, and this is one.
Is North Riverdale a good place to live?
A well-rated place to live, with prices to match. People here tend to be in good health (A). It is easy to get around without a car (A+). Housing is expensive (D). Put together, the subjects come to an A− overall, ranking #133 of 858 in Ontario. Nationally, it does better than 78% of Canadian towns. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for safety and B for jobs & income.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety uses the city's Crime Severity Index, scaled by this neighbourhood's own violent and property crime rates. 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 North Riverdale grades
Each subject compares North Riverdale 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 North Riverdale stand out
The 3 things North Riverdale does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in North Riverdale.
Home ownership in North Riverdale, 59%, runs below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Area-wide: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom, counted over the Toronto metro area
28% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, above Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. A year’s rent came to just over a fifth of the median household income, close to both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | North Riverdale | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 28% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 59% | 76% | 74% |
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.
For health, North Riverdale is ahead of 90% of Canadian towns
Health survey and life expectancy for the City of Toronto Health Unit
A baby born in the region can expect 84.7 years, 87.2 for a girl and 82.0 for a boy (2022/2024). In the health survey, half of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, close to Ontario’s 51%. Smoking takes in 9.2% of adults, age-standardised, below Ontario’s towns (10%) and Canadian towns (12%) alike. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and North Riverdale is well placed: 0.9 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | North Riverdale | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 84.7 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 9.2% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 50% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
In North Riverdale, families choose among 4 boards: English and French, public and Catholic
Schooling in French is on offer at 8 of 84; in Ontario, one in ten schools teach in it. The largest is Riverdale Collegiate Institute, with 1,600 students. Of its 66 tested schools, 28 sit in the top two fifths in Ontario and 22 in the bottom two. Also worth knowing: the 3 km around North Riverdale counts 61 elementary schools, 21 secondary schools and 2 alternative or adult schools, 33,325 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thorncliffe Park Public School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades 1–5 | Elementary · Grades 1–5 | 1,305 | English public |
| Riverdale Collegiate Institute Top fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,600 | English public |
| ÉÉC du Bon-Berger FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 100 | French Catholic |
| Collège français secondaire FrenchResults in the top fifth in OntarioSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 155 | French public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | North Riverdale | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
North Riverdale is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Toronto Regional Conservation Authority
Measured across the city of Toronto: earthquake risk
Radon is lower than usual: 2.7% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Earthquake risk in North Riverdale is ordinary: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.043 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 | North Riverdale | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 2.7% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.043 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Winters are mild in North Riverdale: January nights hold at −6.7°C, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
June is the wettest month, with 82 mm of rain and snow on average. The thermometer drops below freezing on 101 days a year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). Gardeners get 208 frost-free days, from 11 April to 6 November. A July afternoon in North Riverdale typically reaches 27.0°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | North Riverdale | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 101 | 139 | 159 |
| January night low | −6.7°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 27.0°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 823 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Toronto (City))
North Riverdale earns a B for safety
The violent index for its police area came to 93, above Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86) alike. Property crime in its police area ran at 34.4 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Ontario’s towns (30.5) and Canadian towns (31.2). North Riverdale doesn’t get its own Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures; the ones here come from the Toronto service area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | North Riverdale | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 93 | 76 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 34.4 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
North Riverdale has higher household incomes than 95% of Canadian towns
A trip to work takes 29 min on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | North Riverdale | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
North Riverdale is more bilingual than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 19% speak both languages
Visible minorities make up 27% of the population, close to Ontario’s towns (26%) and above Canadian towns (15%). 17% of residents are 65 or over.
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 51.0% of North Riverdale
Here the census found 5,560 men and 5,795 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| North Riverdale | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 67% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 17% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 73% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
North Riverdale in November: highs near 8°C, lows near 2°C
December follows at 3°C by day and −3°C by night. Precipitation in November averages 71 mm. Snowfall in a normal November: 12 cm. ECCC’s forecast for Toronto is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −5°C | 176 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 4°C | 207 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 17°C | 230 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 8°C | 209 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Toronto (City)); the forecast is on the Weather page
Toronto Public Library - Riverdale is North Riverdale’s public library
The library figures on this page are Toronto’s: Toronto Public Library serves all 3,110,984 people of the city, North Riverdale among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Rouge National Urban Park is 19 km from North Riverdale
2.3 km out lies the largest, E.T. Seton Park, at 130 ha. The nearest provincial park, Bronte Creek Provincial Park, is 43 km away. For walks, 5 named routes run within 2 km, such as the Don Valley Hills and Dales Discovery Walk 2 and Don Valley Hills and Dales Discovery Walk 1. Within 5 km are 31 beaches; West Landing is the nearest.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | North Riverdale | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 2.2% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Before 1961: 77% of the homes in North Riverdale
| Heritage | North Riverdale | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 77% | 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 North Riverdale
National Presbyterian Museum and 98 more in and around North Riverdale
A first look at North Riverdale’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
Big drawAttractionCN Tower3.6 km outside town, to the southwest · 1.5M visitors a year
Big drawMuseumRoyal Ontario Museum2.7 km outside town, to the west · 281.4M visitors a year (2025)
Big drawArt galleryArt Gallery of Ontario3.2 km outside town, to the southwest · 873K visitors a year (2016)
Historic houseCasa Loma3.8 km outside town, to the west
MuseumBata Shoe Museum3.2 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- CN Tower: Chris Woodrich, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Royal Ontario Museum: Staka, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Art Gallery of Ontario: Owen Byrne from Ottawa, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Casa Loma: Evelyncyuzu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bata Shoe Museum: Gisling, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
About North Riverdale
Neighbourhood in Toronto
Statistics Canada counts Toronto as one municipality, so TownRatings builds North Riverdale and its other neighbourhoods from census dissemination areas, named from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 11,491 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Toronto
- Census subdivision
- 3520005
North Riverdale’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Riverdale | 11,491 | — | A− | D | B | A |
| Playter Estates-Danforth | 7,712 | 0.9 | B− | D− | C− | A |
| Blake-Jones | 7,494 | 0.9 | B | D− | B | A |
| South Riverdale | 28,264 | 1.1 | B | D− | C | A |
| Regent Park | 12,797 | 1.6 | B− | D− | B− | A |
| Broadview North | 11,080 | 1.8 | B+ | D− | A− | A |
| Cabbagetown-South St.James Town | 11,205 | 1.8 | B− | D− | C | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about North Riverdale
Do people in North Riverdale speak French?
English and French are both spoken by 19% of residents, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%. French alone: 0%.
Is North Riverdale a young town or an old one?
At 43.5, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns. Children make up 16% of the population and seniors 17%.
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).