West Queen WestToronto
A neighbourhood of 13,599 in Toronto. It is one of the 158 neighbourhoods that make up Toronto.
Is West Queen West a good place to live?
On health it is strong (A). It also does well on walkability (A+). The drawback is cost of living (D). All told, that adds up to an A− overall, better than 80% of Canadian towns. That places it #113 of 858 in Ontario.
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.
What makes West Queen West stand out
The 3 things West Queen West does most differently from other towns.
How West Queen West grades
Each subject compares West Queen West 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 →
Wish You Were Here and 126 more in and around West Queen West
Museums, historic sites, parks, gardens and days out in and near West Queen West, the best known first.
Big drawAttractionCN Tower1.2 km outside town, to the east · 1.5M visitors a year
Big drawMuseumRoyal Ontario Museum2.5 km outside town, to the north · 281.4M visitors a year (2025)
Big drawArt galleryArt Gallery of Ontario1.2 km outside town, to the northeast · 873K visitors a year (2016)
Historic houseCasa Loma3.6 km outside town, to the north
MuseumBata Shoe Museum2.3 km outside town, to the northPhotos: 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
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in West Queen West.
Home ownership in West Queen West, 55%, runs below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
A year’s rent came to 24% of the median household income, higher than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%). 32% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, above Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. For rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom, the only official count covers all of the Toronto metro area, West Queen West included.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | West Queen West | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 32% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 55% | 76% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $750,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Rent as a share of income | 24% | 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.
For health, West Queen West is ahead of 92% of Canadian towns
The health survey and life expectancy numbers here cover the City of Toronto Health Unit
For 2022/2024, the region’s figure is 84.7 years at birth, 87.2 for women and 82.0 for men. On self-rated health the region tracks the province: 50% very good or excellent, 51% for Ontario. The survey counts 9.2% of adults as smokers, below both Ontario’s towns (10%) and Canadian towns (12%). Closer to home, a hospital is just 0.4 km from the average resident of West Queen West, nearer than the usual 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | West Queen West | 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 West Queen West, families choose among 4 boards: English and French, public and Catholic
Results are mixed: 27 of 61 schools above the middle in Ontario, 15 below it. Of the 80, 9 teach in French (10% of schools in Ontario). Within 3 km of West Queen West are 57 elementary schools, 20 secondary schools and 3 alternative or adult schools, teaching 23,005 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Rita Cox – Kina Minogok Public School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 820 | English public |
| Central Technical School VocationalLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 985 | English public |
| École élémentaire Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 380 | French public |
| Bloor Collegiate Institute Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 820 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | West Queen West | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
West Queen West faces few natural hazards: little fire nearby, low seismic risk, radon over the guideline in 2.7% of tested homes
NRCan expects $0.043 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in West Queen West, near the typical $0.030. No one has filed a flood map for West Queen West on the national inventory. West Queen West doesn’t get its own earthquake risk figures; the ones here come from the city of Toronto.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | West Queen West | 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
West Queen West has higher household incomes than 88% of Canadian towns
A trip to work takes 30 min on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | West Queen West | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 30 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.
West Queen West gets fewer frosts than 87% of Canadian towns
The warmest afternoons come in July, at around 25.3°C in West Queen West. In January the thermometer sinks to −7.1°C overnight, above Ontario’s towns (−9.1°C) and Canadian towns (−13.5°C) alike. The most precipitation falls in June: 82 mm in a normal year. Most of the snow comes in January, about 32 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | West Queen West | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 110 | 139 | 159 |
| January night low | −7.1°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 25.3°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 115 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Toronto (Island))
West Queen West’s grade for safety: a B
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 Ontario’s towns (30.5) and Canadian towns (31.2) alike.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | West Queen West | 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 · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: one figure for all of the Toronto service area
More of West Queen West belongs to a visible minority than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 37%
1.3% of residents have an Indigenous identity, lower than both Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
51.5% of West Queen West’s residents are women
Here the census found 6,580 men and 7,000 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| West Queen West | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 8.3% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 83% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 8.7% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 5.7% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 79% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In West Queen West, November normally means 8°C afternoons and 2°C nights
For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Toronto Island forecast. A typical November adds 9 cm of snow. In November, the normal is 71 mm of rain and snow. By December, a normal day reaches 3°C and a night falls to −3°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −6°C | 176 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | 3°C | 207 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 16°C | 230 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 209 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Toronto (Island)); the forecast is on the Weather page
No public library stands in West Queen West: the closest, Toronto Public Library - Sanderson, is 1 km away
The library figures on this page are Toronto’s: Toronto public library serves all 3,110,984 people of the city, West Queen West among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Rouge National Urban Park is 25 km from West Queen West
Walkers have 6 mapped routes close by, starting with the PATH and PATH - Main Route. E.T. Seton Park (130 ha) is the biggest, 7.5 km from town. 37 km from town is Bronte Creek Provincial Park, the nearest provincial park. For a swim, HTO Beach is the nearest of 24 beaches within 5 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | West Queen West | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 2.1% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about West Queen West
West Queen West’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Queen West | 13,599 | — | A− | D | B | A |
| Trinity-Bellwoods | 15,691 | 1 | B− | D− | C | A |
| Fort York-Liberty Village | 20,071 | 1 | A− | D− | B+ | A |
| Little Portugal | 15,669 | 1.3 | B | D− | B | A |
| Wellington Place | 25,729 | 1.4 | B | D− | C | A |
| Kensington-Chinatown | 18,597 | 1.6 | C | D− | D | A |
| Harbourfront-CityPlace | 28,199 | 1.7 | B+ | D− | B | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about West Queen West
Is West Queen West a young town or an old one?
36.6 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 9% of residents are 65 or over and 8% under 15.
About West Queen West
Neighbourhood in Toronto
No official boundary marks West Queen West off from the rest of Toronto: TownRatings draws it from the census’s dissemination areas and takes its name from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 13,599 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Toronto
- Census subdivision
- 3520005
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).