Wasaga BeachOntario
The town has 28,736 residents and lies in Ontario. It lies in Simcoe.
Is Wasaga Beach a good place to live?
Overall, Wasaga Beach earns a D, better than 14% of Canadian towns. The ranking puts it #811 of 858 in Ontario. Housing is expensive (D−). Health is where it shines (B+). It is strong on safety as well (B+). Its schools fall short (D). Incomes are on the low side (D).
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.
What makes Wasaga Beach stand out
The 3 things Wasaga Beach does most differently from other towns.
How Wasaga Beach grades
Each subject compares Wasaga Beach 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 Wasaga Beach.
Rent takes more of local pay in Wasaga Beach than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 30% of household income
Owners make up 85% of households, higher than both Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%). The median home value was $600,000, lower than Ontario’s towns ($695,000) yet higher than Canadian towns ($406,000).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Wasaga Beach | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 30% | 22% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 85% | 76% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $600,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 20% | 22% | 18% |
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.
Hazard risk in Wasaga Beach is lower than in 92% of Canadian towns
Of the homes tested for radon, 0.9% were over 200 Bq/m³, below Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%) alike. Shaking is about as much of a worry in Wasaga Beach as in most places, at $0.020 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). The national flood inventory has no study of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Wasaga Beach | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 0.9% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.020 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
No high school in or near Wasaga Beach: the closest is 9 km off
Boards running schools in the area: 2, below Ontario’s towns (4) and Canadian towns (3) alike. Elementary schools here average 536 students, against 365 in Ontario.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birchview Dunes Elementary School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 680 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Wasaga Beach | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest secondary school | 9 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 2.4 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Commuters in Wasaga Beach travel further than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, 32 min on average
The car took 93% of commuters, above both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Wasaga Beach | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 32 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 93% | 88% | 89% |
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.
Very good or excellent health for 54% of adults in Wasaga Beach’s health region
Statistics Canada puts the region’s life expectancy at 81.5, women 83.5 and men 79.5 (2022/2024). The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Wasaga Beach’s is long: 5.0 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. For everyday care, the nearest pharmacy is 4.6 km away on average (1.1 within 3 km). Nobody publishes health survey and life expectancy for Wasaga Beach alone, so this card uses the figure for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Wasaga Beach | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 54% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.5 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 12% | 10% | 12% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Wasaga Beach gets a B+ for safety
Its violent severity index came to 61, below Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86) alike. Property crime runs at 23.5 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Wasaga Beach | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 23.5 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 61 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Visible minorities make up less of Wasaga Beach than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 5.2%
3.2% of residents have an Indigenous identity, above 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
Women make up 51.3% of Wasaga Beach
Women numbered 12,755 and men 12,105 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Wasaga Beach | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 54% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 35% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 19% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 46% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
July highs in Wasaga Beach: 25.3°C, against 26.7°C in Ontario’s towns and 25.5°C in Canadian towns
Snow peaks in December: 42 cm in a normal year. The coldest nights, in January, bottom out at −8.7°C, about level with Ontario’s towns (−9.1°C) and above Canadian towns (−13.5°C). The most precipitation falls in June: 83 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Wasaga Beach | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −8.7°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 25.3°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 131 | 139 | 159 |
| Snowfall a year | 174 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Collingwood)
What November brings in Wasaga Beach: 1°C at night, 8°C by day
Into December, the normals move to 2°C and −5°C. About 22 cm of snow falls in a normal November. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 72 mm. Normal highs peak at 25°C in July; nights bottom out at −9°C in January.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −7°C | 157 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | 1°C | 183 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 15°C | 244 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 210 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Collingwood); the forecast is on the Weather page
Turnout in Wasaga Beach reached 49% in 2022, higher than in 91% of Ontario’s municipalities
Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada) is the MP for Simcoe—Grey, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Wasaga Beach.
| Turnout | Wasaga Beach | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 49% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Wasaga Beach Public Library logs 2.5 visits per person served, fewer than 75% of Ontario’s town libraries
A single building, Wasaga Beach Public Library, serves 24,860 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Wasaga Beach borders Wasaga Beach Provincial Park
13 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Beach Area 3. Georgian Bay Islands National Park is the closest national park, 31 km from town. Just over a fifth of the town lies within a protected area. Within 10 km are 3 protected areas.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Wasaga Beach | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 3% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Nancy Island Historic Site and 3 more in and around Wasaga Beach
From museums to parks and historic sites: Wasaga Beach’s places to visit and those just beyond its edge, most famous first.
Everything we know about Wasaga Beach
Famous people from around Wasaga Beach
2 notable people were born in Wasaga Beach; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Tyler Brown: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · 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
Wasaga Beach’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasaga Beach | 28,736 | — | D | D− | B+ | B+ |
| Stayner | 16,571 | 10 | B | D | A | B+ |
| Collingwood | 28,366 | 14 | B | D− | B | A− |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Wasaga Beach
Is Wasaga Beach growing?
Yes: the census counted 20,675 in 2016 and 24,862 in 2021, a rise of 20.3%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 28,736.
Is Wasaga Beach a young town or an old one?
56.4 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 35% of residents are 65 or over and 12% under 15.
What kind of homes are in Wasaga Beach?
83% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.3 people; 26% are one person living alone.
About Wasaga Beach
Town in Ontario
Wasaga Beach is a municipality in Ontario, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 28,736 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Simcoe
- Census subdivision
- 3543064
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).