WawaOntario
Population 2,943: a town in Ontario. It is part of Algoma, a census division.
Is Wawa a good place to live?
Wawa’s overall grade is B−, better than 48% of Canadian towns. That places it #535 of 858 in Ontario. Its weakest is schools (D). Health is weaker too (C−). Buying a home costs less than in most towns (A+). Walkability is another plus (A).
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. 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 Wawa grades
Each subject compares Wawa 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 Wawa stand out
The 3 things Wawa does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Wawa.
Renting in Wawa costs 14% of household income, less than in Ontario’s towns and across Canadian towns
9% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). Owners make up 79% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Wawa | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 9% | 22% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 14% | 22% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 79% | 76% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.
Wawa has 3 French-language schools among its 6
3 of the 6 are Catholic, more than the 34% in Ontario. Results lean low: 4 of 4 in the lower two fifths in Ontario. Families can pick among four systems here: English or French, public or Catholic. Elementary schools here average 108 students; in Ontario, 365.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École élémentaire Saint-Joseph FrenchLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 140 | French Catholic |
| Michipicoten High School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 105 | English public |
| École secondaire catholique Saint-Joseph FrenchTeaches in FrenchSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 55 | French Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Wawa | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Summers stay cool in Wawa: July afternoons reach 20.8°C, below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
The most precipitation falls in September: 125 mm in a normal year. There are 203 days of frost in a typical year, above Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159) alike. January nights in Wawa drop to −19.6°C on average. Snow peaks in January: 74 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Wawa | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| July afternoon high | 20.8°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 314 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −19.6°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 203 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Wawa)
Hazard risk in Wawa is lower than in 88% of Canadian towns
8.6% of radon tests in the survey area came in above the guideline, above both Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%). Earthquakes matter little: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.004 a year per $1,000 of value, against $0.030 for the typical town. No flood study for Wawa is on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Wawa | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.6% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.004 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Lives run shorter around Wawa: 77.9 years, 3.6 below the typical Canadian town’s region
Measured across the The District of Algoma Health Unit: health survey and life expectancy
Homes here are 1.2 km from a hospital on average, below Ontario’s towns (3.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km) alike. The region has more smokers than Ontario, 17% of adults to 11%. The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 46%, behind the 51% for Ontario.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Wawa | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.9 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 17% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 46% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Wawa’s Violent Crime Severity Index, 182, runs above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
The violent crime rate is 25.8 per 1,000 residents a year. Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 22.7 per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Wawa | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 182 | 76 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 25.8 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 22.7 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Commuters in Wawa have a short way to work, 22 min on average, less than in Ontario’s towns and across Canadian towns
85% of commuters drove, about level with Ontario’s towns (88%) and below Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Wawa | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 85% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
What November brings in Wawa: −5°C at night, 2°C by day
Expect about 79 mm of rain and snow over November. Into December, the normals move to −4°C and −14°C. Snow is normal by November, about 39 cm over the month. Over the year, August is warmest at 21°C by day and January coldest at −20°C by night.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −6°C | −17°C | 170 mm |
| Spring | 7°C | −5°C | 215 mm |
| Summer | 20°C | 9°C | 263 mm |
| Autumn | 10°C | 1°C | 320 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Wawa); the forecast is on the Weather page
Wawa’s council outspends 90% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities, per resident
No provincial riding is named for Wawa: northern Ontario’s ridings for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario have no open boundaries.
| Turnout | Wawa | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 37% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Each person Wawa Public Library serves borrows 2.5 items, fewer than at 84% of Ontario’s town libraries
Wawa Public Library serves 2,705 people from a single building.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
More of Wawa’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 17%
The 65-and-over age group makes up 22% of residents. 0.7% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%). The under-15s are 16% of the population here.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
49.2% of Wawa’s residents are women
Here the census found 1,330 women and 1,375 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.
| Wawa | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 22% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 20% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 52% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
More of the land around Wawa is protected than around nearly 9 in 10 Canadian towns
The closest of Canada’s national parks is Pukaskwa National Park, at 48 km. 38 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Government Dock Beach. The Voyageur Trail - Michipicoten Section is the one mapped walking route close by.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Wawa | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 11% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Wawa keeps its older homes: 40% from before 1961
| Heritage | Wawa | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 40% | 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 Wawa
About Wawa
Town in Ontario
Statistics Canada treats Wawa 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
- 2,943 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Algoma
- Census subdivision
- 3557076
Questions about Wawa
Who are the people of Wawa?
Visible minorities are 1% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 4%, and Indigenous people 17%.
Do people in Wawa speak French?
English and French are both spoken by 29% of residents, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%. French alone: 1.5%.
What kind of homes are in Wawa?
82% 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 2.2 people; 32% are one person living alone.
Is Wawa growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 2,905 to 2,705 residents (6.9% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 2,943.
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).