CornwallPrince Edward Island
A town of 7,920 on Prince Edward Island. It belongs to the Charlottetown metropolitan area.
Is Cornwall a good place to live?
Work and incomes are strong (A). Cornwall’s overall grade is B+, better than 72% of Canadian towns. It ranks #3 of 10 on Prince Edward Island. Crime is low (B+). The catch is walkability (C). Cost of living is weaker too (C).
No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. 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 Cornwall grades
Each subject compares Cornwall 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 Cornwall stand out
The 3 things Cornwall does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cornwall.
Commuters in Cornwall have a short way to work, 20 min on average, less than in both Prince Edward Island’s towns and Canadian towns
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Cornwall | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 20 min | 23 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Cornwall faces fewer hazards than 88% of Canadian towns
Area-wide: radon tests, counted over the Prince Edward Island Health Region
In Health Canada’s survey, just 3.5% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). The national inventory holds 2 flood maps for it, the newest from Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action - Government of Prince Edward Island. Shaking is about as much of a worry in Cornwall as in most places, at $0.019 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Cornwall | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 3.5% | 3.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.019 | $0.020 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Cornwall’s teenagers travel 81 km to the nearest high school
Elementary school is 52 km away at the nearest, lower than Prince Edward Island’s towns (56 km) yet higher than Canadian towns (0.5 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Wiltshire Intermediate SchoolIn CornwallElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Cornwall | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 81 km | 76 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 52 km | 56 km | 0.5 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Ungraded on schools on Prince Edward Island, because the province publishes no results school by school.
Cornwall’s grade for safety: a B+
For violence alone the index was 58, higher than Prince Edward Island’s towns (54) yet lower than Canadian towns (86). Thefts, break-ins and damage add up to 22.5 per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Cornwall | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 22.5 | 19.4 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 58 | 54 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Fewer households own their home in Cornwall than in Prince Edward Island’s towns or across Canadian towns: 67%
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 17% of households, above Prince Edward Island’s towns (11%) but below Canadian towns (18%). Owners put the median home at $324,000, higher than Prince Edward Island’s towns ($288,000) yet lower than Canadian towns ($406,000). For rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom, the only official count covers all of the Charlottetown metro area, Cornwall included.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Cornwall | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 67% | 86% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 17% | 11% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $324,000 | $288,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Wet weather: 1,136 mm of rain and snow a year falls on Cornwall, more than on 83% of Canadian towns
In July the thermometer climbs to 23.6°C by day, about level with Prince Edward Island’s towns (23.7°C) and below Canadian towns (25.5°C). Rain and snow peak in October, at 122 mm. A normal January brings 73 cm of snow, the most of any month. Gardeners get 153 frost-free days, from 17 May to 18 October.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Cornwall | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 285 cm | 285 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 23.6°C | 23.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,136 mm | 1,136 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −11.5°C | −11.4°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Charlottetown (Airport))
Immigrants are a bigger part of Cornwall than of Prince Edward Island’s towns or Canadian towns: 9.7%
People 65 and over make up 17% of the town, below both Prince Edward Island’s towns (19%) and Canadian towns (19%). Under-15s account for 18% of the population.
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 50.8% of Cornwall
Census 2021 put women at 3,340 and men at 3,230; women are 50.9% of Canada.
| Cornwall | Prince Edward Island | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 66% | 63% | 64% |
| 65+ | 17% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 64% | 61% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Prince Edward Island and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
51% of adults around Cornwall rate their health very good or excellent
Measured across the Prince Edward Island health region: health survey and life expectancy
The region’s 2022/2024 life expectancy is 81.2, with women at 83.3 and men at 79.1. The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Cornwall’s is long: 8.2 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Cornwall | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 51% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.2 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
In Cornwall, November normally means 7°C afternoons and freezing nights
The month after, December, normally sees 1°C afternoons and −6°C nights. November usually brings some 21 cm of snow. Rain and snow over a typical November come to 110 mm. At the extremes, July afternoons reach 24°C and February nights −12°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −10°C | 302 mm |
| Spring | 8°C | −1°C | 237 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 13°C | 269 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 5°C | 327 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Charlottetown (Airport)); the forecast is on the Weather page
More of Malpeque voted in 2021 than in most ridings: 75%, ahead of 99%
For local government, Cornwall is a town.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Cornwall is Tiny Library (Seasonal), 4.1 km away
The next is Robertson Library (Charlottetown), 5 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Within 17 km of Cornwall: Prince Edward Island National Park
Named trails close by number 10, the The Island Walk and Central PEI Coastal Walk among them. Biggest among them: Miltonvale Wellfield Site, 265 ha, 4.7 km off. The closest provincial park is Brudenell Provincial Park, 41 km from the edge of town. Within 5 km are 10 beaches; Brighton Shore is the nearest.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Cornwall | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.7% | 4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 5 | 7 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Cornwall
St. Dunstan's Roman Catholic Basilica and 10 more in and around Cornwall
From museums to parks and historic sites: Cornwall’s places to visit and those just beyond its edge, most famous first.
ChurchSt. Dunstan's Roman Catholic Basilica2.7 km outside town, to the northeast
CathedralSt. Peter's Cathedral2.2 km outside town, to the northeast
Art galleryConfederation Centre Art Gallery2.6 km outside town, to the northeast
FortSkmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst2.6 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumCOWS Creamery400 m outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumBeaconsfield Historic House2.1 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- St. Dunstan's Roman Catholic Basilica: SoftwareSimian (changes by Rabanus Flavus ), CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St. Peter's Cathedral: Robert Cutts from Bristol, England, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Confederation Centre Art Gallery: Larry from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst: MTLskyline, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from around Cornwall
No notable person born in Cornwall is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Brian Tracy: Daniel Wikberg, CC BY 2.0 · Martha MacIsaac: Brian Solis, CC BY 4.0 · Brett Gallant: Krazytea, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Adam McQuaid: goaliej54, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alysha Corrigan: Like tears in rain, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Cornwall
Town in Prince Edward Island
Cornwall is a municipality on Prince Edward Island, 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
- 7,920 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Prince Edward Island
- Census division
- Queens
- Metro area
- Charlottetown
- Census subdivision
- 1102085
Cornwall’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwall | 7,920 | — | B+ | C | B+ | B |
| Charlottetown | 48,118 | 5.4 | C+ | D | C | B |
| Stratford | 13,152 | 8.3 | B+ | C | B+ | B |
| Kingston | 1,308 | 8.8 | — | B+ | A− | B− |
| Miltonvale Park | 1,279 | 9.3 | — | C | A− | B |
| West River | 4,155 | 9.9 | A− | B− | A− | B− |
| Crossroads | 2,366 | 13 | — | B | A− | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Cornwall
Has Cornwall grown?
Yes: the census counted 5,348 in 2016 and 6,574 in 2021, a rise of 22.9%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 7,920.
Do people in Cornwall speak French?
English and French are both spoken by 16% of residents, where the median of Canadian towns is 8%. French alone: 0.1%.
Who are the people of Cornwall?
At the 2021 census, 10% were immigrants and 12% belonged to a visible minority (Canadian towns’ median: 15%). 2% identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What kind of homes are in Cornwall?
Single-detached houses make up 61% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 23% of households are one person, and the average is 2.5.
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).