O'LearyPrince Edward Island
This town on Prince Edward Island has a population of 1,021. Its population rose 7% from 2016 to 2021.
Is O'Leary a good place to live?
Health outcomes beat most towns (B+). Walkability is another plus (B+). The weak point is jobs & income (C−). It lags on cost of living as well (C).
O'Leary is graded subject by subject, but Canadian towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
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. No Safety Grade: no police service publishes a crime rate for this place on its own. 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 O'Leary grades
Each subject compares O'Leary with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
O'Leary is graded subject by subject, but Canadian towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes O'Leary stand out
The 3 things O'Leary does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in O'Leary.
Trips to work from O'Leary are shorter than from Prince Edward Island’s towns or Canadian towns: 19 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | O'Leary | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 19 min | 23 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
The nearest high school to O'Leary is 46 km away
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| O'Leary Elementary SchoolIn O'LearyElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | O'Leary | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 46 km | 76 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 46 km | 56 km | 0.5 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Why no schools grade on Prince Edward Island? The province publishes no results school by school.
A flood study covers O'Leary: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action - Government of Prince Edward Island
Radon tests for the Prince Edward Island Health Region
Radon is lower than usual: 3.5% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Earthquake risk in O'Leary is ordinary: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.039 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 | O'Leary | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 3.5% | 3.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.039 | $0.020 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Rent takes more of local pay in O'Leary than in Prince Edward Island’s towns or Canadian towns: 24% of household income
Owners put the median home at $150,000, below Prince Edward Island’s towns ($288,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000) alike. Shelter took 30% or more of income for 16% of households, between Prince Edward Island’s towns (11%) and Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | O'Leary | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 24% | 18% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $150,000 | $288,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 16% | 11% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.
51% of adults around O'Leary rate their health very good or excellent
The health survey and life expectancy numbers here cover the Prince Edward Island health region
People in the region live to 81.2 on average: 83.3 for women and 79.1 for men in 2022/2024. For O'Leary itself the measure is access, and it scores well: 0.7 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. Pharmacies are closer at hand, 0.5 km away on average and 1.0 of them within 3 km of a typical home.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | O'Leary | 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
The climate in O'Leary sits close to the middle of Canadian towns
A normal October brings 106 mm of precipitation, more than any other month. Summer highs average 24.1°C in July, near Prince Edward Island’s towns (23.7°C) and lower than Canadian towns (25.5°C). Snow peaks in January: 67 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | O'Leary | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 292 cm | 285 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 24.1°C | 23.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,002 mm | 1,136 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −11.3°C | −11.4°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Summerside)
O'Leary skews older, with 31% of residents 65 or over, more than Prince Edward Island’s towns or Canadian towns
Immigrants make up 13% of residents, above Prince Edward Island’s towns (4.9%) and Canadian towns (6.4%) alike. One measure of family life: 14% of residents are under 15.
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 55.1% of O'Leary
By the 2021 count the town had 485 women and 395 men, while Canada has 50.9% women.
| O'Leary | Prince Edward Island | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 55% | 63% | 64% |
| 65+ | 31% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 25% | 14% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 38% | 61% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Prince Edward Island and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
O'Leary in November: highs near 7°C, lows near freezing
Snow is normal by November, about 19 cm over the month. Precipitation in November averages 92 mm. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s North Cape forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −10°C | 217 mm |
| Spring | 8°C | −1°C | 242 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 13°C | 245 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 5°C | 298 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Summerside); the forecast is on the Weather page
Egmont, which takes in O'Leary, is held by Bobby Morrissey (Liberal Party of Canada)
The Liberal Party of Canada has 4 of the 4 MPs elected in Prince Edward Island.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
No public library stands in O'Leary: the closest, Alberton Public Library, is 17 km away
Library statistics aren’t published openly on Prince Edward Island, so there are no visit or loan figures for O'Leary.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The Confederation Trail - Tignish to Elmira runs by O'Leary
Within 10 km of the town, 5.6% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town. Kouchibouguac National Park is the closest national park, 43 km from town. The closest provincial park is Amherst Shore Provincial Park, 86 km from the edge of town. The largest is Scallop Buffer Zone (SFA 22): 285,278 ha, 7.3 km from the edge of town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | O'Leary | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 5.6% | 4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 7 | 7 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
1 historic place on the heritage registers in O'Leary
33% of its homes were built before 1961, above both Prince Edward Island’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | O'Leary | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 33% | 21% | 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 O'Leary
Famous people from O'Leary
3 notable people were born in O'Leary.
About O'Leary
Town in Prince Edward Island
TownRatings follows Statistics Canada’s map: O'Leary is one municipality on Prince Edward Island, figures and all.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 1,021 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Prince Edward Island
- Census division
- Prince
- Census subdivision
- 1103042
O'Leary’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
Questions about O'Leary
What kind of homes are in O'Leary?
Mostly 52% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.2 people on average, and 40% have just one.
Who are the people of O'Leary?
23% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 0% have an Indigenous identity and 13% are immigrants.
Is O'Leary growing?
Yes: the census counted 815 in 2016 and 876 in 2021, a rise of 7.5%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 1,021.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · 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).