Living in Owen Sound

In Owen Sound, unemployment is 11.2% (2021).

The nearest airport was YSB, 115.5 km away, with 6 listed destinations in June 2026.

Last checked 2026-09-2619 sources

Population21,612people1 Jan 2021Official source · Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Owen Sound (Census subdivision 3542059)

Median gross salary2,876EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · Statistics Canada

Average rent862.1EUR/month31 Dec 2025Metro-area figureOfficial source · CMHC Rental Market Survey: average rents for areas with population 10,000 and over, table 34-10-0133-01

Unemployment rate11.18%country median 8.4% — 33% aboveOfficial source · Statistics Canada

Recorded crime4,296incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025District figureOfficial source · Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police

Higher unemployment than 76% of Canadian cities that publish it and less recorded crime than 69% of Canadian cities that publish it.

Which Canada-wide rules apply when you move to Owen Sound?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in CanadaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Owen Sound.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€50

Mobile plan, 10 GB€24

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	49.79 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Bell Fibe 500 home internet¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	24.27 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Public Mobile 50GB plan⁸Official · national market
Households spending over 30% of income on rent	24.3 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official
Dwellings	10,406 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada⁹Official
Main residence dwellings	9,895 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
Average monthly rent (two-bedroom)	795.9 EUR/month	31 Oct 2023	CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023³Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	862.1 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	CMHC Rental Market Survey: average rents for areas with population 10,000 and over, table 34-10-0133-01²Official · metropolitan-area figure

Is Owen Sound a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker42%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 32–52%

Skilled employee50%strong on work, weak on education · range 41–59%

Student32%strong on cost, weak on education · range 21–43%

Family43%strong on family, weak on education · range 32–54%

Retirement52%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 39–65%

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Owen Sound?

The median gross salary is about 2,876 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table.

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions.

Median gross salary: 2,876 EUR/month · Statistics Canada¹²
Median gross salary (regional): 2,048 EUR/month · 2026-09-17 · www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁹

What is the unemployment rate in Owen Sound?

The unemployment rate is about 11.2 % (2021).

Unemployment rate: 11.18 % · Statistics Canada¹³

Unemployment across cities in CanadaUnemployment in Owen Sound is 11.2%. Of 515 cities with data, 125 have unemployment of 6 to under 8%.

125

108

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1616–1818–2020–22

Owen Sound 11.2%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Employment rate	49 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
Median gross salary	2,876 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	Statistics Canada¹²Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,048 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	www150.statcan.gc.ca¹⁹Official
Unemployment rate	11.18 %country median 8.4%	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹³Official

What does a salary buy in Owen Sound?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€1,348of €2,285 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	€2,285
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · CMHC Rental Market Survey: average rents for areas with population 10,000 and over, table 34-10-0133-01 · 2025-12-31	− €862
Internet€50 · official · Bell Fibe 500 home internet · 2026-09-30	− €50
Mobile plan€24 · official · Public Mobile 50GB plan · 2026-09-30	− €24
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€1,348

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Owen Sound Salary needed to live in Owen Sound

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Owen Sound. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Job Bank and public employment services — Public employment service

Government of Canada

Job SearchMigrant Support

Open official service

Open the Canada service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Owen Sound. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Owen Sound?

Police recorded about 4,296 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police⁴

Recorded crime across major citiesOwen Sound highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Winnipeg7,894

Edmonton7,108

Halifax6,020

Vancouver5,438

Calgary4,796

London4,743

Québec4,630

Ottawa4,298

Hamilton4,257

Toronto4,177

Gatineau3,756

Montreal3,674

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	4,296 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police⁴Official · county

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	6 count	13 Jun 2026	OpenFlights — routes.dat⁶Official
Nearest airport	YSB	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁷Official
Distance to nearest airport	115.5 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁷Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Owen Sound. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

IRCC newcomer language-learning services finder — State Language Course

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

For newcomers to Canada.

English, FrenchFree

Open official information

Open the full Canada section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Owen Sound.

Find courses near Owen Sound

Climate and air quality

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 11.8 · Feb 11.5 · Mar 21.03 · Apr 20.52 · May 26.2 · Jun 29.65 · Jul 31.39 · Aug 31.68 · Sep 29.66 · Oct 26.16 · Nov 19.15 · Dec 15.09 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁵Official
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan -19.78 · Feb -24.45 · Mar -22.67 · Apr -13.2 · May -1.64 · Jun 2.38 · Jul 9.05 · Aug 10.72 · Sep 4.39 · Oct -0.53 · Nov -9.22 · Dec -16.09 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁵Official
Average temperature by month	Jan -4.74 · Feb -5.19 · Mar -1.36 · Apr 4.28 · May 9.86 · Jun 15.37 · Jul 20.03 · Aug 20.32 · Sep 16.95 · Oct 10.11 · Nov 4.03 · Dec -1.34 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁵Official

Population and city profile

How many people live in Owen Sound?

The published population was 21,612 people in 2021. Source: Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Owen Sound (Census subdivision 3542059)¹⁷

Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 585 is not 7.8% of the population. Each row names its source.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport97.3%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Area	24.21 km²	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
City area	24.4 km²	2021	Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Owen Sound, CSD 3542007)¹⁶Official
Foreign-resident share	7.8 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁴Official
Foreign residents	585 people	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign population total; it is not immigrant status.¹⁸Official
Population density	892.6 people/km²	11 May 2021	Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 6: population density per square kilometre at CSD grain. This is the exact CSD value; it is not a CMA or province observation.¹⁸Official
Population	21,612 people	1 Jan 2021	Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Owen Sound (Census subdivision 3542059)¹⁷Official

Population over time22 published observations, 2001–2022

21,536

21,903

22,271

22,638

22,45620012005200920152022

Population rose 0.6% between 2001 and 2022, from 22,314 to 22,456.

International community in Owen Sound

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Total - Place of birth for the immigrant population in private households - 25% sample data · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total - Place of birth for the immigrant population in private households - 25% sample data	1,620	100.0%
Europe	850	52.5%
United Kingdom	480	29.6%
Asia	470	29.0%
Americas	205	12.7%
India	115	7.1%
Other places of birth in Europe	110	6.8%
United States of America	95	5.9%
Syria	90	5.6%
Germany	70	4.3%
Netherlands	70	4.3%

Show 21 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Africa	70	4.3%
China	70	4.3%
Other places of birth in Asia	55	3.4%
Other places of birth in Americas	45	2.8%
Philippines	40	2.5%
South Africa, Republic of	30	1.9%
Korea, South	30	1.9%
Poland	25	1.5%
Jamaica	20	1.2%
Mexico	20	1.2%
Serbia	20	1.2%
Oceania and other places of birth	20	1.2%
Italy	15	0.9%
Romania	15	0.9%
Eritrea	15	0.9%
Nigeria	15	0.9%
Pakistan	15	0.9%
Guyana	10	0.6%
Peru	10	0.6%
Russian Federation	10	0.6%
Other places of birth in Africa	10	0.6%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁰

Citizenship

Total - Citizenship for the population in private households - 25% sample data · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total - Citizenship for the population in private households - 25% sample data	20,825	100.0%
Canadian citizens	20,240	97.2%
Canadian citizens aged 18 and over	16,660	80.0%
Canadian citizens aged under 18	3,585	17.2%
Not Canadian citizens	585	2.8%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁰

Language spoken at home

Total - Language spoken most often at home for the total population excluding institutional residents - 100% data · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total - Language spoken most often at home for the total population excluding institutional residents - 100% data	21,225	100.0%
Single responses	21,040	99.1%
Official languages	20,635	97.2%
English	20,605	97.1%
Non-official languages	405	1.9%
Non-Indigenous languages	400	1.9%
Multiple responses	185	0.9%
Indo-European languages	180	0.8%
English and non-official language(s)	155	0.7%
Indo-Iranian languages	110	0.5%
Indo-Aryan languages	100	0.5%

Show 45 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Afro-Asiatic languages	80	0.4%
Semitic languages	80	0.4%
Arabic	60	0.3%
Sino-Tibetan languages	50	0.2%
Chinese languages	50	0.2%
Dravidian languages	40	0.2%
French	30	0.1%
Italic (Romance) languages	30	0.1%
Korean	30	0.1%
Yue (Cantonese)	25	0.1%
English and French	25	0.1%
Tigrigna	25	0.1%
Malayalam	25	0.1%
Gujarati	25	0.1%
Punjabi (Panjabi)	25	0.1%
Mandarin	20	0.1%
Balto-Slavic languages	20	0.1%
Slavic languages	20	0.1%
Hindi	20	0.1%
Urdu	15	0.1%
Spanish	15	0.1%
Austronesian languages	10	0.0%
Russian	10	0.0%
Germanic languages	10	0.0%
Low Saxon-Low Franconian languages	10	0.0%
Iranian languages	10	0.0%
American Sign Language	5	0.0%
Uralic languages	5	0.0%
Hungarian	5	0.0%
English, French and non-official language(s)	5	0.0%
Austro-Asiatic languages	5	0.0%
Vietnamese	5	0.0%
Hiligaynon	5	0.0%
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)	5	0.0%
Tamil	5	0.0%
Telugu	5	0.0%
Serbo-Croatian	5	0.0%
High German languages	5	0.0%
German	5	0.0%
Dutch	5	0.0%
Greek	5	0.0%
Persian languages	5	0.0%
Italian	5	0.0%
Portuguese	5	0.0%
Romanian	5	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹⁰

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	7.8 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁰Official
Households	9,895 households	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
Labour force participation rate	55.2 %	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹¹Official
Median age	48 years	31 Dec 2021	Statistics Canada¹⁵Official

Alternatives for people set on Owen Sound

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Aurora as an Owen Sound alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 133 km, better on 4 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Foreign residents: 36.8% Aurora vs 7.8% Owen Sound+371%
Median gross pay, city: €4,357 Aurora vs €2,876 Owen Sound+52%
Median gross pay, region: €3,094 Aurora vs €2,048 Owen Sound+51%
Residents: 62,057 Aurora vs 21,612 Owen Sound+187%
Nearest airport: 39.5 km Aurora vs 115.5 km Owen Sound−66%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,296 Aurora vs 4,296 Owen Soundsame level

Full comparison More about Aurora

Alternative cities in Canada

Other cities in Canada to compare with Owen Sound, nearest in population first.

All Canada cities

Uxbridge21,556 residents Springwater21,701 residents Fort St. John21,465 residents White Rock21,807 residents Joliette21,384 residents Essex21,216 residents

How does Owen Sound compare?

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Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Owen Sound when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Put Owen Sound's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Owen Sound?

The published population was 21,612 people in 2021. Source: Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Owen Sound (Census subdivision 3542059).

How safe is Owen Sound?

What is the typical salary in Owen Sound?

The median gross salary is about 2,876 EUR/month (2020). The regional series (home-region basis, 2020) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Statistics Canada.

What is the unemployment rate in Owen Sound?

The unemployment rate is about 11.2 % (2021). Source: Statistics Canada.

What is the typical salary around Owen Sound?

The median gross salary is 2,048 EUR/month. Source: www150.statcan.gc.ca.

How many foreign residents live in Owen Sound?

585 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign population total; it is not immigrant status..

Is Owen Sound a good place to live?

Owen Sound may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Europe live in Owen Sound?

The official country of birth distribution records 850 people (52.5%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Owen Sound, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 401a4e4f4802190ef439084818e6be35]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/owen-sound/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_owen-sound-canada-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_0865a63e8f7c,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Owen Sound, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {401a4e4f4802190ef439084818e6be35},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/owen-sound/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Owen Sound, Canada: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ca/owen-sound/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 401a4e4f4802190ef439084818e6be35; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Bell Fibe 500 home internet bell.ca · checked 2026-09-15
CMHC Rental Market Survey: average rents for areas with population 10,000 and over, table 34-10-0133-01 www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-23
CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey — Average Rents in Urban Centres (CSD table), October 2023 CMHC Urban Rental Market Survey · assets.cmhc-schl.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-18
Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-25
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
Public Mobile 50GB plan publicmobile.ca · checked 2026-09-15
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07

Show 9 more sources

Statistics Canada api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-09-13
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-03
Statistics Canada www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-07
Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021 (Owen Sound, CSD 3542007) Statistics Canada · www12.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-07-14
Statistics Canada — Census Profile 2021, Owen Sound (Census subdivision 3542059) Statistics Canada · api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-13
Statistics Canada Census Profile 2021 characteristic 1512: not Canadian citizens, population in private households, 25% sample data, at CSD grain. This is the exact foreign-citizenship interpretation used for foreign population total; it is not immigrant status. api.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2021-05-11
www150.statcan.gc.ca www150.statcan.gc.ca · checked 2026-08-27

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.