Toronto Neighbourhood Statistics: Every Superlative, Answered
Key takeaways
- Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills has Toronto's highest median household income at $222,000, almost four times South Parkdale's $57,200 (2021 Census).
- Thorncliffe Park has the highest child share: 24.4% of residents are under 15.
- York University Heights leads childcare with 18 licensed centres and 1,493 spaces.
- Henry Farm grew 26.2% from 2016 to 2021, the fastest of all 158 neighbourhoods.
- Steeles has the lowest English-at-home share at 23%, and the highest immigrant share.
Toronto has 158 official neighbourhoods covering 2,761,290 residents, 383,318 children under 15, 1,055 licensed child care centres with 79,569 spaces, and 585 TDSB schools (Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population; City of Toronto Neighbourhood Profiles). This page answers the superlative questions in one place: which neighbourhood has the most, the fewest, the highest, the lowest.
Every figure comes from the same dataset that powers our family neighbourhood guide. Sources, definitions and caveats live on the methodology page. Answers are grouped by theme below, and each one is written to stand alone.
Income
Median household income spans an almost fourfold range across Toronto's 158 neighbourhoods. Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills tops the city at $222,000 while South Parkdale sits lowest at $57,200, against a citywide median of $84,500 (Statistics Canada, 2021 Census). That gap shapes nearly every other statistic on this page.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the highest median income?
Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills has Toronto's highest median household income at $222,000 (2021 Census). Kingsway South ranks second at $184,000 and Lawrence Park North third at $168,000. All three are strongly owner-occupied: 88%, 81% and 75% of households own their homes, respectively.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the lowest median income?
South Parkdale has Toronto's lowest median household income at $57,200 (2021 Census), followed by Bay-Cloverhill at $58,400 and North St. James Town at $59,200. All three are renter-dominated areas, and South Parkdale's median is about a quarter of the Bridle Path's $222,000.
Children and childcare
Toronto's 383,318 children under 15 share 1,055 licensed child care centres offering 79,569 spaces, about 20.8 per 100 kids citywide (Ontario Licensed Child Care Database; 2021 Census). Coverage is wildly uneven, which is why we track it in our best family neighbourhoods ranking and childcare deserts guide.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the most kids?
Thorncliffe Park has Toronto's highest share of children: 24.4% of its 20,400 residents, or 4,978 kids under 15 (2021 Census). Englemount-Lawrence follows at 20.3% and Lawrence Park North at 20.2%. In raw numbers, Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown counts even more children: 5,673.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the fewest kids?
Church-Wellesley has Toronto's lowest share of children: just 4.0% of its 22,320 residents, or 893 kids under 15 (2021 Census). Wellington Place follows at 4.4% and Bay-Cloverhill at 4.5%. Bay-Cloverhill's 750 children is the smallest under-15 count among these downtown neighbourhoods.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the most childcare centres?
York University Heights has the most licensed child care centres of any Toronto neighbourhood: 18, per the Ontario Licensed Child Care Database. Islington follows with 17 and Lawrence Park North with 16. York University Heights pairs those centres with 9 TDSB schools, also among the city's most.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the most licensed childcare spaces?
York University Heights also offers Toronto's largest licensed child care capacity: 1,493 spaces (Ontario Licensed Child Care Database). Islington is second at 1,460 spaces and Henry Farm third at 1,290. Henry Farm's capacity stretches furthest for families: 44.8 spaces per 100 children under 15.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the best childcare coverage?
Among family-heavy neighbourhoods, Greenwood-Coxwell has Toronto's best licensed childcare coverage: 49.6 spaces per 100 children under 15, more than double the citywide rate of 20.8 (Ontario Licensed Child Care Database). Islington (42.3) and Mount Pleasant East (41.3) follow. Tiny University records 182.1, but only because few children live there.
Which Toronto neighbourhood is the biggest childcare desert?
Black Creek is Toronto's most severe childcare desert: 72 licensed spaces for 3,996 children under 15, or 1.8 spaces per 100 kids (Ontario Licensed Child Care Database). That is under a tenth of the citywide rate of 20.8. Licensed centres exclude home-based care, so true coverage runs somewhat higher everywhere.
Which Toronto neighbourhood is best for families overall?
Henry Farm scores highest on the composite family index at 59.5 out of 100, narrowly ahead of Regent Park at 59.2. The index equally weights child share, childcare coverage, schools per 1,000 kids, 2016 to 2021 growth and transit use across 113 neighbourhoods with at least 8,000 residents.
Schools
The Toronto District School Board runs 585 schools across the city's 158 neighbourhoods (TDSB school directory). Distribution is uneven: Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown hosts 12 TDSB schools, while fast-growing Yonge-Eglinton has none at all despite being home to 1,725 children under 15 (2021 Census).
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the most TDSB schools?
Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown has the most TDSB schools of any Toronto neighbourhood: 12, serving 5,673 children under 15 (TDSB school directory). Glenfield-Jane Heights and Tam O'Shanter-Sullivan each have 10. All three are large suburban neighbourhoods with populations above 27,000.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the most schools per child?
Among neighbourhoods with at least 8,000 residents, Etobicoke West Mall has the most TDSB schools relative to children: 4.49 per 1,000 kids, with 8 schools for 1,780 children under 15 (TDSB school directory). Greenwood-Coxwell follows at 3.13 and Princess-Rosethorn at 2.87.
Compare any of these neighbourhoods side by side in HomeTurf →
Growth and decline
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Toronto's neighbourhood trajectories diverged sharply: Henry Farm grew 26.2% while University shrank 15.4% (Statistics Canada). Our fastest-growing neighbourhoods guide covers the full ranking and what rapid growth means for local schools and childcare.
Which Toronto neighbourhood is growing the fastest?
Henry Farm is Toronto's fastest-growing neighbourhood: its population rose 26.2% between 2016 and 2021 to reach 19,840 residents (2021 Census). Regent Park grew 18.0% and Long Branch 12.7% over the same period, with Yorkdale-Glen Park (12.3%) and Humbermede (9.1%) rounding out the top five.
Which Toronto neighbourhood is shrinking the fastest?
University recorded Toronto's steepest population decline: down 15.4% between 2016 and 2021 to 6,435 residents (2021 Census). Wychwood fell 10.8% and Milliken 9.8%. Milliken's drop stands out for a large neighbourhood, since it still counts 23,980 residents and 3,213 children under 15.
Housing tenure
Housing tenure splits the city in two. In North St. James Town, 89% of households rent; in Centennial Scarborough, 92% own (2021 Census). Renter-heavy areas cluster downtown and along older apartment corridors, a divide we map fully in renters' Toronto vs owners' Toronto.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the most renters?
North St. James Town is Toronto's most renter-heavy neighbourhood: 89% of households rent (2021 Census). Thorncliffe Park follows at 86% and South Parkdale at 85%. All three also rank among the city's lowest median household incomes, ranging from $57,200 to $67,000.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the most homeowners?
Centennial Scarborough has Toronto's highest home ownership rate: 92% of households own (2021 Census). Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills and Milliken tie for second at 88%. Ownership extremes pair with low transit use, as Centennial Scarborough and Milliken each record just 15% transit commuting.
Transit
Transit commuting peaks where subway and streetcar lines meet dense rental housing. Taylor Massey and North St. James Town lead Toronto at 46% of commuters (2021 Census), nearly six times the 8% recorded in the Bridle Path. For the family angle, see our car-free neighbourhoods guide.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the highest transit use?
Taylor Massey and North St. James Town share Toronto's highest transit commute share: 46% of commuters in each (2021 Census). South Eglinton-Davisville follows at 44%. All three are renter-majority neighbourhoods, with rental rates of 66%, 89% and 70% respectively, showing how transit dependence and rental housing overlap.
Do higher-income Toronto neighbourhoods use transit less?
At the extremes, yes. Toronto's three most transit-reliant neighbourhoods all sit below the citywide median income of $84,500: Taylor Massey ($68,500), North St. James Town ($59,200) and South Eglinton-Davisville ($80,000). The wealthiest neighbourhood, Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills at $222,000, records just 8% transit commuting (2021 Census).
Population
Toronto's 158 official neighbourhoods average roughly 17,500 residents each, but sizes vary more than fivefold, from 33,300 in West Humber-Clairville down to 6,260 in Beechborough-Greenbrook (2021 Census; City of Toronto Open Data boundaries). Population size alone says little about services, as the answers below show.
How many neighbourhoods does Toronto have?
Toronto has 158 official neighbourhoods, defined by City of Toronto Open Data boundaries. Together they held 2,761,290 residents at the 2021 Census, including 383,318 children under 15. The average neighbourhood is home to roughly 17,500 people, though actual populations range from 6,260 to 33,300.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the largest population?
West Humber-Clairville is Toronto's most populous neighbourhood: 33,300 residents (2021 Census). Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown (31,345) and St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands (31,285) sit close behind. Despite its size, West Humber-Clairville has just 1 TDSB school and 7.9 licensed childcare spaces per 100 children.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the smallest population?
Beechborough-Greenbrook is Toronto's smallest neighbourhood by population: 6,260 residents (2021 Census). University (6,435) and Blake-Jones (7,475) follow. Small does not mean under-served, as Blake-Jones fits 9 TDSB schools and 72.7 licensed childcare spaces per 100 children into its compact area.
Immigration and languages
Home language is the sharpest lens on Toronto's diversity. In Steeles, only 23% of residents speak mainly English at home; in The Beaches, 87% do (2021 Census). Our neighbourhood languages guide breaks down the top home languages for all 158 neighbourhoods.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the highest immigrant share?
Steeles has Toronto's highest share of immigrant residents, ahead of Westminster-Branson and Agincourt North (2021 Census). The pattern shows clearly in language data: just 23% of Steeles residents speak mainly English at home, while Cantonese (33%) and Mandarin (29%) together account for a majority.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the lowest English-at-home share?
Steeles has Toronto's lowest English-at-home share: 23% of residents (2021 Census). Milliken and Yonge-Doris follow at 24% each. The mix differs by area, with Cantonese and Mandarin dominant in Steeles and Milliken, while Yonge-Doris has large Iranian Persian (12%) and Korean (12%) communities.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the highest English-at-home share?
The Beaches has Toronto's highest English-at-home share: 87% of residents (2021 Census). Woodbine Corridor follows at 82%, with Leaside-Bennington and North Riverdale both at 81% and Lawrence Park South at 79%. These five cluster in the city's east-end and midtown areas.
What is the strongest single-language concentration in Toronto?
Cantonese in Milliken is Toronto's strongest single-language concentration: 37% of residents speak it most often at home (2021 Census). Cantonese in Steeles (33%) and Agincourt North (32%) follow. Tamil in Morningside Heights (30%) and Urdu in Thorncliffe Park (24%) lead outside the Chinese languages.
Unemployment
A caveat first: 2021 Census employment data was collected during pandemic disruption, so unemployment rates run high across the board. The relative gaps remain meaningful, though, separating Oakridge and Black Creek at the high end from West Queen West and Wellington Place at the low end (2021 Census).
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the highest unemployment?
Oakridge recorded Toronto's highest unemployment rate at the 2021 Census, ahead of Black Creek and Glenfield-Jane Heights (19.1%). All three combine below-median incomes of $60,000 to $70,500 with thin childcare coverage, and Black Creek has just 1.8 licensed spaces per 100 children.
Which Toronto neighbourhood has the lowest unemployment?
West Queen West recorded Toronto's lowest unemployment rate at the 2021 Census, with Wellington Place and Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills next. The three look very different otherwise: median incomes are $101,000 in West Queen West, $90,000 in Wellington Place and $222,000 in the Bridle Path.