Top 5 Cities in Canada with the Highest Happiness Index

According to the latest report by Point2, Ontario is home to the five happiest cities in Canada.
These cities are Caledon, Milton, Halton Hills, Clarington, and Burlington, all located in Southern Ontario. While these cities may not score the highest in every category, they excel in various key areas.

The study evaluated 30 indicators using a 100-point scale, grouped into four main categories:

• Economy & Real Estate
• Health & Well-being
• Community & Environment
• Location & Demographics

In terms of economy and real estate, these cities showed positive signs such as strong employment opportunities, high income levels, and access to affordable housing. These factors contribute to a sense of financial stability and security, which play a key role in overall happiness.

Health and well-being were also major determinants in measuring happiness. Factors like access to healthcare, low crime rates, and high levels of community satisfaction helped these cities rank higher.

Community and environment form another vital part of these cities’ happiness index. Strong community engagement, recreational opportunities, and access to green spaces and natural surroundings positively influence residents’ satisfaction with their environment.

Lastly, location and demographics also played a role in happiness levels. Factors such as population diversity, access to education, and proximity to amenities and services contributed to the residents’ overall well-being.

It’s important to note that this study is based on specific indicators and may not capture all the elements that contribute to a city’s happiness. Happiness is subjective and varies by individual. Nonetheless, these Ontario cities are recognized for their positive attributes and high overall satisfaction among residents.

Caledon scored 67/100 in overall happiness. It received the highest marks in the economy and real estate category, with over 89% of households owning their homes and a median after-tax income of over CAD $107,000. Located about an hour from Toronto, Caledon offers a more rural environment.

According to the 2021 Census, 29.2% of Caledon’s population is foreign-born, with the top three countries of origin being India, Italy, and the UK. Recent immigrants (arriving between 2016 and 2021) make up 6.9% of the population, with most coming from India, the Philippines, and Pakistan.

The findings highlight how different priorities can lead people to find happiness in different places—information that could be especially helpful for new immigrants deciding where to settle in Canada.

Economy & Real Estate

While Caledon scored well overall, three Quebec towns ranked highest in the economy and real estate category: Terrebonne, Blainville, and Repentigny. These towns, located north of Montreal, had the lowest poverty rates among the 100 cities ranked.

Blainville was also found to have one of the lowest unemployment rates.

Health & Well-being

This category considered factors such as life expectancy, self-reported physical and mental health, life stress levels, prevalence of mood disorders (like depression or bipolar disorder), regular physical activity, and working hours.

Cities in Quebec—Granby, Saint-Hyacinthe, Lévis, Quebec City, Drummondville, and Trois-Rivières—ranked the highest in health and well-being.

This is partly attributed to shorter working hours and lower reported rates of emotional disorders in Quebec. According to Statistics Canada’s 2022 data, only 6% of Quebecers reported having emotional disorders in 2021, compared to 10.5% in Ontario and over 12% in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Community & Environment

Those who value tight-knit communities and friendly neighborhoods may find satisfaction in some of Canada’s smaller cities, particularly in Eastern Canada.

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, was rated one of the greenest cities and the most generous in charitable donations. A report from Statistics Canada earlier this year showed that over 55% of Newfoundlanders reported high life satisfaction (on a 1–10 scale) in Q4 2022. This is echoed in the Point2 report, which found that only 12% of St. John’s residents felt very or extremely stressed on most days.

Cape Breton, British Columbia (although it’s a 10,000+ square kilometer island, it was classified as a single city for this study), scored even higher than St. John’s in terms of community belonging.

Regina and Saskatoon had the highest volunteer participation, with Saskatoon also ranking as the second least-stressed major city in Canada.

Location & Demographics

In terms of safety, Milton, Halton Hills, and Burlington ranked among the top four safest cities, joined by Oakville, Ontario, which ranked 6th overall. These cities had the lowest crime severity indexes.

This category also included commute times and walkability. The top 10 happiest cities in this category had commute times between 15 and 30 minutes for most residents. Mississauga was named the most walkable city.

The report also factored in marital status under demographics and found that Milton had one of the lowest divorce rates in Canada, at 7.5%. According to Statistics Canada, there were nearly 43,000 divorce cases in 2020, with the average marriage lasting 15 years, and 31% of divorces being filed jointly.