How walkable is Hamilton, Ontario?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Hamilton, Ontario has a walkability score of 64 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. It is the 9th most walkable of the 14 cities ranked in Canada.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,225 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Hamilton, Ontario. The nearest grocery is about 11 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, schools, books & libraries and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- Abol Market, 13 min
- Sunrise Market, 13 min
Restaurants & bars
- CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice, 1 min
- Pho Anh Vu Hamilton, 2 min
Shopping
- Hamilton Vision Center, 2 min
- Aberdeen Carpet Cleaning, 2 min
Coffee
- Jet Cafe, 2 min
- Cherry Birch General, 3 min
Banks
- Effort Trust, 5 min
- RBC Royal Bank, 6 min
Parks
- Gore Park, 4 min
- Shamrock Park, 5 min
Schools
- Canadian International Learning, 8 min
- Dr. J. E. Davey Elementary School, 9 min
Books & libraries
- J.H. Gordon Books, 7 min
- James Street Bookseller and Gallery, 8 min
Culture & entertainment
- LAC Hamilton, 2 min
- Gore Christmas Market, 4 min
Measured from the centre at 43.2540, -79.8650, the point near Hamilton, Ontario's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the centre there are about 87 street intersections per km², and blocks average 103 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Hamilton, Ontario's score of 64 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 87 within 1 km of the centre, 68 from 1 to 3 km out and 57 from 3 to 5 km out. 24 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 52% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability falls off steeply away from the centre, so check a specific address on the map.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Hamilton, Ontario. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 92 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 87 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 68 | 56% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 57 | 40% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mississauga, Canada | 40 km | 55 |
| Toronto, Canada | 63 km | 82 |
| Vaughan, Canada | 71 km | 47 |
| London, Ontario, Canada | 116 km | 54 |
| Cleveland, United States | 247 km | 62 |
Questions about walking in Hamilton, Ontario
Is Hamilton, Ontario a walkable city?
Partly. Hamilton, Ontario has a walkability score of 64 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 92. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks 9th of 14 cities in Canada and joint 388th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Canada?
Vancouver is the most walkable of the 14 cities ranked in Canada, with a score of 83. Hamilton, Ontario ranks 9th with 64.
How does Hamilton, Ontario compare with nearby cities?
Hamilton, Ontario sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 64, against Mississauga (55, 40 km away), Toronto (82, 63 km away) and Vaughan (47, 71 km away).
Which part of Hamilton, Ontario is most walkable?
Hamilton's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 92. Walkability averages 87 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south (averaging 70) and falls most to the north (29).
Why is Hamilton, Ontario's score different from its Walk Score?
Walk Score's city scores average every neighbourhood within the city limits, weighted by where people live, so they count outer suburbs that the 5 km around Hamilton, Ontario's centre leaves out, and they are usually lower. Address by address the two agree closely: across 46 addresses in the United States and Canada, How Walkable's scores were 5.9 points from Walk Score's on average, as the accuracy study at howwalkable.com/accuracy shows.
How is Hamilton, Ontario's walkability score calculated?
For Hamilton, Ontario it is the average of 67 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 35 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
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