FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oakville, Ont., October 9, 2025 – A new update report from the Oakville Community Foundation explores the contrast of being considered a wealthy community while also having the highest low-income rate in Halton.
There is a widely held belief that Oakville is a wealthy community untouched by common social issues, like homelessness, food insecurity, poverty and other daily struggles, but local data tells a different story.
The OCF report provides census data for Oakville’s five postal codes, including median household income, low income measure after-tax (LIM-AT) percentage and the population change from 2016 to 2021.
Findings include:
- Oakville’s median household income increased by 12.6% to $128,000 in 2021.
- While the low-income rate has decreased, more than 1 in 12 Oakville residents are still considered low-income.
- L6J, or Southeast Oakville, has the highest median income of any postal code in Halton.
- More than 1 in 8 residents in L6K, Kerr Street Village, are considered low income.
- The population in L6H, Northeast Oakville, grew by 19.2% from 2016-2021, the greatest in Oakville.
Discover the data for your postal code here.
“At Thanksgiving, while we share gratitude, it’s also important to remember that not everyone in Oakville is faring as well,” said Wendy Rinella, CEO of the Oakville Community Foundation. “The Oakville community is frequently wealth-washed, but the wealth that exists here doesn’t negate the fact that an estimated 20,000 people in our community struggle to afford basic necessities.”
The Foundation’s 2018 Vital Youth Report initially explored Oakville as a community of contrasts. At the time, both the highest and lowest income postal codes in Halton were located in Oakville. This report shows that the dichotomy persists.
“Those who are struggling to live in a wealthy community do not need less support than those struggling to live in a community with a lower median income,” the report concludes.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend, consider supporting our local food charities, including: Fare Share Food Bank, Feed Halton, Food4Kids, Food For Life, Halton Food For Thought, Kerr Street Mission and Oakville Meals on Wheels.
You can also donate to the new year-round GIVEOakville Fund which will support the GIVEOakville campaign each fall. Donations to this Fund will be split among the dozens of local charities that are offering solutions to community members experiencing a number of struggles, including food insecurity, homelessness, health issues, unemployment and more.
You can read more about our community in our previously published mini reports:
OCF is grateful to our research sponsors: The Larry and Gerry Wilson Family Fund, Ford Motor Company of Canada, Sagen, Cogeco, RBC, TD and Community Foundations of Canada.
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Oakville Community Foundation
The Oakville Community Foundation is Oakville’s largest community of philanthropists with 400 Funds. The Foundation amplifies generosity, investing donations to generate new money for our community. We conduct local research to provide our diverse donors with knowledge and solutions to make an impact in the local community, both today and in the future. Thanks to the visionaries in our community who started The Foundation 30 years ago, The Foundation has granted more than $75 million to support charities locally and beyond.
