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Zoning By-Laws

Permitted uses and associated
standards for each land use zone

Land Use Development

Development related information
and resources

Official Plan

Policies that guide and manage land use
and resources within Oxford

Community Profile and Statistics

Population and Household Counts

In 2021, the census population for Oxford County was 121,781, which was a 9.9% increase from 2016(1)

The following tables provide a summary of the population and household estimates for each municipality and village within the County of Oxford.

Population & Household Counts

2021 Census

Municipality

Household Counts(2)

Population(1)

City of Woodstock

18,886

46,705

Town of Tillsonburg

8,229

18,615

Town of Ingersoll

5,467

13,693

Township of Blandford-Blenheim

2,779

7,565

Township of East-Zorra Tavistock

2,976

7,841

Township of Norwich

3,761

11,151

Township of South-West Oxford

2,616

7,583

Township of Zorra

3,162

8,628

County of Oxford

47,876

121,781

Sources: Statistics Canada Census, 2021

Population & Households – 2016 Village Estimates(3)

Municipality

Village

Total Number of Households

Population Estimate

Township of Blandford-Blenheim

Bright

156

437

Drumbo

348

974

Plattsville

574

1,607

Princeton

214

599

Township of East-Zorra Tavistock

Hickson

118

307

Innerkip

496

1,290

Tavistock

1,102

3,008

Township of Norwich

Burgessville

164

492

Norwich

1,289

3,892

Otterville

419

1,257

Oxford Centre

73

219

Springford

130

390

Township of South-West Oxford

Beachville 

343

995

Brownsville

179

519

Dereham Centre

21

61

Mount Elgin

208

603

Salford

71

206

Sweaburg

261

757

Township of Zorra

 Embro 306 826

Harrington

53

143

Kintore

50

135

Lakeside

115

311

Thamesford

900

2,430

 
In addition to Villages, there are approximately 40 Rural Clusters designated throughout the County of Oxford.

Source: Oxford County Community Planning Office

Notes:

  1. 2021 population uncorrected for census undercount.
  2. Household counts are private dwellings occupied by usual residents.
  3. Estimated by the Community Planning Office, based on number of dwelling units/households x average person per unit (PPU) for each area municipality.  PPU values were obtained from the Statistics Canada 2016 census profiles for each area municipality/census subdivision (CSD).

For more detailed information, view the Statistics Canada 2021 census profiles for Oxford County or contact Holly McClure at the Community Planning Office.

Journey to Work

The following tables are summaries of journey to work data for Oxford County at the census subdivision (CSD) level of geography.

The journey to work data was collected as part of the mandatory long form survey in 2006, and the voluntary National Household Survey (NHS) in 2011. Among other information, these surveys collected information on commuting flows between the place of residence and the place of work. These data are collected for persons aged 15 years and over in occupied private dwellings who worked at some time since Jan. 1, 2005 (for the 2006 Census) or since Jan. 1, 2010 (for the 2011 Census).

These tables represent a summary of the raw data supplied to the County and reflects the County’s interpretation of the raw data.  Users should be careful when comparing these summary tables as there were differences in how the data were collected.

2016 Journey to Work Summary Table

2011Journey To Work Summary Table

2006 Journey To Work Summary Table

For additional information, please refer to the following links:

Journey to Work Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2016

Journey to Work Reference Guide, National Household Survey, 2011

Journey to Work Reference Guide, 2006 Census

Agricultural Land Uses in Oxford County

There is a total of 444,142 acres of farmland in Oxford County. The County contains 4.3% of Ontario’s croplands (up from 3.8% in 2011). The majority of farmland in the County is used for crops (87%) and of that land in crops, corn makes up approximately half. Click on ‘Land in Crops’ in the chart above to see a further breakdown of crop types in Oxford County.

Source: Census of Agriculture, 2016

Farms by Industry Group in Oxford County

Oxford County has a total of 1,876 farms. The most prevalent farm types in the County are oil seed and grain (38%), dairy cattle (milk production) (16%), and beef cattle (ranching and farming) (8%).

Oxford County farms contribute significantly to Ontario’s agricultural industry. Oxford contains 8.9% of the Province’s total dairy farms, and ranks as the 3rd County in Ontario for total number of dairy operations and total milk production. The County also contains 2.3% of Ontario’s total beef cattle farms and 10.1% of Ontario’s total hog and pig farms.

Source: Census of Agriculture, 2016

AREA
MUNICIPALITY
LIVESTOCK
# Farms (%) 
CROP
# Farms (%)
TOTAL
Norwich 198
(46%)
233
(54%)
431
South-west
Oxford
192
(51%)
183
(49%)
375
Blandford
Blenheim
152
(45%)
186
(55%)
338
Zorra 255
(51%)
241
(49%)
496
East Zorra-
Tavistock
130
(55%)
106
(45%)
236
Oxford
County
927
(49%)
949
(51%)
1876

Farmland Tenure in Oxford County

Oxford County’s farmland is broken into five different tenure categories. Out of all the farmland in the County, roughly 68% is owned (approx. 302,500 acres) and 28% is rented or leased from others (approx. 125,700 acres). The remaining farmland is either leased from governments, crop-shared from others or land used through other arrangements (approx. 15,900 acres).

Source: Census of Agriculture, 2016

Gross Farm Receipts in Oxford County

This graph shows the gross farm receipts of Oxford County farms, compared to the rest of Ontario. As shown, gross farm receipts that range from $100,000 to $249,999 are the most common in Oxford County, with about 14% of Oxford’s farms falling within that range. The most common category for total gross farm receipts in Ontario is farms that gross under $10,000 annually. Oxford has almost double the number of farms grossing over $2,000,000 annually than the rest of Ontario (4.4% of Oxford’s farms to 2.5% of Ontario’s farms). Oxford had the 3rd highest gross farm receipts per farm in Ontario, with an average of $485,490 in 2016.

Source: Census of Agriculture, 2016

Capital Value of Farms in Oxford County

In Oxford County, farm capital is heavily weighted towards the upper categories of dollar value, with about 625 farms in the County claiming a capital value of $3,500,000 or more. The farms in this category make up 6.8% of Ontario’s total farms with a capital value of $3,500,000 or greater. In total, Oxford County has the 4th highest total farm capital value (e.g. land, buildings, machinery, and livestock) in Ontario. In 2016, the average Oxford County farm had a total capital value of $4.3 million.

Source: Census of Agriculture, 2016


The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has generated County Profiles based on data collected from the 2016 Census of Agriculture.

Oxford County at a Glance - 2016 is available here