Construction · OpenStats
OpenStats Building Permit Value
OpenStats
Cities ranked by total Statistics Canada building permit value in the calendar year. Rank 1 is highest value.
4 editions · 2023–2026
#9
Latest · 2026 · of 42
Score 1009139000
Ontario
Kitchener
Berlin no more, Waterloo Region's seat
Kitchener in brief
Kitchener is the seat of Waterloo Region, about 100 kilometres west of Toronto, and one of three cities that share the regional core with Waterloo and Cambridge. Until a 1916 referendum it was called Berlin, a name that mirrored its deep German-settler roots.
Indigenous peoples lived around the Grand River long before European farms. Just outside town, the West Montrose Covered Bridge still carries traffic across the river as one of Ontario's last covered spans.
Drawn from Wikipedia, Atlas Obscura.
Permits, tax, radon & more for Kitchener
Open the live numbers for Kitchener. Each link goes to the original topic page for this city.
Follow Kitchener by email
When Kitchener moves in a ranking, posts new permit figures, or lands in a study, get a short note. A few sends a year, only when something changes.
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#26
City Score rank
78%
City Score
6
Owned lists in score
City Score over time
The green line averages OpenStats-owned rankings (radon, permit value, mill rates). Grey dots mark every published placement across all studies below.
Rankings for Kitchener
Each study below is its own ranking. Where a study has more than one edition for this city, the chart shows standing across those years only.
Composite · OpenStats
OpenStats City Score
OpenStats
Average standing across OpenStats-owned rankings built from public data (currently radon, building permit value, and residential mill rates). Each placement is scored from 0–1 within its edition, then averaged. External livability lists stay on hometown pages as separate published appearances.
Single edition · 2026
#26
Published · 2026 · of 125
Score 0.778
Only one published edition places Kitchener in this study so far. Open the edition for method notes and the full table.
Health · OpenStats
OpenStats Highest Indoor Radon
OpenStats
Communities ranked by Health Canada survey mean indoor radon (Bq/m³). Rank 1 is the highest mean.
Single edition · 2026
#89
Published · 2026 · of 117
Score 66.5
Only one published edition places Kitchener in this study so far. Open the edition for method notes and the full table.
Property tax · OpenStats
OpenStats Residential Mill Rates
OpenStats
Municipalities ranked by residential mill rate. Rank 1 is the highest published rate (higher tax burden).
Single edition · 2024
#33
Published · 2024 · of 43
Score 11.2
Only one published edition places Kitchener in this study so far. Open the edition for method notes and the full table.
Housing
CMHC Average 2-Bedroom Rent — Lowest Rent
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Average rent for purpose-built 2-bedroom apartments (all tenants) from CMHC Rental Market Survey. Rank 1 = lowest average rent among covered CMAs.
Single edition · 2025
#13
Published · 2025 · of 18
Score 1832
Only one published edition places Kitchener in this study so far. Open the edition for method notes and the full table.
Housing
CMHC Purpose-Built Rental Vacancy — Highest Vacancy
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Purpose-built rental apartment vacancy rate from CMHC Rental Market Survey (October). Rank 1 = highest vacancy (most available rental stock among covered CMAs).
Single edition · 2025
#2
Published · 2025 · of 18
Score 4.1
Only one published edition places Kitchener in this study so far. Open the edition for method notes and the full table.
Livability
MoneySense Best Places to Live
MoneySense
Annual composite ranking of Canadian municipalities on economy, housing, crime, health, and weather.
5 editions · 2014–2018
#181
Latest · 2018 · of 415
Worth knowing in Kitchener
Distinctive local notes and places, each linked to its source.
Kitchener is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, about 100 km (62 mi) west of Toronto.
It is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is the regional seat.
Kitchener was known as Berlin until a 1916 referendum changed its name.
Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is billed as Canada's greatest Bavarian festival and the second-largest Oktoberfest in the world, drawing roughly 700,000 visitors a year.
Places to see
West Montrose Covered Bridge
The last covered bridge in Ontario, a short trip into Woolwich Township from Kitchener.
