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The largest single market on this list
Hamilton has 222,810 households. That is more than Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Newmarket, Aurora, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa put together. It also covers about 1,118 square kilometres, most of which is rural.
Both facts matter. The dwelling count means Hamilton is not one territory, it is several, and a boundary here will be drawn around a portion of the city rather than the whole thing. The geography means those boundaries follow where the households actually are: the lower city, the Mountain, Dundas, Ancaster, Stoney Creek and Waterdown, not the agricultural land between them.
Hamilton is also the most tenant-heavy market we sell outside Toronto. 34.3 percent of households rent, and median household income is $86,000, the lowest of any territory on our list alongside Oshawa. That is not a weakness, it is a different business. It means a larger share of your work comes from landlords, property managers and small building owners rather than from owner-occupiers, and that work is contract work with an annual rhythm.
Hamilton by the numbers
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Occupied private dwellings | 222,810 |
| Owner households | 146,410 (65.7%) |
| Renter households | 76,400 (34.3%) |
| Median household income (2020) | $86,000 |
| Land area | approximately 1,118 km² |
We have not published a figure here for the share of Hamilton housing built before 1981, because we could not confirm one from a citable source and would rather leave a gap than publish a number we cannot stand behind. Anyone who knows Hamilton knows the lower city is old. We will give you the actual construction-period breakdown for your specific boundary rather than a city-wide average that would not describe it anyway.
Hamilton is not one territory. It is several, and the boundary matters more here than anywhere else.
What a protected territory looks like here
Hamilton’s sub-markets are genuinely distinct and a territory follows them rather than cutting across. The lower city has century housing and pre-war stock, which produces knob and tube, cast iron, balloon framing and plaster work. The Mountain is largely postwar detached, the same 1960s and 1970s cohort that defines North York. Dundas and Ancaster are older and more affluent. Stoney Creek and Waterdown are newer subdivision.
The 76,400 renter households are concentrated in the lower city, and they are the reason a Hamilton franchisee can build a contract book faster here than almost anywhere else on this list. Suite turnovers, common area repairs and small landlord work do not depend on consumer confidence and do not stop in February.
Century housing is also where a franchise system earns its fee. It is the easiest housing in Ontario to underprice, because what you find behind the plaster is rarely what the quote assumed. Our training covers how to scope and price it, and The Portal keeps the job costing visible while the work is running rather than after it has gone wrong.
Who this territory suits
This suits an owner who wants scale and is prepared to run more than one crew. It is the largest dwelling count on our list, and a well-drawn Hamilton boundary has enough households in it to keep two crews busy without leaving the boundary.
It also suits someone who is comfortable with mixed work and mixed customers. Quoting an Ancaster kitchen and a lower-city rental turnover are different jobs requiring different conversations, and the franchisees who do well here can do both.
No construction experience is required, though a willingness to learn how older housing behaves is essential.
Availability
Territory status: contact us for current availability, and ask specifically which part of Hamilton is open. Franchisees must live within one hour of their office location.
What it costs
$140,000 total investment, $90,000 of it cash to open, with a 6 percent royalty and a 2 percent marketing fund. See the investment page for the breakdown, the franchise overview for the model, and the FAQ for the rest. Other markets are listed on the territory page.