What share of adults in Brantford work?

61.4% of people aged 15 and over in Brantford were in the labour force in May 2021 and 53.8% were employed, a participation rate 18th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: 63.7% and 57.1%).

Economy, jobs and prices in Brantford, Canada: official figures

The median total income of households in Brantford was C$79,500 in 2020, as reported in the 2021 Census, 23rd lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site; the median for Canada was C$84,000.

Median household income (2020)

C$79,500

2020

Unemployment rate (Census, May 2021)

12.4%

2021

What is the median after-tax household income in Brantford?

After income taxes, the median household in Brantford had C$71,000 in 2020 (joint 25th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site; Canada: C$73,000).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

What is the median salary in Brantford?

People in Brantford who worked full-year, full-time in 2020 had median employment income of C$58,400, joint 15th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$63,600).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

What was the unemployment rate in Brantford at the 2021 Census?

At the 2021 Census, taken in May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Brantford was 12.4%, 19th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site, above the national 10.3%; 6,490 people aged 15 and over were looking for work.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

What industries do people in Brantford work in?

In 2021, 12.3% of the labour force in Brantford worked in health care and social assistance, 11.5% in retail trade, 17.7% in manufacturing and 4.7% in professional, scientific and technical services (Canada: 12.7%, 11.1%, 8.0% and 8.1%).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How do people in Brantford get to work?

Of employed residents of Brantford commuting to a usual or no fixed workplace in May 2021, 91.3% went by car, truck or van, 3.2% by public transit and 3.5% on foot; 16.4% of all employed residents worked at home (Canada: 7.7% by transit, 24.3% at home).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

What is the unemployment rate in Brantford now?

In the three months July to September 2026, the Labour Force Survey put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Brantford census metropolitan area at 6.3%, joint 19th lowest of 41 metropolitan areas in the survey, against 9.6% a year earlier and 6.5% for Canada; 63.6% of people aged 15 and over were employed.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is a house worth in Brantford?

Owners in Brantford valued their homes at a median C$552,000 in 2021, joint 33rd lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$472,000); median monthly shelter costs for owned dwellings were C$1,330 and 64.5% of owner households had a mortgage.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is rent in Brantford?

Renter households in Brantford paid median monthly shelter costs of C$1,130 in 2021, joint 25th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$1,070); 34.0% of households rented their home (Canada: 33.1%).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How Brantford compares with other cities in Canada

Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census) (2020)

Brantford ranks 47 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census)
44	Lethbridge	C$82,000
45	Halifax	C$81,000
46	Winnipeg	C$80,000
47	Brantford	C$79,500
48	Richmond	C$79,000
49	Kingston	C$79,000
50	Thunder Bay	C$77,500

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census) (2020)

Brantford ranks 55 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census)
52	St. Catharines-Niagara	C$58,800
53	Peterborough	C$58,800
54	Montréal	C$58,400
55	Brantford	C$58,400
56	Winnipeg	C$58,000
57	Longueuil	C$58,000
58	Abbotsford	C$58,000

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021 (2021)

Brantford ranks 19 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021
16	Calgary	12.5%
17	Vaughan	12.5%
18	Barrie	12.5%
19	Brantford	12.4%
20	Hamilton	12.3%
21	Whitby	12.3%
22	Red Deer	12.3%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census) (2021)

Brantford ranks 52 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census)
49	Hamilton	61.9%
50	London	61.7%
51	St. John's	61.7%
52	Brantford	61.4%
53	Oshawa	61.1%
54	Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury	61.1%
55	Kingston	60.7%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)

Brantford ranks 36 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census
33	Ottawa	C$624,000
34	Nanaimo	C$600,000
35	St. Catharines-Niagara	C$552,000
36	Brantford	C$552,000
37	Kamloops	C$552,000
38	Ottawa - Gatineau	C$548,000
39	London	C$548,000

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)

Brantford ranks 44 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census
41	Saskatoon	C$1,150
42	Regina	C$1,150
43	London	C$1,130
44	Brantford	C$1,130
45	Lethbridge	C$1,130
46	Hamilton	C$1,120
47	Peterborough	C$1,110

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

More on Brantford: overview · education and schools · poverty and living standards · all cities in Canada

Sources

Statistics Canada: Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population (98-316-X2021001): census subdivisions, selected characteristics (Census Profile SDMX API extract, dataflow DF_CSD, gender total, counts and rates), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 46d086943a5e…)
Statistics Canada: Table 14-10-0459-01: Labour force characteristics by census metropolitan area, three-month moving average, seasonally adjusted (Web Data Service extract: unemployment and employment rates, latest 13 months; request saved as lfs-14100459-cma.request.json, geography names in lfs-14100459-metadata.json), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5f4399c9fdfa…)

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