What share of adults in Hamilton work?

61.9% of people aged 15 and over in Hamilton were in the labour force in May 2021 and 54.3% were employed, a participation rate 21st lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: 63.7% and 57.1%).

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

The median total income of households in Hamilton was C$86,000 in 2020, as reported in the 2021 Census, joint 31st highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site; the median for Canada was C$84,000.

Median household income (2020)

C$86,000

2020

Unemployment rate (Census, May 2021)

12.3%

2021

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

After income taxes, the median household in Hamilton had C$75,500 in 2020 (33rd highest 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 Hamilton?

People in Hamilton who worked full-year, full-time in 2020 had median employment income of C$64,500, joint 30th highest 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 Hamilton at the 2021 Census?

At the 2021 Census, taken in May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Hamilton was 12.3%, joint 20th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site, above the national 10.3%; 35,915 people aged 15 and over were looking for work.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

What industries do people in Hamilton work in?

In 2021, 14.3% of the labour force in Hamilton worked in health care and social assistance, 11.3% in retail trade, 10.7% in manufacturing and 6.9% 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 Hamilton get to work?

Of employed residents of Hamilton commuting to a usual or no fixed workplace in May 2021, 85.4% went by car, truck or van, 7.4% by public transit and 4.6% on foot; 25.1% 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 Hamilton now?

In the three months July to September 2026, the Labour Force Survey put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Hamilton census metropolitan area at 6.9%, joint 8th highest of 41 metropolitan areas in the survey, against 7.2% a year earlier and 6.5% for Canada; 60.7% of people aged 15 and over were employed.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is a house worth in Hamilton?

Owners in Hamilton valued their homes at a median C$700,000 in 2021, joint 26th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$472,000); median monthly shelter costs for owned dwellings were C$1,440 and 60.4% of owner households had a mortgage.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is rent in Hamilton?

Renter households in Hamilton paid median monthly shelter costs of C$1,120 in 2021, 24th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$1,070); 34.3% of households rented their home (Canada: 33.1%).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How Hamilton compares with other cities in Canada

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

Hamilton ranks 31 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census)
28	Regina	C$88,000
29	Kamloops	C$88,000
30	Kitchener	C$87,000
31	Hamilton	C$86,000
32	Oshawa	C$86,000
33	Laval	C$85,000
34	Saskatoon	C$85,000

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Hamilton ranks 30 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census)
27	Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo	C$65,000
28	Saskatoon	C$65,000
29	Burnaby	C$65,000
30	Hamilton	C$64,500
31	Thunder Bay	C$64,500
32	Kingston	C$64,000
33	Barrie	C$63,200

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Hamilton ranks 20 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021
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%
23	Waterloo	12.0%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Hamilton ranks 49 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census)
46	Chilliwack	63.0%
47	Richmond Hill	62.6%
48	Saanich	62.3%
49	Hamilton	61.9%
50	London	61.7%
51	St. John's	61.7%
52	Brantford	61.4%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)

Hamilton ranks 27 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census
24	Chilliwack	C$750,000
25	Kelowna	C$725,000
26	Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo	C$700,000
27	Hamilton	C$700,000
28	Guelph	C$700,000
29	Oshawa	C$695,000
30	Barrie	C$695,000

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Hamilton ranks 46 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census
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
48	Winnipeg	C$1,100
49	St. Catharines	C$1,100

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

More on Hamilton: 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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