What share of adults in Kingston work?

60.7% of people aged 15 and over in Kingston were in the labour force in May 2021 and 52.7% were employed, a participation rate joint 14th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: 63.7% and 57.1%).

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

The median total income of households in Kingston was C$79,000 in 2020, as reported in the 2021 Census, joint 21st lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site; the median for Canada was C$84,000.

Median household income (2020)

C$79,000

2020

Unemployment rate (Census, May 2021)

13.2%

2021

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

After income taxes, the median household in Kingston had C$70,500 in 2020 (24th 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 Kingston?

People in Kingston who worked full-year, full-time in 2020 had median employment income of C$64,000, 32nd 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 Kingston at the 2021 Census?

At the 2021 Census, taken in May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Kingston was 13.2%, 13th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site, above the national 10.3%; 8,815 people aged 15 and over were looking for work.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

What industries do people in Kingston work in?

In 2021, 17.2% of the labour force in Kingston worked in health care and social assistance, 11.4% in retail trade, 3.9% in manufacturing and 5.7% 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 Kingston get to work?

Of employed residents of Kingston commuting to a usual or no fixed workplace in May 2021, 81.5% went by car, truck or van, 6.2% by public transit and 8.5% on foot; 25.6% 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 Kingston now?

In the three months July to September 2026, the Labour Force Survey put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Kingston census metropolitan area at 5.6%, joint 12th lowest of 41 metropolitan areas in the survey, against 6.1% a year earlier and 6.5% for Canada; 58.4% of people aged 15 and over were employed.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is a house worth in Kingston?

Owners in Kingston valued their homes at a median C$500,000 in 2021, joint 27th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$472,000); median monthly shelter costs for owned dwellings were C$1,310 and 57.1% of owner households had a mortgage.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is rent in Kingston?

Renter households in Kingston paid median monthly shelter costs of C$1,250 in 2021, joint 30th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$1,070); 44.2% of households rented their home (Canada: 33.1%).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How Kingston compares with other cities in Canada

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

Kingston ranks 49 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census)
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
51	St. Catharines-Niagara	C$77,000
52	London	C$76,500

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Kingston ranks 32 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census)
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
34	Red Deer	C$63,200
35	Oshawa	C$62,800

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Kingston ranks 13 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021
10	Ajax	13.4%
11	Brampton	13.3%
12	London	13.3%
13	Kingston	13.2%
14	Richmond Hill	13.1%
15	Edmonton	12.7%
16	Calgary	12.5%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Kingston ranks 55 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census)
52	Brantford	61.4%
53	Oshawa	61.1%
54	Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury	61.1%
55	Kingston	60.7%
56	Saint John	60.7%
57	Nanaimo	60.3%
58	Markham	60.2%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)

Kingston ranks 42 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census
39	London	C$548,000
40	St. Catharines	C$548,000
41	Montréal	C$500,000
42	Kingston	C$500,000
43	Peterborough	C$500,000
44	Calgary	C$456,000
45	Belleville	C$424,000

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Kingston ranks 31 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census
28	Oshawa	C$1,300
29	Victoria	C$1,300
30	Edmonton	C$1,250
31	Kingston	C$1,250
32	Nanaimo	C$1,250
33	Ottawa - Gatineau	C$1,230
34	Cambridge	C$1,220

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

More on Kingston: 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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