What share of adults in Montréal work?

66.0% of people aged 15 and over in Montréal were in the labour force in May 2021 and 59.2% were employed, a participation rate joint 20th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: 63.7% and 57.1%).

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

The median total income of households in Montréal was C$63,600 in 2020, as reported in the 2021 Census, 5th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site; the median for Canada was C$84,000.

Median household income (2020)

C$63,600

2020

Unemployment rate (Census, May 2021)

10.3%

2021

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

After income taxes, the median household in Montréal had C$56,000 in 2020 (joint 4th 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 Montréal?

People in Montréal 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 Montréal at the 2021 Census?

At the 2021 Census, taken in May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Montréal was 10.3%, joint 30th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site, the same as the national 10.3%; 99,210 people aged 15 and over were looking for work.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

What industries do people in Montréal work in?

In 2021, 13.4% of the labour force in Montréal worked in health care and social assistance, 10.3% in retail trade, 7.9% in manufacturing and 11.9% 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 Montréal get to work?

Of employed residents of Montréal commuting to a usual or no fixed workplace in May 2021, 56.7% went by car, truck or van, 28.4% by public transit and 9.6% on foot; 30.3% 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 Montréal now?

In the three months July to September 2026, the Labour Force Survey put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Montréal census metropolitan area at 6.8%, joint 11th highest of 41 metropolitan areas in the survey, against 6.4% a year earlier and 6.5% for Canada; 62.5% of people aged 15 and over were employed.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is a house worth in Montréal?

Owners in Montréal 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$1,360 and 61.5% of owner households had a mortgage.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is rent in Montréal?

Renter households in Montréal paid median monthly shelter costs of C$870 in 2021, joint 9th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$1,070); 63.6% of households rented their home (Canada: 33.1%).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How Montréal compares with other cities in Canada

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

Montréal ranks 65 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census)
62	Saguenay	C$69,000
63	Moncton	C$68,000
64	Victoria	C$67,500
65	Montréal	C$63,600
66	Saint John	C$62,800
67	Sherbrooke	C$62,400
68	Cape Breton	C$62,400

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Montréal ranks 54 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census)
51	Abbotsford-Mission	C$59,200
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

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Montréal ranks 39 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021
36	Burlington	10.7%
37	Chatham-Kent	10.7%
38	Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury	10.4%
39	Montréal	10.3%
40	Ottawa	10.3%
41	Regina	9.9%
42	Ottawa - Gatineau	9.7%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Montréal ranks 20 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census)
17	Gatineau	66.6%
18	Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo	66.4%
19	Barrie	66.4%
20	Montréal	66.0%
21	Ottawa - Gatineau	66.0%
22	Cambridge	66.0%
23	Ottawa	65.9%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)

Montréal ranks 41 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census
38	Ottawa - Gatineau	C$548,000
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

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Montréal ranks 60 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census
57	Terrebonne	C$920
58	Laval	C$910
59	Gatineau	C$900
60	Montréal	C$870
61	Chatham-Kent	C$870
62	Longueuil	C$840
63	Québec	C$830

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

More on Montréal: 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…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.