What share of adults in Nanaimo work?

60.3% of people aged 15 and over in Nanaimo were in the labour force in May 2021 and 55.2% were employed, a participation rate 13th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: 63.7% and 57.1%).

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

The median total income of households in Nanaimo was C$75,500 in 2020, as reported in the 2021 Census, 17th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site; the median for Canada was C$84,000.

Median household income (2020)

C$75,500

2020

Unemployment rate (Census, May 2021)

8.4%

2021

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

After income taxes, the median household in Nanaimo had C$68,500 in 2020 (joint 17th 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 Nanaimo?

People in Nanaimo who worked full-year, full-time in 2020 had median employment income of C$59,600, joint 21st 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 Nanaimo at the 2021 Census?

At the 2021 Census, taken in May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Nanaimo was 8.4%, 17th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site, below the national 10.3%; 4,200 people aged 15 and over were looking for work.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

What industries do people in Nanaimo work in?

In 2021, 16.1% of the labour force in Nanaimo worked in health care and social assistance, 14.0% in retail trade, 3.4% in manufacturing and 6.4% 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 Nanaimo get to work?

Of employed residents of Nanaimo commuting to a usual or no fixed workplace in May 2021, 86.8% went by car, truck or van, 4.0% by public transit and 5.2% on foot; 17.7% 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 Nanaimo now?

In the three months July to September 2026, the Labour Force Survey put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Nanaimo census metropolitan area at 5.3%, joint 9th lowest of 41 metropolitan areas in the survey, against 8.0% a year earlier and 6.5% for Canada; 59.3% of people aged 15 and over were employed.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is a house worth in Nanaimo?

Owners in Nanaimo valued their homes at a median C$600,000 in 2021, 34th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$472,000); median monthly shelter costs for owned dwellings were C$1,170 and 58.2% of owner households had a mortgage.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is rent in Nanaimo?

Renter households in Nanaimo 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); 33.3% of households rented their home (Canada: 33.1%).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How Nanaimo compares with other cities in Canada

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

Nanaimo ranks 53 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census)
50	Thunder Bay	C$77,500
51	St. Catharines-Niagara	C$77,000
52	London	C$76,500
53	Nanaimo	C$75,500
54	St. John's	C$75,000
55	Belleville	C$73,000
56	St. Catharines	C$72,500

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Nanaimo ranks 49 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census)
46	Laval	C$60,400
47	Chilliwack	C$60,000
48	Québec	C$59,600
49	Nanaimo	C$59,600
50	Surrey	C$59,200
51	Abbotsford-Mission	C$59,200
52	St. Catharines-Niagara	C$58,800

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Nanaimo ranks 53 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021
50	Saskatoon	8.7%
51	Surrey	8.6%
52	Laval	8.6%
53	Nanaimo	8.4%
54	Victoria	8.1%
55	Kelowna	7.9%
56	Longueuil	7.8%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Nanaimo ranks 57 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census)
54	Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury	61.1%
55	Kingston	60.7%
56	Saint John	60.7%
57	Nanaimo	60.3%
58	Markham	60.2%
59	Richmond	60.1%
60	Saguenay	59.9%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)

Nanaimo ranks 34 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census
31	Kitchener	C$680,000
32	Cambridge	C$650,000
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

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Nanaimo ranks 32 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census
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
35	Abbotsford	C$1,190

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

More on Nanaimo: 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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