Economy, jobs and prices in Oshawa, Canada: official figures
The median total income of households in Oshawa 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.
What is the median after-tax household income in Oshawa?
After income taxes, the median household in Oshawa had C$76,000 in 2020 (joint 31st highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site; Canada: C$73,000).
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyWhat is the median salary in Oshawa?
People in Oshawa who worked full-year, full-time in 2020 had median employment income of C$62,800, joint 34th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$63,600).
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyWhat was the unemployment rate in Oshawa at the 2021 Census?
At the 2021 Census, taken in May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Oshawa was 15.2%, 5th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site, above the national 10.3%; 13,300 people aged 15 and over were looking for work.
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyWhat industries do people in Oshawa work in?
In 2021, 12.7% of the labour force in Oshawa worked in health care and social assistance, 12.9% in retail trade, 6.7% 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 copyHow do people in Oshawa get to work?
Of employed residents of Oshawa commuting to a usual or no fixed workplace in May 2021, 88.0% went by car, truck or van, 6.3% by public transit and 3.2% on foot; 23.1% of all employed residents worked at home (Canada: 7.7% by transit, 24.3% at home).
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Oshawa now?
In the three months July to September 2026, the Labour Force Survey put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Oshawa census metropolitan area at 8.9%, 2nd highest of 41 metropolitan areas in the survey, against 8.7% a year earlier and 6.5% for Canada; 62.0% of people aged 15 and over were employed.
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyHow much is a house worth in Oshawa?
Owners in Oshawa valued their homes at a median C$695,000 in 2021, joint 29th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$472,000); median monthly shelter costs for owned dwellings were C$1,640 and 66.9% of owner households had a mortgage.
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyHow much is rent in Oshawa?
Renter households in Oshawa paid median monthly shelter costs of C$1,300 in 2021, joint 25th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$1,070); 35.8% of households rented their home (Canada: 33.1%).
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyHow Oshawa compares with other cities in Canada
Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census) (2020)
Oshawa ranks 32 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 35 | Red Deer | C$85,000 |
Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census) (2020)
Oshawa ranks 35 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census) |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Kingston | C$64,000 |
| 33 | Barrie | C$63,200 |
| 34 | Red Deer | C$63,200 |
| 35 | Oshawa | C$62,800 |
| 36 | Cambridge | C$62,800 |
| 37 | Halifax | C$62,400 |
| 38 | Lévis V | C$62,400 |
Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021 (2021)
Oshawa ranks 5 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Windsor | 18.9% |
| 3 | St. Catharines-Niagara | 16.2% |
| 4 | St. Catharines | 15.8% |
| 5 | Oshawa | 15.2% |
| 6 | Peterborough | 14.7% |
| 7 | Mississauga | 14.0% |
| 8 | Toronto | 13.9% |
Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census) (2021)
Oshawa ranks 53 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census) |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 56 | Saint John | 60.7% |
Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)
Oshawa ranks 29 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 31 | Kitchener | C$680,000 |
| 32 | Cambridge | C$650,000 |
Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)
Oshawa ranks 28 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Surrey | C$1,300 |
| 26 | Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo | C$1,300 |
| 27 | Kitchener | C$1,300 |
| 28 | Oshawa | C$1,300 |
| 29 | Victoria | C$1,300 |
| 30 | Edmonton | C$1,250 |
| 31 | Kingston | C$1,250 |
More on Oshawa: 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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