Economy, jobs and prices in Ottawa - Gatineau, Canada: official figures
The median total income of households in Ottawa - Gatineau was C$98,000 in 2020, as reported in the 2021 Census, joint 14th 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 Ottawa - Gatineau?
After income taxes, the median household in Ottawa - Gatineau had C$84,000 in 2020 (16th 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 Ottawa - Gatineau?
People in Ottawa - Gatineau who worked full-year, full-time in 2020 had median employment income of C$74,000, joint 8th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$63,600).
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyWhat was the unemployment rate in Ottawa - Gatineau at the 2021 Census?
At the 2021 Census, taken in May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Ottawa - Gatineau was 9.7%, 28th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site, below the national 10.3%; 77,755 people aged 15 and over were looking for work.
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyWhat industries do people in Ottawa - Gatineau work in?
In 2021, 11.7% of the labour force in Ottawa - Gatineau worked in health care and social assistance, 9.9% in retail trade, 3.1% in manufacturing and 9.5% in professional, scientific and technical services (Canada: 12.7%, 11.1%, 8.0% and 8.1%).
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyHow do people in Ottawa - Gatineau get to work?
Of employed residents of Ottawa - Gatineau commuting to a usual or no fixed workplace in May 2021, 80.1% went by car, truck or van, 9.7% by public transit and 5.9% on foot; 39.7% 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 Ottawa - Gatineau now?
In the three months July to September 2026, the Labour Force Survey put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Ottawa - Gatineau census metropolitan area at 7.0%, 7th highest of 41 metropolitan areas in the survey, against 7.0% a year earlier and 6.5% for Canada; 61.4% of people aged 15 and over were employed.
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyHow much is a house worth in Ottawa - Gatineau?
Owners in Ottawa - Gatineau valued their homes at a median C$548,000 in 2021, joint 30th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$472,000); median monthly shelter costs for owned dwellings were C$1,440 and 62.5% of owner households had a mortgage.
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyHow much is rent in Ottawa - Gatineau?
Renter households in Ottawa - Gatineau paid median monthly shelter costs of C$1,230 in 2021, 33rd highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$1,070); 34.6% of households rented their home (Canada: 33.1%).
Source: Statistics Canada · saved copyHow Ottawa - Gatineau compares with other cities in Canada
Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census) (2020)
Ottawa - Gatineau ranks 14 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Ottawa | C$102,000 |
| 12 | Mississauga | C$102,000 |
| 13 | Richmond Hill | C$102,000 |
| 14 | Ottawa - Gatineau | C$98,000 |
| 15 | Calgary | C$98,000 |
| 16 | Surrey | C$98,000 |
| 17 | Terrebonne | C$95,000 |
Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census) (2020)
Ottawa - Gatineau ranks 8 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Milton | C$76,500 |
| 6 | Vaughan | C$75,000 |
| 7 | Waterloo | C$74,500 |
| 8 | Ottawa - Gatineau | C$74,000 |
| 9 | Richmond Hill | C$74,000 |
| 10 | Calgary | C$72,500 |
| 11 | Langley | C$71,000 |
Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021 (2021)
Ottawa - Gatineau ranks 42 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Montréal | 10.3% |
| 40 | Ottawa | 10.3% |
| 41 | Regina | 9.9% |
| 42 | Ottawa - Gatineau | 9.7% |
| 43 | Burnaby | 9.6% |
| 44 | Lethbridge | 9.4% |
| 45 | Gatineau | 9.3% |
Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census) (2021)
Ottawa - Gatineau ranks 21 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census) |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 24 | Vaughan | 65.9% |
Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)
Ottawa - Gatineau ranks 38 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | St. Catharines-Niagara | C$552,000 |
| 36 | Brantford | C$552,000 |
| 37 | Kamloops | C$552,000 |
| 38 | Ottawa - Gatineau | C$548,000 |
| 39 | London | C$548,000 |
| 40 | St. Catharines | C$548,000 |
| 41 | Montréal | C$500,000 |
Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)
Ottawa - Gatineau ranks 33 of 69, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 36 | Abbotsford-Mission | C$1,180 |
More on Ottawa - Gatineau: 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 metropolitan areas, selected characteristics (Census Profile SDMX API extract, dataflow DF_CMACA), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3185f58b7a1a…)
- 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…)
- 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…)
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