What share of adults in Saguenay work?

59.9% of people aged 15 and over in Saguenay were in the labour force in May 2021 and 56.6% were employed, a participation rate 10th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: 63.7% and 57.1%).

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

The median total income of households in Saguenay was C$69,000 in 2020, as reported in the 2021 Census, 8th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site; the median for Canada was C$84,000.

Median household income (2020)

C$69,000

2020

Unemployment rate (Census, May 2021)

5.5%

2021

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

After income taxes, the median household in Saguenay had C$60,000 in 2020 (joint 6th 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 Saguenay?

People in Saguenay who worked full-year, full-time in 2020 had median employment income of C$57,200, joint 8th 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 Saguenay at the 2021 Census?

At the 2021 Census, taken in May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Saguenay was 5.5%, 2nd lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site, below the national 10.3%; 3,950 people aged 15 and over were looking for work.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

What industries do people in Saguenay work in?

In 2021, 16.2% of the labour force in Saguenay worked in health care and social assistance, 12.8% in retail trade, 10.4% in manufacturing and 6.0% 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 Saguenay get to work?

Of employed residents of Saguenay commuting to a usual or no fixed workplace in May 2021, 91.9% went by car, truck or van, 2.0% by public transit and 3.8% on foot; 13.5% 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 Saguenay now?

In the three months July to September 2026, the Labour Force Survey put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Saguenay census metropolitan area at 3.6%, the lowest of 41 metropolitan areas in the survey, against 4.3% a year earlier and 6.5% for Canada; 58.7% of people aged 15 and over were employed.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is a house worth in Saguenay?

Owners in Saguenay valued their homes at a median C$220,000 in 2021, 5th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$472,000); median monthly shelter costs for owned dwellings were C$1,010 and 64.5% of owner households had a mortgage.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is rent in Saguenay?

Renter households in Saguenay paid median monthly shelter costs of C$632 in 2021, the joint lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$1,070); 38.1% of households rented their home (Canada: 33.1%).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How Saguenay compares with other cities in Canada

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

Saguenay ranks 62 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census)
59	Peterborough	C$71,500
60	Québec	C$70,500
61	Windsor	C$70,000
62	Saguenay	C$69,000
63	Moncton	C$68,000
64	Victoria	C$67,500
65	Montréal	C$63,600

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Saguenay ranks 62 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census)
59	Brampton	C$57,600
60	Belleville	C$57,600
61	St. Catharines	C$57,200
62	Saguenay	C$57,200
63	Windsor	C$56,800
64	Chatham-Kent	C$54,800
65	Sherbrooke	C$54,400

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Saguenay ranks 68 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021
63	Trois-Rivières	6.6%
64	Chilliwack	6.6%
65	Langley	6.2%
66	Sherbrooke	6.1%
67	Terrebonne	5.9%
68	Saguenay	5.5%
69	Lévis V	5.3%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Saguenay ranks 60 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census)
57	Nanaimo	60.3%
58	Markham	60.2%
59	Richmond	60.1%
60	Saguenay	59.9%
61	Trois-Rivières	58.8%
62	Thunder Bay	58.5%
63	St. Catharines	58.4%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)

Saguenay ranks 65 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census
62	Thunder Bay	C$300,000
63	Lévis V	C$290,000
64	Sherbrooke	C$250,000
65	Saguenay	C$220,000
66	Trois-Rivières	C$200,000
67	Moncton	C$200,000
68	Saint John	C$174,000

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Saguenay ranks 68 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census
63	Québec	C$830
64	Saint John	C$830
65	Lévis V	C$820
66	Cape Breton	C$800
67	Sherbrooke	C$695
68	Saguenay	C$632
69	Trois-Rivières	C$632

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

More on Saguenay: 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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