What share of adults in Sherbrooke work?

63.7% of people aged 15 and over in Sherbrooke were in the labour force in May 2021 and 59.8% were employed, a participation rate 25th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: 63.7% and 57.1%).

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

The median total income of households in Sherbrooke was C$62,400 in 2020, as reported in the 2021 Census, joint 2nd lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site; the median for Canada was C$84,000.

Median household income (2020)

C$62,400

2020

Unemployment rate (Census, May 2021)

6.1%

2021

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

After income taxes, the median household in Sherbrooke had C$55,200 in 2020 (2nd 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 Sherbrooke?

People in Sherbrooke who worked full-year, full-time in 2020 had median employment income of C$54,400, joint 4th 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 Sherbrooke at the 2021 Census?

At the 2021 Census, taken in May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Sherbrooke was 6.1%, 4th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site, below the national 10.3%; 5,400 people aged 15 and over were looking for work.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

What industries do people in Sherbrooke work in?

In 2021, 18.4% of the labour force in Sherbrooke worked in health care and social assistance, 12.0% in retail trade, 12.4% in manufacturing and 7.5% 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 Sherbrooke get to work?

Of employed residents of Sherbrooke commuting to a usual or no fixed workplace in May 2021, 87.3% went by car, truck or van, 4.9% by public transit and 5.5% on foot; 16.7% 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 Sherbrooke now?

In the three months July to September 2026, the Labour Force Survey put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Sherbrooke census metropolitan area at 4.0%, 2nd lowest of 41 metropolitan areas in the survey, against 5.2% a year earlier and 6.5% for Canada; 60.4% of people aged 15 and over were employed.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is a house worth in Sherbrooke?

Owners in Sherbrooke valued their homes at a median C$250,000 in 2021, 6th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$472,000); median monthly shelter costs for owned dwellings were C$1,050 and 64.2% of owner households had a mortgage.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is rent in Sherbrooke?

Renter households in Sherbrooke paid median monthly shelter costs of C$695 in 2021, 3rd lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$1,070); 50.5% of households rented their home (Canada: 33.1%).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How Sherbrooke compares with other cities in Canada

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

Sherbrooke ranks 67 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census)
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
69	Trois-Rivières	C$60,400

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Sherbrooke ranks 65 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census)
62	Saguenay	C$57,200
63	Windsor	C$56,800
64	Chatham-Kent	C$54,800
65	Sherbrooke	C$54,400
66	Trois-Rivières	C$54,400
67	Cape Breton	C$54,000
68	Moncton	C$52,800

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Sherbrooke ranks 66 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)

Sherbrooke ranks 45 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census)
42	Toronto	63.9%
43	Mississauga	63.9%
44	Delta	63.8%
45	Sherbrooke	63.7%
46	Chilliwack	63.0%
47	Richmond Hill	62.6%
48	Saanich	62.3%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)

Sherbrooke ranks 64 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census
61	Québec	C$300,000
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

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Sherbrooke ranks 67 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 Sherbrooke: 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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