What share of adults in Toronto work?

63.9% of people aged 15 and over in Toronto were in the labour force in May 2021 and 55.0% were employed, a participation rate joint 27th lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: 63.7% and 57.1%).

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

The median total income of households in Toronto was C$84,000 in 2020, as reported in the 2021 Census, joint 31st lowest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site; the median for Canada was C$84,000.

Median household income (2020)

C$84,000

2020

Unemployment rate (Census, May 2021)

13.9%

2021

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

After income taxes, the median household in Toronto had C$74,000 in 2020 (joint 33rd 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 Toronto?

People in Toronto who worked full-year, full-time in 2020 had median employment income of C$69,500, joint 14th highest 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 Toronto at the 2021 Census?

At the 2021 Census, taken in May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate in Toronto was 13.9%, 8th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site, above the national 10.3%; 210,305 people aged 15 and over were looking for work.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

What industries do people in Toronto work in?

In 2021, 10.8% of the labour force in Toronto worked in health care and social assistance, 9.3% in retail trade, 6.4% in manufacturing and 13.6% 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 Toronto get to work?

Of employed residents of Toronto commuting to a usual or no fixed workplace in May 2021, 61.0% went by car, truck or van, 26.2% by public transit and 7.7% on foot; 39.0% 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 Toronto now?

In the three months July to September 2026, the Labour Force Survey put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Toronto census metropolitan area at 6.9%, joint 8th highest of 41 metropolitan areas in the survey, against 8.8% a year earlier and 6.5% for Canada; 62.1% of people aged 15 and over were employed.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is a house worth in Toronto?

Owners in Toronto valued their homes at a median C$900,000 in 2021, joint 14th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$472,000); median monthly shelter costs for owned dwellings were C$1,740 and 56.6% of owner households had a mortgage.

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How much is rent in Toronto?

Renter households in Toronto paid median monthly shelter costs of C$1,500 in 2021, joint 14th highest of 69 Canadian cities and metropolitan areas on this site (Canada: C$1,070); 48.1% of households rented their home (Canada: 33.1%).

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

How Toronto compares with other cities in Canada

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

Toronto ranks 37 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median total household income, 2020 (2021 Census)
34	Saskatoon	C$85,000
35	Red Deer	C$85,000
36	Chilliwack	C$85,000
37	Toronto	C$84,000
38	Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury	C$84,000
39	Lévis V	C$84,000
40	Burnaby	C$83,000

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Toronto ranks 14 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median employment income of full-year, full-time workers, 2020 (2021 Census)
11	Langley	C$71,000
12	Markham	C$70,500
13	Ajax	C$70,000
14	Toronto	C$69,500
15	Vancouver	C$69,500
16	Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury	C$69,000
17	Edmonton	C$68,500

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Toronto ranks 8 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Unemployment rate, census reference week of May 2021
5	Oshawa	15.2%
6	Peterborough	14.7%
7	Mississauga	14.0%
8	Toronto	13.9%
9	Markham	13.8%
10	Ajax	13.4%
11	Brampton	13.3%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Toronto ranks 42 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Labour force participation rate, May 2021 (2021 Census)
39	Québec	64.9%
40	Burnaby	64.3%
41	Kamloops	64.0%
42	Toronto	63.9%
43	Mississauga	63.9%
44	Delta	63.8%
45	Sherbrooke	63.7%

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census (2021)

Toronto ranks 14 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median value of owned dwellings, 2021 Census
11	Burnaby	C$980,000
12	Milton	C$950,000
13	Saanich	C$930,000
14	Toronto	C$900,000
15	Brampton	C$900,000
16	Mississauga	C$900,000
17	Burlington	C$900,000

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

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

Toronto ranks 14 of 69, highest first.

Rank	City	Median monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings, 2021 Census
11	Coquitlam	C$1,530
12	Brampton	C$1,520
13	Barrie	C$1,510
14	Toronto	C$1,500
15	Langley	C$1,500
16	Burnaby	C$1,490
17	Kelowna	C$1,440

Source: Statistics Canada · saved copy

More on Toronto: 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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