Photo: Dwayne Reilander · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Calgary have higher incomes than those in 68% of Canadian towns
Of everyone in Calgary working or looking for work in May 2021, 13% were unemployed, next to 9.9% for the middle of Canadian towns. The 2021 census found 72% of working-age people in Calgary employed, against 73% in the middle of Canadian towns. Commutes from Calgary average 26.6 minutes, and 5% take an hour or more.
Work in Calgary, in a few figures
Work near the middle
With 72% of its 15-to-64s in work in 2021, against 73% in the middle of Canadian towns, it has 61% of all adults employed. In work ↓
More jobs than the typical town
With 370,125 jobs based in Calgary and 363,120 working residents, the ratio compares with 0.8 in the middle of Canadian towns. The daily tide ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
How Calgary will be graded on jobs and income
Each of four census measures will be read against Canadian towns of 2,500 or more: 15-to-64s in work, median household income, unemployment and the length of the commute.
About as many people come in to work in Calgary as leave
Of those who commute, 91% stay within the municipality; the middle of Canadian towns is 70%.
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
38,960 people come into Calgary to work, most from Airdrie and Rocky View County
- Airdrie10,260
- Rocky View County6,120
- Chestermere4,470
- Okotoks3,160
- Cochrane3,065
- Foothills County2,670
- Strathmore1,140
- High River690
- Wheatland County555
- Edmonton475
- Rocky View County12,590
- Airdrie3,595
- Fort McMurray1,750
- Foothills County1,655
- Okotoks1,305
- Cochrane1,025
- High River960
- Edmonton570
- Chestermere475
- Strathmore410
11% of the people who work in Calgary live outside it, 10,260 of them in Airdrie, 27 km away. Rocky View County is where the largest group of commuters out goes, 12,590 of them.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (98-10-0459): commuting flows between municipalities (census subdivisions), rounded to 5; linked names have their own pages.
Work and the working-age population of Calgary
Of the 167 other places of 2,500 people or more in Census Division No. 6, 63 have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
Participation, the share of residents 15 and over working or looking for work, came to 69%. For the wider area, the Labour Force Survey had 67% in work in October 2026. May 2021, when the census was taken, was a pandemic spring; unemployment has come down since, as the Labour Force Survey records.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: people in work of any age over residents aged 15 to 64, and the census unemployment rate (15 and over); the 25-to-54 rate is Statistics Canada’s own (98-10-0485). The Labour Force Survey and business counts are context, not grade inputs.
What households earned in Calgary: $98,100 in 2020
90 of the 167 other places of 2,500+ in Census Division No. 6 have a higher median. Against the middle of Alberta’s towns ($92,250), Calgary’s median is 6% above. Incomes are for 2020, the first pandemic year, so CERB and other emergency payments are part of them.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
Incomes inside Calgary run from $51K to $200K
Median household income in each of Calgary’s 152 neighbourhoods: the highest is 3.9 times the lowest. The share of 15-to-64s in work runs from 50% in Forest Lawn to 83% in Upper Mount Royal.
| Neighbourhood | People | Household income | In work, 15–64 | Average trip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beltline | 26,171 | $71,400 | 78% | 23.9 min |
| Panorama Hills | 25,494 | $112,900 | 69% | 27.7 min |
| Evanston | 21,483 | $123,600 | 76% | 29.2 min |
| Saddle Ridge | 21,479 | $106,700 | 67% | 30.1 min |
| Cranston | 20,055 | $128,500 | 76% | 27.3 min |
| Evergreen | 19,988 | $124,500 | 72% | 29.5 min |
| Tuscany | 19,986 | $147,200 | 73% | 28.6 min |
| Auburn Bay | 18,296 | $125,800 | 77% | 26.5 min |
| Taradale | 17,911 | $102,400 | 66% | 30.5 min |
| Mahogany | 17,818 | $121,600 | 79% | 27.4 min |
| McKenzie Towne | 17,757 | $107,600 | 78% | 25.6 min |
| Coventry Hills | 17,391 | $116,900 | 72% | 27.6 min |
| Thorncliffe | 15,570 | $82,500 | 68% | 25 min |
| Edgemont | 15,359 | $124,900 | 68% | 27.5 min |
| Martindale | 14,467 | $100,800 | 67% | 29.4 min |
| Skyview Ranch | 14,061 | $90,000 | 74% | 29 min |
| Copperfield | 13,952 | $110,900 | 77% | 28.2 min |
| Douglasdale/Glen | 13,333 | $131,700 | 75% | 22.6 min |
| Signal Hill | 13,293 | $119,300 | 70% | 25 min |
| Redstone | 13,230 | $107,400 | 73% | 28.7 min |
| Huntington Hills | 13,184 | $80,400 | 64% | 26.4 min |
| New Brighton | 13,048 | $126,500 | 77% | 26.7 min |
| Lakeview | 12,799 | $124,600 | 75% | 20.4 min |
| Varsity | 12,605 | $90,700 | 70% | 23 min |
| Bridlewood | 12,547 | $109,500 | 73% | 29.8 min |
| Chaparral | 12,522 | $139,700 | 73% | 26.8 min |
| Royal Oak | 12,343 | $122,000 | 66% | 28.6 min |
| McKenzie Lake | 11,966 | $130,800 | 74% | 24 min |
| Cityscape | 11,782 | $99,400 | 69% | 26.6 min |
| West Springs | 11,632 | $168,100 | 71% | 27.7 min |
| Bowness | 11,548 | $71,000 | 70% | 27.7 min |
| Beddington Heights | 11,333 | $92,900 | 70% | 26.7 min |
| Whitehorn | 11,273 | $90,200 | 63% | 26.6 min |
| Lake Bonavista | 11,154 | $138,000 | 76% | 21.8 min |
| Hidden Valley | 10,614 | $127,300 | 72% | 25.8 min |
| Rundle | 10,549 | $86,800 | 62% | 26.6 min |
| Temple | 10,545 | $89,800 | 65% | 26.7 min |
| Arbour Lake | 10,454 | $109,600 | 71% | 27 min |
| Dover | 10,440 | $69,500 | 66% | 24.9 min |
| Monterey Park | 10,363 | $97,300 | 67% | 26.6 min |
| West Hillhurst | 10,319 | $125,800 | 78% | 20 min |
| Falconridge | 10,218 | $82,000 | 61% | 29.4 min |
| Citadel | 10,196 | $123,900 | 71% | 27.6 min |
| Glenbrook | 10,185 | $89,400 | 71% | 24.1 min |
| Pineridge | 10,062 | $75,700 | 63% | 26.4 min |
| Penbrooke Meadows | 10,001 | $70,500 | 59% | 27.3 min |
| Acadia | 9,950 | $73,500 | 72% | 22.6 min |
| Springbank Hill | 9,913 | $157,900 | 71% | 25.7 min |
| Shawnessy | 9,696 | $110,000 | 71% | 29.1 min |
| Silverado | 9,663 | $125,900 | 74% | 31.5 min |
| Aspen Woods | 9,606 | $199,000 | 68% | 28.4 min |
| Downtown Commercial Core | 9,286 | $51,100 | 69% | 26.8 min |
| Mount Pleasant | 9,224 | $107,900 | 76% | 23.9 min |
| Riverbend | 9,193 | $120,300 | 75% | 21.8 min |
| Hawkwood | 9,188 | $125,500 | 70% | 28.8 min |
| Fish Creek Park | 9,045 | $120,600 | 69% | 26 min |
| Sundance | 9,043 | $135,600 | 72% | 25.4 min |
| Silver Springs | 9,042 | $112,200 | 72% | 24.7 min |
| Marlborough | 8,932 | $82,300 | 63% | 27.1 min |
| Strathcona Park | 8,680 | $156,800 | 69% | 25.3 min |
| Dalhousie | 8,617 | $89,400 | 65% | 24.4 min |
| Nolan Hill | 8,581 | $127,600 | 73% | 30.1 min |
| Ogden | 8,484 | $77,800 | 70% | 22.1 min |
| Hillhurst | 8,435 | $106,000 | 72% | 21.8 min |
| Albert Park/Radisson Heights | 8,433 | $67,500 | 61% | 26.5 min |
| Rocky Ridge | 8,419 | $120,800 | 71% | 29.5 min |
| Somerset | 8,416 | $99,600 | 70% | 29.9 min |
| Marlborough Park | 8,378 | $84,100 | 63% | 26.4 min |
| Walden | 8,190 | $113,300 | 75% | 28.6 min |
| Woodbine | 8,075 | $117,300 | 70% | 27.4 min |
| Scenic Acres | 8,026 | $140,300 | 72% | 26.1 min |
| Legacy | 7,975 | $102,800 | 80% | 31.4 min |
| Sage Hill | 7,974 | $111,900 | 76% | 29.1 min |
| Killarney/Glengarry | 7,935 | $100,700 | 78% | 23.6 min |
| Harvest Hills | 7,930 | $107,600 | 73% | 26.2 min |
| Windsor Park | 7,863 | $81,700 | 74% | 22.2 min |
| Valley Ridge | 7,782 | $159,300 | 73% | 27 min |
| Altadore | 7,675 | $155,100 | 80% | 20.6 min |
| Forest Lawn | 7,513 | $60,500 | 50% | 27.1 min |
| Ranchlands | 7,376 | $90,500 | 72% | 27.1 min |
| Brentwood | 7,369 | $86,900 | 72% | 24.2 min |
| Currie Barracks | 7,342 | $80,300 | 70% | 22.7 min |
| Hamptons | 7,342 | $140,800 | 66% | 27.5 min |
| Kincora | 7,290 | $112,100 | 75% | 28.4 min |
| Erin Woods | 7,245 | $88,500 | 65% | 25.4 min |
| Haysboro | 7,222 | $77,600 | 76% | 23.9 min |
| Cougar Ridge | 7,101 | $158,000 | 77% | 28.2 min |
| Midnapore | 7,022 | $91,800 | 75% | 26.6 min |
| Willow Park | 6,891 | $114,300 | 72% | 21.1 min |
| Bridgeland/Riverside | 6,860 | $78,400 | 77% | 23.6 min |
| Applewood Park | 6,835 | $88,100 | 65% | 27.6 min |
| Millrise | 6,754 | $99,500 | 75% | 27.3 min |
| Canyon Meadows | 6,751 | $104,100 | 77% | 25.5 min |
| Spruce Cliff | 6,691 | $74,000 | 69% | 24.9 min |
| Renfrew | 6,685 | $96,400 | 77% | 21.8 min |
| Abbeydale | 6,561 | $85,600 | 66% | 27.8 min |
| Sherwood | 6,537 | $112,700 | 69% | 29.3 min |
| Glamorgan | 6,479 | $74,900 | 75% | 23.4 min |
| Crescent Heights | 6,411 | $73,600 | 78% | 23.7 min |
| Mission | 6,329 | $67,900 | 80% | 22.1 min |
| Capitol Hill | 6,135 | $80,000 | 66% | 25.3 min |
| Castleridge | 6,127 | $89,500 | 64% | 29.4 min |
| Forest Heights | 6,120 | $81,500 | 63% | 28.3 min |
| Southwood | 6,092 | $82,400 | 68% | 27.1 min |
| Cedarbrae | 5,943 | $90,300 | 74% | 26 min |
| Mayland Heights | 5,937 | $75,200 | 69% | 22.7 min |
| Sandstone Valley | 5,816 | $104,800 | 68% | 25.4 min |
| Braeside | 5,706 | $92,200 | 75% | 27.6 min |
| Charleswood | 5,642 | $115,800 | 73% | 21.6 min |
| Oakridge | 5,623 | $119,000 | 75% | 23.2 min |
| Bankview | 5,610 | $61,700 | 78% | 24.6 min |
| Coral Springs | 5,542 | $123,600 | 69% | 26.4 min |
| Woodlands | 5,391 | $101,500 | 72% | 26.1 min |
| Palliser | 4,987 | $86,000 | 74% | 23.2 min |
| Highland Park | 4,908 | $67,400 | 69% | 25.3 min |
| Richmond | 4,811 | $114,300 | 79% | 20.1 min |
| Macewan Glen | 4,718 | $113,300 | 68% | 26.3 min |
| Kingsland | 4,700 | $66,300 | 72% | 24.4 min |
| Montgomery | 4,456 | $89,500 | 75% | 23.2 min |
| Deer Ridge | 4,454 | $92,200 | 73% | 24.8 min |
| Queensland | 4,452 | $95,700 | 77% | 27.2 min |
| South Calgary | 4,412 | $97,300 | 74% | 22.2 min |
| Inglewood | 4,380 | $92,800 | 74% | 21.2 min |
| Winston Heights/Mountview | 4,361 | $89,700 | 76% | 22.1 min |
| Discovery Ridge | 4,256 | $142,100 | 69% | 24.2 min |
| Wildwood | 4,177 | $120,800 | 77% | 23 min |
| Banff Trail | 4,175 | $84,200 | 63% | 27.5 min |
| Patterson | 4,169 | $92,600 | 75% | 26.6 min |
| Sunalta | 4,151 | $68,100 | 76% | 26.8 min |
| Elbow Park | 4,120 | $200,000 | 71% | 16.1 min |
| Tuxedo Park | 4,082 | $81,600 | 75% | 22.1 min |
| University Heights | 4,031 | $70,700 | 69% | 23.9 min |
| Livingston | 3,929 | $117,500 | 75% | 30 min |
| Fairview | 3,909 | $85,000 | 73% | 23.4 min |
| Rosscarrock | 3,862 | $68,900 | 72% | 28.8 min |
| Eau Claire | 3,733 | $94,400 | 79% | 23.4 min |
| Country Hills | 3,702 | $99,400 | 72% | 28.1 min |
| Deer Run | 3,652 | $105,300 | 77% | 24.9 min |
| Parkland | 3,652 | $138,700 | 73% | 24.5 min |
| Ramsay | 3,601 | $67,600 | 70% | 23.4 min |
| Downtown East Village | 3,524 | $59,200 | 59% | 25.8 min |
| Coach Hill | 3,383 | $104,500 | 77% | 25.9 min |
| Erlton | 3,221 | $115,600 | 79% | 21.3 min |
| Westgate | 3,139 | $100,700 | 74% | 23.3 min |
| Garrison Woods | 3,138 | $145,600 | 79% | 18.7 min |
| Lower Mount Royal | 3,136 | $57,800 | 74% | 25.7 min |
| Sunnyside | 2,976 | $73,700 | 81% | 24.1 min |
| Carrington | 2,920 | $118,000 | 73% | 30.1 min |
| Downtown West End | 2,796 | $79,600 | 77% | 22.3 min |
| Upper Mount Royal | 2,758 | $188,200 | 83% | 16.8 min |
| Country Hills Village | 2,731 | $68,500 | 73% | 28.4 min |
| Rosedale | 2,507 | $101,200 | 75% | 21.4 min |
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: each neighbourhood summed from its dissemination areas; incomes are 2020’s.
Without a car, 14% of Calgary’s commuters get to work
By transit: 8.8% of commuters, well above the 5.7% in the middle of Alberta’s towns. 83% drive to work, fewer than the 88% in the middle of Alberta’s towns. Home was the workplace for 29%, where the middle of Canadian towns has 21%.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: main mode of commuting; average durations by mode from table 98-10-0458 (whole municipalities only).
Time on the road to work from Calgary
Only 22% get to work within a quarter-hour, against 39% in the middle of Alberta’s towns. Statistics Canada’s own average, timed exactly rather than by band, is 23.9 minutes.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: commuting duration in five bands; our average uses each band’s middle (75 minutes for an hour or more), so it runs about two minutes above Statistics Canada’s own.
EI claims in Census Division No. 6 run 35% above their 2019 level
January 2021 was the busiest month, with 97,600 people on EI, 3.2 times 2019’s average. Per 100 residents aged 15 to 64, about 4 receive EI. Compared with a year earlier, the count in August 2026 fell by 1%.
Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance beneficiaries by census division (14-10-0323): all income benefits, not seasonally adjusted. EI beneficiaries: one figure for all of Census Division No. 6. EI counts are context, not part of any grade.
People receiving Employment Insurance each month, as a share of the 2019 average (100).
Around Calgary: jobs, pay and the commute
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary | 72% | 13% | $98K | 26.6 min | — | — |
| Beltline 0.7 km | 78% | 12% | $71K | 23.9 min | B− | A+ |
| Mission 0.9 km | 80% | 14% | $68K | 22.1 min | B | A+ |
| Downtown Commercial Core 1.1 km | 69% | 15% | $51K | 26.8 min | D | A+ |
| Eau Claire 1.3 km | 79% | 10% | $94K | 23.4 min | A | A+ |
| Downtown East Village 1.3 km | 59% | 7.4% | $59K | 25.8 min | D | A+ |
| Lower Mount Royal 1.5 km | 74% | 14% | $58K | 25.7 min | C− | A+ |
The people of each place: the share in work, unemployment, household income and the average commute, with both grades once they come.
What this data can and can’t tell you
What each figure measures for Calgary, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- Unemployment. Of everyone 15 or older who was working or job-hunting in the census week, the part still looking. Someone not seeking work isn’t in it at all.
- Household income. The census median total income of households in 2020, before tax; a neighbourhood’s is estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups.
- Trip times. Built from banded answers: each commuter’s usual one-way trip counts as the midpoint of the band they chose, and the result tends to sit slightly higher than Statistics Canada’s average.
- Where people commute. Jobs count everyone whose usual workplace lies in the municipality, residents or commuters from elsewhere, from Statistics Canada’s home-by-workplace table.
- Employment Insurance. Beneficiaries of Employment Insurance, month by month, for the census division rather than the town. Many jobless people don’t qualify, so it isn’t an unemployment rate.
- The Labour Force Survey. A monthly household survey by Statistics Canada, reported for metro areas and economic regions only. It supplies a recent rate next to the 2021 census figure.
- In work. Working residents per resident of working age (15 to 64), from the 2021 Census.
- Which towns we compare. Every town and city neighbourhood with 2,500 residents or more; whole cities and First Nations reserves are left out. Each middle figure is a median.
Questions about work in Calgary
How many jobs are there in Calgary?
The 2021 census counted about 370,125 people working in Calgary: 1 jobs for every resident who commutes to a fixed workplace. In June 2026, 57,817 businesses with employees were on Statistics Canada’s count.
What is the unemployment rate in Calgary?
The 2021 census found 13% unemployed, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns; the Labour Force Survey’s latest, for the Calgary metro area, is 6.6% (October 2026).
What is the average household income in Calgary?
Before tax, half the households in Calgary had more than $98,100 in 2020; the middle of Canadian towns is $85,900.
How do people in Calgary get to work?
By car: 83% of commuters, 8.8% take public transit, 4.2% walk and 0.9% cycle; on census day 29% of those in work worked from home.
How long is the commute from Calgary?
26.6 minutes is the average trip, with 22% of commuters there in under 15 minutes and 5% taking an hour or more.
Where do people in Calgary work?
Most stay: 91% work in Calgary. The rest go first to Rocky View County (12,590) and Airdrie (3,595).
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population (Census Profile) · Statistics Canada, tables 98-10-0458 and 98-10-0459 (commuting) · Statistics Canada, table 14-10-0323 (EI beneficiaries) · Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey (14-10-0459, 14-10-0462) · Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Counts (33-10-1176). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).