Photo: Dllu · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Abbotsford top those of 75% of Canadian towns
Jobs were held by 76% of people aged 15 to 64 in Abbotsford in 2021; the middle of Canadian towns is 73%. 7.8% of the labour force in Abbotsford was out of work at the 2021 census, and the middle of Canadian towns sits at 9.9%. For 8.4% of commuters in Abbotsford, the trip to work lasts an hour or more; the average is 26.2 minutes.
The work figures that set Abbotsford apart
Work near the middle
With 76% of its 15-to-64s in work in 2021, against 73% in the middle of Canadian towns, it has 60% of all adults employed. In work ↓
Unemployment near the middle
7.8% of the labour force was out of work at the 2021 census (9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns); the Labour Force Survey had the area at 6.7% in October 2026. Unemployment ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
Abbotsford grades B for jobs and income
Better than 59% of Canadian towns on three measures together, #106 of 254 in British Columbia.
Its strongest measure is household income; its weakest, trip times.
Graded against Canadian towns of 2,500 people or more; less unemployment and a shorter commute count in its favour.
How the grade works
Census 2021 measures, weighed equally against every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 people or more: the share of residents aged 15 to 64 in work, median household income (2020), the unemployment rate and the average commute. Each becomes a percentile; their average sets the letter.
As many come into Abbotsford to work as leave
Of those who commute, 64% stay within the municipality; the middle of Canadian towns is 70%.
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
36% of Abbotsford’s residents in work leave it to work; Langley takes the most
- Chilliwack3,915
- Mission2,850
- Langley2,570
- Surrey2,295
- Maple Ridge620
- Vancouver340
- Langley275
- Burnaby185
- Port Coquitlam165
- Delta155
- Langley5,650
- Surrey3,160
- Chilliwack1,935
- Mission1,860
- Langley640
- Maple Ridge630
- Burnaby555
- Vancouver530
- Delta490
- Coquitlam370
Chilliwack sends the largest group the other way, 3,915 people.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (98-10-0459): commuting flows between municipalities (census subdivisions), rounded to 5; linked names have their own pages.
How many in Abbotsford were working in 2021
All 5 other places of 2,500 people or more in the Fraser Valley census division have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
Across all ages 15 and over the share in work falls to 60%: many residents are past working age. The monthly Labour Force Survey, which covers the wider area, put its employment rate at 61% in October 2026. 65% of residents aged 15 and over were in the labour force, in work or seeking it. Statistics Canada counted on 11 May 2021, with much of the country under pandemic rules: more people were out of work or at home than usual.
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.
Half the households in Abbotsford had more than $90,000 in 2020
One of the 5 other places of 2,500+ in the Fraser Valley census division has a higher median. The middle of British Columbia’s towns is $86,900, and Abbotsford is 4% above it. Because 2020 was the first year of the pandemic, emergency benefits make up part of these before-tax incomes.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
On foot, by bike, bus or train: 6.5% of Abbotsford’s commuters
Only 14% worked at home on census day, against 21% in the middle of Canadian towns. Transit takes 2.4% of commuters, against 3.5% in the middle of Canadian towns. Nearly everyone drives: 92% of commuters go by car, truck or van.
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 Abbotsford
Statistics Canada’s own average, timed exactly rather than by band, is 23.2 minutes. Trips under 15 minutes: 36%, fewer than the 39% in the middle of British Columbia’s towns.
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.
46% more people are on EI in the Fraser Valley census division than in 2019
The highest month was July 2021: 14,860 people, 2.4 times the 2019 level. That is about 4.6 people on EI for every 100 aged 15 to 64 in the division. Compared with a year earlier, the count in August 2026 rose by 5%.
Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance beneficiaries by census division (14-10-0323): all income benefits, not seasonally adjusted. EI counts are context, not part of any grade.
People receiving Employment Insurance each month, as a share of the 2019 average (100). For EI beneficiaries, the only official count covers all of the Fraser Valley census division, Abbotsford included.
Getting around Abbotsford on foot earns A−
Better than 80% of Canadian towns on two measures together, #129 of 254 in British Columbia.
OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); active commuting from the 2021 Census.
How Abbotsford ranks: 9th of 26 Canadian towns of 122,800 to 236,700
| # | Place | People | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lévis Quebec | 160,882 | 84% | 5.3% | $84K | A |
| 2 | Saanich British Columbia | 126,011 | 77% | 6.8% | $93K | A |
| 3 | Kelowna British Columbia | 167,654 | 78% | 7.9% | $83K | A |
| … | ||||||
| 5 | Langley British Columbia | 163,885 | 78% | 6.2% | $108K | B+ |
| … | ||||||
| 7 | Guelph Ontario | 160,760 | 74% | 11% | $93K | B |
| 8 | Delta British Columbia | 124,670 | 77% | 7.3% | $108K | B |
| 9 | Abbotsford British Columbia | 175,358 | 76% | 7.8% | $90K | B |
| 10 | Terrebonne Quebec | 126,872 | 80% | 5.9% | $95K | B |
| 11 | Waterloo Ontario | 142,450 | 68% | 12% | $94K | B |
| … | ||||||
| 26 | Oshawa Ontario | 213,592 | 64% | 15% | $86K | D |
Ordered by Jobs & income Grade: the top three, the places either side of Abbotsford, and others among British Columbia’s towns.
Work in and around Abbotsford
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbotsford | 76% | 7.8% | $90K | 26.2 min | B | A− |
| Mission 11.1 km | 73% | 6.7% | $98K | 34.8 min | C | B+ |
| Electoral Area G, Fraser Valley 14.4 km | 69% | 10% | $75K | 33.1 min | D | C− |
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 Abbotsford, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- Unemployment. It counts only people who wanted work and had none in May 2021, as a share of those working or searching; students and retirees who weren’t looking stay out of both sides.
- Household income. Before-tax total income of the middle household for 2020, from the census. Neighbourhood medians are worked out from bracket counts, since Statistics Canada publishes none of their own.
- Trip times. Commuters picked a band for their usual trip (under 15 minutes, 15 to 29, and so on). We place each person at the middle of their band, which lands a little above Statistics Canada’s own timed average.
- Where people commute. Statistics Canada’s place-of-work table counts people with a usual place of work by the municipality they live in and the one they work in. Jobs here are people whose usual workplace is in the municipality, wherever they live.
- Employment Insurance. Statistics Canada counts EI beneficiaries each month by census division. Seasonal work makes it swing, so read it as a trend, not a jobless rate.
- The Labour Force Survey. The most recent unemployment rate on the page comes from this monthly survey, which covers the wider metro area or economic region, not the town.
- In work. Working residents per resident of working age (15 to 64), from the 2021 Census.
- Which towns we compare. The comparison pool is places of 2,500 people or more, towns or neighbourhoods inside cities, without whole cities or reserves, and we compare with its median.
Questions about work in Abbotsford
How do people in Abbotsford get to work?
By car: 92% of commuters, 2.4% take public transit, 3.6% walk and 0.5% cycle; on census day 14% of those in work worked from home.
How long is the commute from Abbotsford?
26.2 minutes is the average trip, with 36% of commuters there in under 15 minutes and 8.4% taking an hour or more.
Where do people in Abbotsford work?
64% work in Abbotsford itself; of those who leave, the most go to Langley (5,650), then Surrey (3,160).
How many jobs are there in Abbotsford?
The 2021 census counted about 46,705 people working in Abbotsford: 1 jobs for every resident who commutes to a fixed workplace. Statistics Canada counted 7,315 businesses with employees in June 2026.
What is the unemployment rate in Abbotsford?
At the 2021 census 7.8% of the labour force had no job and was looking (9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns). The latest monthly survey, for the Abbotsford-Mission metro area, gives 6.7% in October 2026.
What is the average household income in Abbotsford?
The median household in Abbotsford had $90,000 before tax in 2020, against $85,900 in the middle of Canadian towns.
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) · grades: TownRatings. 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).