Photo: OldYorkGuy · CC BY-SA 3.0Fewer of Toronto’s 15-to-64s are in work than in 78% of Canadian towns
Getting to work from Toronto takes 34.1 minutes on average, an hour or more for 13%. Public transit carries 26% of its commuters. Before tax, the typical household in Toronto brought in $84,100 in 2020, and the middle of Canadian towns sits at $85,900.
The work numbers behind Toronto
Fewer people in work than most towns
With 68% of its 15-to-64s in work in 2021, against 73% in the middle of Canadian towns, it has 55% of all adults employed. In work ↓
More unemployment than most towns
On census day in 2021 14% were unemployed, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns; by October 2026 the Labour Force Survey put the area at 7.1%. Unemployment ↓
A local job centre
753,185 people work in Toronto and 648,615 residents commute to a fixed workplace; the middle of Canadian towns has 0.8 jobs per working resident. The daily tide ↓
Longer trips than most towns
Commutes take 34.1 minutes on average, against 26 in the middle of Canadian towns; 13% take an hour or more. The trip to work ↓
Many work from home
39% of workers worked at home on census day, against 21% in the middle of Canadian towns. Getting to work ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
The measures behind a Jobs & income Grade for Toronto
Four census figures will make the letter, each set against Canadian towns of 2,500 or more: the share of 15-to-64s in work, household income, unemployment and commute time.
In Toronto, 68% of the working-age population has a job
Of the 158 other places of 2,500 people or more in the Toronto census division, 75 have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
Take in all adults, retirees with them, and only 55% were working. The Labour Force Survey’s employment rate for the wider area was 62% in October 2026. 64% 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.
Toronto fills up on a working day: 9% more workers
648,615 residents of Toronto had a usual place of work at the 2021 census, and 753,185 people had theirs in Toronto, wherever they lived.
About 2 people arrive to work in Toronto for each resident who goes out. The job is inside the municipality for 79% of its commuters (70% in the middle of Canadian towns).
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
How long the commute from Toronto takes
Statistics Canada’s own average, timed exactly rather than by band, is 30.7 minutes. The middle of Ontario’s towns averages 28.6 minutes. Trips under 15 minutes: 17%, fewer than the 31% in the middle of Ontario’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.
Commuting time at the 2021 Census, to work only, for people who travel to a usual workplace or have none fixed.
Walk, cycle or ride transit: the choice of 36% of Toronto’s commuters
39% of everyone in work worked at home on census day, against 21% in the middle of Canadian towns. The car takes 61% of commuters here, under the 88% in the middle of Ontario’s towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: main mode of commuting; average durations by mode from table 98-10-0458 (whole municipalities only).
How residents who commute got to work, 2021 Census; working at home is counted apart.
238,833 people come into Toronto to work, most from Mississauga and Markham
- Mississauga36,880
- Markham29,975
- Brampton29,350
- Vaughan27,180
- Richmond Hill13,070
- Ajax12,090
- Pickering10,780
- Whitby8,910
- Oshawa7,780
- Oakville6,515
- Mississauga34,845
- Vaughan34,235
- Markham21,490
- Brampton10,055
- Richmond Hill7,350
- Pickering2,925
- Oakville2,630
- Newmarket1,650
- Bolton1,650
- Ajax1,600
Of everyone working in Toronto, 32% come in from elsewhere; 36,880 make the 26 km trip from Mississauga. Going the other way, Mississauga is the biggest single destination (34,845).
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (98-10-0459): commuting flows between municipalities (census subdivisions), rounded to 5; linked names have their own pages.
2021 Census, people with a usual place of work: where residents of Toronto work and where people who work there live, the ten largest each way.
How Toronto’s household incomes compare
Before tax, 2020: lower than in 54% of Canadian towns.
92 of the 158 other places of 2,500+ in the Toronto census division have a higher median. Against the middle of Ontario’s towns ($91,600), Toronto’s median is 8% below. That year, 2020, brought emergency benefits that count in these totals, before tax.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
Across Toronto’s neighbourhoods, household incomes run from $57K to $200K
Median household income in each of Toronto’s 158 neighbourhoods: the highest is 3.5 times the lowest. The share of 15-to-64s in work runs from 51% in Oakridge to 85% in Yonge-St.Clair.
| Neighbourhood | People | Household income | In work, 15–64 | Average trip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Humber-Clairville | 33,690 | $94,800 | 67% | 33.3 min |
| Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown | 32,069 | $77,900 | 55% | 34.2 min |
| St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands | 31,360 | $87,400 | 78% | 29.7 min |
| Annex | 30,705 | $87,600 | 77% | 29 min |
| Glenfield-Jane Heights | 30,197 | $71,000 | 55% | 37.4 min |
| Wexford/Maryvale | 28,591 | $85,300 | 64% | 33.6 min |
| York University Heights | 28,557 | $76,900 | 60% | 37 min |
| West Hill | 28,414 | $77,500 | 59% | 39.1 min |
| South Riverdale | 28,264 | $102,900 | 73% | 31.5 min |
| Harbourfront-CityPlace | 28,199 | $90,000 | 80% | 32.1 min |
| Agincourt North | 27,790 | $86,600 | 61% | 34.8 min |
| Clairlea-Birchmount | 27,690 | $91,600 | 63% | 36.9 min |
| Tam O'Shanter-Sullivan | 27,526 | $77,700 | 65% | 34.9 min |
| Banbury-Don Mills | 27,472 | $92,500 | 73% | 31.1 min |
| Golfdale-Cedarbrae-Woburn | 27,429 | $79,000 | 59% | 37.2 min |
| Don Valley Village | 26,972 | $84,500 | 66% | 36.6 min |
| Woburn North | 26,662 | $77,100 | 62% | 36.4 min |
| Malvern East | 26,113 | $87,800 | 63% | 36.9 min |
| Westminster-Branson | 26,027 | $76,900 | 67% | 37.4 min |
| Stonegate-Queensway | 25,745 | $105,400 | 74% | 31.7 min |
| Wellington Place | 25,729 | $89,600 | 83% | 28.4 min |
| Morningside Heights | 24,972 | $120,500 | 65% | 36.3 min |
| Dorset Park | 24,770 | $79,100 | 62% | 36.7 min |
| Agincourt South-Malvern West | 24,438 | $81,200 | 64% | 34.3 min |
| Milliken | 24,431 | $83,400 | 57% | 34.1 min |
| Newtonbrook West | 23,978 | $79,500 | 67% | 36.5 min |
| Etobicoke City Centre | 23,856 | $83,000 | 76% | 34 min |
| Islington | 23,659 | $105,800 | 72% | 30.3 min |
| Junction-Wallace Emerson | 23,484 | $86,100 | 70% | 34 min |
| South Eglinton-Davisville | 23,380 | $80,200 | 77% | 33.1 min |
| Birchcliffe-Cliffside | 23,115 | $93,600 | 67% | 33.9 min |
| High Park-Swansea | 22,970 | $103,900 | 77% | 31.8 min |
| Steeles | 22,943 | $81,600 | 58% | 32.3 min |
| Eglinton East | 22,820 | $74,300 | 60% | 38.1 min |
| Moss Park | 22,701 | $66,100 | 66% | 28.5 min |
| Humber Bay Shores | 22,633 | $84,700 | 78% | 33.2 min |
| Bayview Village | 22,617 | $85,900 | 70% | 35.2 min |
| Flemingdon Park | 22,553 | $70,200 | 58% | 37.2 min |
| Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview | 22,456 | $93,900 | 68% | 31 min |
| Church-Wellesley | 22,415 | $60,400 | 69% | 30.7 min |
| Bedford Park-Nortown | 22,376 | $146,400 | 73% | 28.3 min |
| Rockcliffe-Smythe | 22,242 | $71,400 | 62% | 38.3 min |
| High Park North | 22,162 | $84,600 | 76% | 35.1 min |
| East End-Danforth | 22,055 | $91,800 | 71% | 33.9 min |
| Kingsview Village-The Westway | 22,026 | $80,500 | 60% | 33 min |
| South Parkdale | 21,663 | $56,700 | 64% | 35.9 min |
| The Beaches | 21,602 | $122,800 | 77% | 30.3 min |
| L'Amoreaux West | 21,575 | $73,300 | 64% | 34.1 min |
| East L'Amoreaux | 21,533 | $84,700 | 59% | 35.5 min |
| Englemount-Lawrence | 21,455 | $80,500 | 66% | 31.6 min |
| Oakdale-Beverley Heights | 21,386 | $74,900 | 62% | 36.6 min |
| Black Creek | 21,307 | $65,800 | 52% | 36.3 min |
| West Rouge | 20,915 | $113,800 | 69% | 37.3 min |
| Oakwood Village | 20,830 | $79,500 | 71% | 37.9 min |
| Thorncliffe Park | 20,637 | $67,200 | 54% | 35.1 min |
| Fenside-Parkwoods | 20,615 | $79,300 | 66% | 35.9 min |
| Yonge-Doris | 20,298 | $73,600 | 67% | 34.7 min |
| Rosedale-Moore Park | 20,268 | $128,600 | 78% | 25.6 min |
| Fort York-Liberty Village | 20,071 | $93,500 | 82% | 33.3 min |
| Henry Farm | 19,953 | $79,700 | 68% | 36.3 min |
| Bendale-Glen Andrew | 19,134 | $76,300 | 62% | 35.6 min |
| Weston | 18,896 | $65,000 | 60% | 36.5 min |
| O'Connor-Parkview | 18,746 | $79,400 | 62% | 35.5 min |
| North St.James Town | 18,733 | $59,500 | 62% | 34.7 min |
| Kensington-Chinatown | 18,597 | $62,200 | 61% | 26.9 min |
| Eringate-Centennial-West Deane | 18,501 | $112,300 | 72% | 31.4 min |
| Downtown Yonge East | 18,251 | $71,000 | 69% | 28.7 min |
| Mimico-Queensway | 18,207 | $85,900 | 69% | 32 min |
| Downsview | 18,055 | $83,000 | 67% | 35.5 min |
| Morningside | 17,708 | $85,900 | 63% | 35.8 min |
| Clanton Park | 17,673 | $90,900 | 72% | 33.3 min |
| Victoria Village | 17,647 | $69,300 | 63% | 34.9 min |
| Bay-Cloverhill | 17,591 | $58,600 | 60% | 26.5 min |
| Brookhaven-Amesbury | 17,541 | $74,700 | 58% | 37.4 min |
| Malvern West | 17,354 | $89,300 | 61% | 36.3 min |
| Willowdale West | 17,210 | $77,100 | 70% | 33.8 min |
| Kennedy Park | 17,156 | $70,700 | 57% | 39.7 min |
| Danforth East York | 17,073 | $105,300 | 75% | 31.5 min |
| Yorkdale-Glen Park | 17,043 | $80,900 | 64% | 32.9 min |
| St.Andrew-Windfields | 17,005 | $123,000 | 71% | 30.8 min |
| Humbermede | 16,959 | $77,500 | 60% | 35.3 min |
| Scarborough Village | 16,774 | $71,900 | 56% | 38.7 min |
| Leaside-Bennington | 16,710 | $160,000 | 73% | 27.5 min |
| Hillcrest Village | 16,374 | $91,500 | 67% | 36.2 min |
| Mount Pleasant East | 16,373 | $114,900 | 77% | 29.3 min |
| Cliffcrest | 16,184 | $96,200 | 64% | 35.7 min |
| Bathurst Manor | 16,176 | $94,000 | 71% | 34.6 min |
| North Toronto | 16,007 | $70,500 | 74% | 34.9 min |
| Newtonbrook East | 15,996 | $83,600 | 67% | 34.9 min |
| Lansing-Westgate | 15,980 | $102,600 | 73% | 33.3 min |
| Trinity-Bellwoods | 15,691 | $96,300 | 71% | 31.5 min |
| Little Portugal | 15,669 | $87,400 | 75% | 32 min |
| East Willowdale | 15,514 | $100,400 | 62% | 32.3 min |
| Edenbridge-Humber Valley | 15,480 | $101,100 | 74% | 31.5 min |
| Pleasant View | 15,248 | $91,600 | 64% | 34.3 min |
| Taylor-Massey | 15,050 | $68,600 | 60% | 39.7 min |
| Lawrence Park South | 15,018 | $180,900 | 73% | 29.8 min |
| Lawrence Park North | 14,735 | $180,400 | 74% | 28.5 min |
| Roncesvalles | 14,725 | $90,600 | 74% | 33 min |
| Briar Hill-Belgravia | 14,590 | $83,000 | 69% | 37.1 min |
| Junction Area | 14,205 | $96,600 | 73% | 33.5 min |
| Greenwood-Coxwell | 14,146 | $97,600 | 70% | 33 min |
| Humewood-Cedarvale | 13,978 | $85,400 | 77% | 33 min |
| Parkwoods-O'Connor Hills | 13,943 | $102,000 | 66% | 32.7 min |
| Oakridge | 13,913 | $60,400 | 51% | 39.3 min |
| Wychwood | 13,828 | $88,200 | 74% | 32.2 min |
| Avondale | 13,803 | $84,400 | 71% | 33.1 min |
| West Queen West | 13,599 | $103,200 | 81% | 30 min |
| Centennial Scarborough | 13,453 | $139,900 | 71% | 37.7 min |
| Ionview | 13,382 | $76,900 | 62% | 38.9 min |
| Mount Dennis | 13,364 | $71,400 | 60% | 38.3 min |
| Corso Italia-Davenport | 13,215 | $99,100 | 73% | 36.4 min |
| Yonge-St.Clair | 13,177 | $96,000 | 85% | 29.9 min |
| Palmerston-Little Italy | 13,171 | $89,700 | 77% | 30.1 min |
| Yonge-Bay Corridor | 12,888 | $69,100 | 68% | 25.3 min |
| Regent Park | 12,797 | $65,200 | 57% | 33.8 min |
| Highland Creek | 12,678 | $127,400 | 67% | 34.9 min |
| Alderwood | 12,596 | $111,300 | 74% | 28.4 min |
| Bayview Woods-Steeles | 12,499 | $97,500 | 68% | 34 min |
| Forest Hill North | 12,432 | $92,400 | 78% | 32 min |
| Yonge-Eglinton | 12,424 | $95,400 | 77% | 30.8 min |
| Dovercourt Village | 12,378 | $91,300 | 71% | 31.4 min |
| Woodbine Corridor | 12,283 | $98,400 | 71% | 32.7 min |
| Etobicoke West Mall | 12,218 | $84,800 | 68% | 32.1 min |
| Humber Summit | 12,194 | $82,700 | 60% | 35.5 min |
| New Toronto | 11,502 | $69,100 | 68% | 32.6 min |
| North Riverdale | 11,491 | $115,700 | 75% | 29.1 min |
| Keelesdale-Eglinton West | 11,407 | $78,500 | 63% | 39.3 min |
| Long Branch | 11,400 | $85,000 | 74% | 34 min |
| Pelmo Park-Humberlea | 11,396 | $104,400 | 65% | 33.5 min |
| Casa Loma | 11,369 | $107,100 | 82% | 27.6 min |
| Dufferin Grove | 11,276 | $79,900 | 72% | 33.8 min |
| Cabbagetown-South St.James Town | 11,205 | $78,100 | 73% | 29.7 min |
| Princess-Rosethorn | 11,177 | $174,800 | 73% | 29.3 min |
| Broadview North | 11,080 | $69,800 | 69% | 32.8 min |
| Forest Hill South | 11,059 | $116,500 | 80% | 26 min |
| Bendale South | 10,885 | $92,900 | 61% | 36.3 min |
| Weston-Pelham Park | 10,680 | $88,600 | 62% | 39 min |
| Markland Wood | 10,559 | $107,200 | 73% | 29.8 min |
| Humber Heights-Westmount | 10,427 | $87,400 | 70% | 34 min |
| Rexdale-Kipling | 10,378 | $79,100 | 66% | 34.5 min |
| Runnymede-Bloor West Village | 10,129 | $145,600 | 77% | 30.8 min |
| Maple Leaf | 10,040 | $86,100 | 65% | 32.3 min |
| Caledonia-Fairbank | 10,037 | $89,800 | 69% | 39.2 min |
| Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills | 9,909 | $200,000 | 71% | 28.3 min |
| Guildwood | 9,797 | $106,600 | 72% | 39.2 min |
| Rustic | 9,543 | $66,300 | 56% | 36.4 min |
| Elms-Old Rexdale | 9,366 | $83,700 | 57% | 33.2 min |
| Danforth | 9,364 | $100,900 | 73% | 33.6 min |
| Thistletown-Beaumond Heights | 9,357 | $86,800 | 63% | 34.7 min |
| Old East York | 9,175 | $99,600 | 72% | 29.5 min |
| Kingsway South | 8,935 | $196,500 | 79% | 29.5 min |
| Lambton Baby Point | 7,966 | $109,800 | 69% | 31 min |
| Woodbine-Lumsden | 7,928 | $98,500 | 73% | 32.8 min |
| Playter Estates-Danforth | 7,712 | $91,000 | 73% | 27.6 min |
| University | 7,595 | $81,000 | 62% | 27.7 min |
| Blake-Jones | 7,494 | $90,400 | 67% | 31.8 min |
| Beechborough-Greenbrook | 6,419 | $63,100 | 60% | 40 min |
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: each neighbourhood summed from its dissemination areas; incomes are 2020’s.
In the Toronto census division, 43% more people receive EI than in 2019
The count topped out in February 2021 at 165,520 people, 4 times the 2019 average. That is about 3.5 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 1%.
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 Toronto census division, Toronto included.
Work in and around Toronto
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | 68% | 14% | $84K | 34.1 min | — | — |
| North Toronto 0.6 km | 74% | 13% | $71K | 34.9 min | D | A+ |
| Mount Pleasant East 1 km | 77% | 11% | $115K | 29.3 min | B+ | A+ |
| Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills 1.2 km | 71% | 8.3% | $200K | 28.3 min | B− | A |
| Lawrence Park South 1.4 km | 73% | 9.9% | $181K | 29.8 min | B− | A+ |
| South Eglinton-Davisville 1.5 km | 77% | 11% | $80K | 33.1 min | C | A+ |
| Yonge-Eglinton 1.5 km | 77% | 12% | $95K | 30.8 min | B− | 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 Toronto, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- 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. How many people in the census division drew Employment Insurance each month; it moves with layoffs and hiring, yet people who don’t qualify are absent from it.
- 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. Why 15 to 64? Otherwise retirees would pull the rate down in older towns. The census can’t say how old a neighbourhood’s workers are, so the count of people in work takes every age.
- Unemployment. A census-day figure: people without a job who were looking, divided by all those working or looking, ages 15 and up.
- Household income. The 2020 income of the household at the midpoint, all sources and before tax. Inside a city we rebuild it from the dissemination areas’ income bands, so there it is an estimate.
- Trip times. How long getting to work normally takes, averaged from the census’s time bands at their middles; expect it to read slightly high against the timed figure.
- Which towns we compare. Towns and city neighbourhoods of 2,500 people or more, never a whole city and never a First Nations reserve. Middles are medians.
Questions about work in Toronto
How long is the commute from Toronto?
34.1 minutes is the average trip, with 17% of commuters there in under 15 minutes and 13% taking an hour or more.
Where do people in Toronto work?
Most stay: 79% work in Toronto. The rest go first to Mississauga (34,845) and Vaughan (34,235).
How many jobs are there in Toronto?
The 2021 census counted about 753,185 people working in Toronto: 1.2 jobs for every resident who commutes to a fixed workplace. In June 2026, 109,280 businesses with employees were on Statistics Canada’s count.
What is the unemployment rate in Toronto?
Two figures answer it: 14% on census day in May 2021 (9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns), and 7.1% for the Toronto metro area in the Labour Force Survey of October 2026.
What is the average household income in Toronto?
Toronto’s middle household had $84,100 in 2020, before tax; Canadian towns have $85,900 at their middle.
How do people in Toronto get to work?
By car: 61% of commuters, 26% take public transit, 7.7% walk and 2% cycle; on census day 39% of those in work worked from home.
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).