Photo: Vertiflite · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Vaughan top those of 90% of Canadian towns
34% of its workers worked at home on census day, against 21% in the middle of Canadian towns. Getting to work from Vaughan takes 30.9 minutes on average, an hour or more for 8.7%. The 2021 census found 71% of working-age people in Vaughan employed, and the middle of Canadian towns sits at 73%.
Work in Vaughan: the figures worth knowing
Higher incomes than most towns
Household income at the median was $124,100 in 2020, before tax; Canadian towns have $85,900 at the middle. Household income ↓
A local job centre
122,305 people work in Vaughan and 82,650 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 30.9 minutes on average, against 26 in the middle of Canadian towns; 8.7% take an hour or more. The trip to work ↓
Many work from home
34% 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.
Jobs & income in Vaughan, before the letters
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.
The median household in Vaughan had $124,100 in 2020
Of the 53 other places of 2,500 or more in the York census division, 23 have a higher median. That puts Vaughan 35% above the median of Ontario’s towns, $91,600. These are 2020 incomes, before tax, and they include pandemic benefits such as CERB, which lifted many lower incomes that year.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
A working day adds 29% to the people at work in Vaughan
For every resident who leaves Vaughan for work, about 2 people come in. 46% of residents who commute work inside the municipality, against 70% in the middle of Canadian towns.
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
Time on the road to work from Vaughan
Statistics Canada’s own average, timed exactly rather than by band, is 27.4 minutes. In the middle of Ontario’s towns, the average commute is 28.6 minutes. Trips under 15 minutes: 20%, 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.
Leaving the car at home: 8.8% of commuters in Vaughan
By bus, train or subway: 6.5%, against 3.5% in the middle of Canadian towns. 89% drive to work, more than 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).
84,534 people come into Vaughan to work, most from Toronto and Brampton
- Toronto34,235
- Brampton12,130
- Richmond Hill6,410
- Mississauga4,535
- Markham4,475
- Bolton2,170
- Newmarket1,800
- King1,695
- Bradford1,600
- Barrie1,515
- Toronto27,180
- Mississauga4,250
- Richmond Hill3,265
- Brampton2,920
- Markham2,845
- Bolton815
- Aurora580
- Newmarket525
- King420
- Oakville210
Of everyone working in Vaughan, 69% come in from elsewhere; 34,235 make the 17 km trip from Toronto. Of residents who leave for work, most head to Toronto (27,180).
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 Vaughan were working in 2021
Of the 53 other places of 2,500 people or more in the York census division, 30 have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
An older population pulls the all-ages rate down: 58% of residents 15 and over were in work. The Labour Force Survey’s employment rate for the wider area was 62% in October 2026. Counting those looking for work too, 66% of people aged 15 and over were in the labour force. The census caught the labour market on 11 May 2021, deep in the pandemic, so unemployment and working from home both ran above normal.
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.
Household incomes across Vaughan: $74K to $161K
Median household income in each of Vaughan’s 24 neighbourhoods: the highest is 2.2 times the lowest. The share of 15-to-64s in work runs from 63% in Peace Village to 76% in Crossroads.
| Neighbourhood | People | Household income | In work, 15–64 | Average trip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vellore | 39,490 | $136,200 | 70% | 30.7 min |
| Beverley Glen | 38,720 | $109,700 | 74% | 31.1 min |
| Maple | 20,122 | $124,900 | 71% | 30.2 min |
| Purpleville | 19,918 | $148,300 | 71% | 31.6 min |
| Woodbridge | 18,835 | $95,900 | 73% | 28 min |
| Thornhill | 17,940 | $118,700 | 71% | 30.5 min |
| Elder Mills | 16,790 | $146,300 | 72% | 29.7 min |
| Peace Village | 14,598 | $126,700 | 63% | 31.3 min |
| Pine Grove | 13,302 | $136,700 | 73% | 26.9 min |
| Thornhill Woods | 13,237 | $150,800 | 69% | 32.6 min |
| Carrville Corners | 13,004 | $150,300 | 74% | 32.3 min |
| New Kleinburg | 11,333 | $160,500 | 73% | 33.6 min |
| Upper Thornhill Estates | 10,435 | $154,100 | 71% | 33.8 min |
| The Valleys of Thornhill | 9,979 | $140,300 | 73% | 34.3 min |
| Vaughan Metropolitan Centre | 8,484 | $109,100 | 74% | 28.2 min |
| Dufferin Hill | 7,910 | $135,600 | 71% | 32.3 min |
| Teston | 7,437 | $149,600 | 69% | 32 min |
| Concord | 7,225 | $102,900 | 71% | 31.4 min |
| Edgeley | 7,016 | $73,500 | 69% | 32.4 min |
| Hope | 6,997 | $138,900 | 72% | 31.3 min |
| The Estates of Rainbow Creek | 6,822 | $122,400 | 68% | 27.8 min |
| The Ravines of Rainbow Creek | 5,333 | $118,000 | 73% | 30.7 min |
| Crossroads | 4,525 | $138,700 | 76% | 33.1 min |
| Woodbridge Meadows | 3,651 | $145,300 | 70% | 28.5 min |
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: each neighbourhood summed from its dissemination areas; incomes are 2020’s.
In the York census division, 39% more people receive EI than in 2019
Set against the same month a year before, the count in August 2026 rose by 2%. The count topped out in April 2021 at 58,380 people, 3.7 times the 2019 average. For each 100 residents of working age in the division, about 3.5 are on EI.
Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance beneficiaries by census division (14-10-0323): all income benefits, not seasonally adjusted. Data for EI beneficiaries covers the York census division. EI counts are context, not part of any grade.
People receiving Employment Insurance each month, as a share of the 2019 average (100).
Work in and around Vaughan
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaughan | 71% | 13% | $124K | 30.9 min | — | — |
| Maple 1.7 km | 71% | 13% | $125K | 30.2 min | B− | A |
| Vellore 2.5 km | 70% | 13% | $136K | 30.7 min | C+ | A− |
| Peace Village 3.1 km | 63% | 15% | $127K | 31.3 min | C | A− |
| Carrville Corners 3.3 km | 74% | 12% | $150K | 32.3 min | B− | A− |
| Dufferin Hill 3.3 km | 71% | 12% | $136K | 32.3 min | C+ | A |
| Purpleville 3.4 km | 71% | 12% | $148K | 31.6 min | C+ | B+ |
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 Vaughan, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- Employment Insurance. People receiving EI benefits each month, counted for the census division. It follows the local job market; it isn’t an unemployment 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.
- Unemployment. Unemployed people over the labour force (in work or looking), aged 15 and over, on census day.
- 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. 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. Only people with a usual place of work are in it: those who work from home or have no fixed site are not. Home and work are both counted by municipality.
- 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 Vaughan
What is the unemployment rate in Vaughan?
On census day in May 2021, unemployment stood at 13% of the labour force (9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns). For a recent figure, the Labour Force Survey put the Toronto metro area at 7.1% in October 2026.
What is the average household income in Vaughan?
Before tax, half the households in Vaughan had more than $124,100 in 2020; the middle of Canadian towns is $85,900.
How do people in Vaughan get to work?
By car: 89% of commuters, 6.5% take public transit, 2% walk and 0.3% cycle; on census day 34% of those in work worked from home.
How long is the commute from Vaughan?
30.9 minutes is the average trip, with 20% of commuters there in under 15 minutes and 8.7% taking an hour or more.
Where do people in Vaughan work?
Only 46% work in Vaughan itself; the rest go first to Toronto (27,180) and Mississauga (4,250).
How many jobs are there in Vaughan?
The 2021 census counted about 122,305 people working in Vaughan: 1.5 jobs for every resident who commutes to a fixed workplace. Statistics Canada counted 20,003 businesses with employees in June 2026.
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).