Brantford Profile

Explore population, households, income, employment, education, commute, occupation, industry, languages, and dwellings for Brantford. Compare trends since 2016 and dig into the full profile below.

National Rank:53 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Brantford Population

Total Population (2021)

104,688

Total Population (2016)

98,563

Population Growth

+6.2% (+6,125)

Growth Rank

#261 of 688Same geo level

Male

48.9%51,205

Female

51.1%53,480

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.957

Average Age

41.4

Median Age

40.8

Age Rank

#243 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

5,660(5.4%)

5–9

6,000(5.7%)

10–14

6,305(6.0%)

15–19

5,930(5.7%)

20–24

6,195(5.9%)

25–29

7,125(6.8%)

30–34

7,120(6.8%)

35–39

6,985(6.7%)

40–44

6,670(6.4%)

45–49

6,345(6.1%)

50–54

6,325(6.0%)

55–59

7,205(6.9%)

60–64

7,030(6.7%)

65–69

6,185(5.9%)

70–74

5,155(4.9%)

75–79

3,465(3.3%)

80–84

2,335(2.2%)

85+

2,650(2.5%)

Brantford Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.5

Total Private Dwellings

43,269

Occupied Private Dwellings

41,673

Size Distribution

1 Person

11,660 (28.0%)

2 Persons

13,850 (33.2%)

3 Persons

6,740 (16.2%)

4 Persons

5,690 (13.7%)

5+ Persons

3,740 (9.0%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

10,490(25.2%)

Couples without children

9,840(23.6%)

One-parent families

4,695(11.3%)

One-person households

11,655(28.0%)

Multigenerational

1,595(3.8%)

Multiple-family

255(0.6%)

Brantford Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$79,900After tax

Median Household Income

$71,000After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$40,600After tax

Median Individual Income

$35,600After tax

Income Rank

#434 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

77.0%

Employment Income

64.8%

Government Transfers

23.1%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

5,925(7.2%)

$10k–$20k

10,525(12.8%)

$20k–$30k

13,840(16.9%)

$30k–$40k

11,450(14.0%)

$40k–$50k

9,975(12.2%)

$50k–$60k

8,535(10.4%)

$60k–$70k

6,360(7.8%)

$70k–$80k

4,270(5.2%)

$80k–$90k

3,155(3.9%)

$90k–$100k

2,265(2.8%)

$100k+

5,645(6.9%)

Brantford Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

53.8%

Unemployment Rate

12.4%

Total Labour Force

52,320

Employed

45,825

Unemployed

6,490

Not in Labour Force

32,910

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

10.8%

Children (0–17)

13.1%

Adults (18–64)

9.4%

Seniors (65+)

12.9%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.2890 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.255

Brantford Education

Highest certificate, diploma or degree for the population aged 15 and over, Census 2021. The highest-credential groups are mutually exclusive. Bachelor's degree, master's degree, and medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine sit inside “bachelor's degree or higher” and are not extra slices of the population. Shares are calculated on this site from the published counts. Statistics Canada randomly rounds census counts, so parts can miss the published total by a few people.

Highest credential

Population aged 15 and over

85,225

No certificate, diploma or degree

16,605 (19.5%)

High school diploma or equivalency

27,345 (32.1%)

Postsecondary credential

41,270 (48.4%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

10,210 (12.0%)73.2% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

2,390 (2.8%)17.1% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

245 (0.3%)1.8% of bachelor's or higher

Those credentials are published parts of bachelor's degree or higher. They do not add up to that count. Earned doctorates and other university credentials above the bachelor level stay inside the published total and are not separate columns in this extract.

Share of the population aged 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree

16,605(19.5%)

High school diploma or equivalency

27,345(32.1%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

5,255(6.2%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

20,690(24.3%)

University certificate below bachelor

1,395(1.6%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

13,940(16.4%)

Brantford Commute

Place of work for the employed labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021. Worked at home is the census count of people who worked at home, shown as a share of that employed labour force. Shares are calculated on this site from the published counts. Statistics Canada randomly rounds census counts, so parts can miss the published total by a few people.

Worked at home

16.4%

7,495 people

Share of 45,825 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

7,495(16.4%)

Usual place of work

32,635(71.2%)

No fixed workplace address

5,565(12.1%)

Worked outside Canada

130(0.3%)

Brantford Occupation

Broad category for the labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021, using the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021. Legislative and senior management is broad category 0, not every job with “manager” in the title. Shares use the published labour-force total. These categories do not add up to that total. Counts are randomly rounded, and people with no classified category stay in the published total. This page does not estimate that remainder.

Labour force

52,315

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

390(0.7%)

Business, finance and administration

7,260(13.9%)

Natural and applied sciences

2,685(5.1%)

Health

3,735(7.1%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

5,490(10.5%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

1,050(2.0%)

Sales and service

13,245(25.3%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

10,530(20.1%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

825(1.6%)

Manufacturing and utilities

5,810(11.1%)

Brantford Industry

Industry sector for the labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021. Shares use the published labour-force total. These categories do not add up to that total. Counts are randomly rounded, and people with no classified category stay in the published total. This page does not estimate that remainder.

Labour force

52,315

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

470(0.9%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

75(0.1%)

Utilities

270(0.5%)

Construction

3,855(7.4%)

Manufacturing

9,260(17.7%)

Wholesale trade

1,980(3.8%)

Retail trade

6,005(11.5%)

Transportation and warehousing

3,490(6.7%)

Information and cultural industries

550(1.1%)

Finance and insurance

1,370(2.6%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

780(1.5%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

2,450(4.7%)

Management of companies and enterprises

65(0.1%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

2,540(4.9%)

Educational services

3,580(6.8%)

Health care and social assistance

6,415(12.3%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

860(1.6%)

Accommodation and food services

3,070(5.9%)

Other services (except public administration)

2,160(4.1%)

Public administration

1,775(3.4%)

Brantford Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

97,805 (94.3%)

French Only

25 (0.0%)

English & French

4,930 (4.8%)

Neither

990 (1.0%)

Mother Tongue

English

87,175 (84.0%)

French

995 (1.0%)

Non-official languages

13,160 (12.7%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

87,175(84.0%)

Punjabi

2,195(2.1%)

Polish

1,275(1.2%)

French

995(1.0%)

Italian

920(0.9%)

Spanish

805(0.8%)

Vietnamese

680(0.7%)

Portuguese

635(0.6%)

Tagalog

555(0.5%)

Urdu

520(0.5%)

Brantford Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

25,235(60.6%)

Semi-detached

1,950(4.7%)

Row house

3,965(9.5%)

Duplex

1,585(3.8%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

4,370(10.5%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

4,480(10.7%)

Other attached

75(0.2%)

Movable

15(0.0%)

Housing · Brantford (CMA), Ont.

These figures are published for Brantford (CMA), Ont., a census metropolitan area, reference period 2021. They are not counts for Brantford alone. Shares are calculated on this site from the published household counts in tables 98-10-0252-01 and 98-10-0253-01.

Tenure

Private households

55,515

Owner households

39,615 (71.4%)

Renter households

15,895 (28.6%)

Owners with a mortgage

24,900 (62.9%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

14,720 (37.2%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

2,295 (14.4%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

13,600 (85.6%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$1,240All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,388All households, 2021

Owners, median

$1,340

Renters, median

$1,130

Owners with a mortgage, median

$1,820

Owners without a mortgage, median

$584

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

11,345 (20.4%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

5,240 (13.2%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

6,105 (38.4%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

125 (0.2%)

Monthly shelter cost

Published household counts by shelter-cost band. Census counts are randomly rounded, so the bands can differ slightly from the household total.

Less than $500

5,835(10.5%)

$500 to $749

9,165(16.5%)

$750 to $999

6,505(11.7%)

$1,000 to $1,249

6,405(11.5%)

$1,250 to $1,499

5,690(10.2%)

$1,500 to $1,999

10,395(18.7%)

$2,000 to $2,499

6,170(11.1%)

$2,500 to $2,999

2,955(5.3%)

$3,000 and over

2,385(4.3%)

Shelter cost is the census monthly amount. For owners it includes mortgage payments, property taxes and condominium fees, along with electricity, heat, water and other municipal services. For renters it includes rent and those utility payments when the tenant pays them. Current consumer prices are a separate series on the cost-of-living page. Data sources.

Community snapshot

About Brantford

Brantford is on the Grand River in southwestern Ontario, between Hamilton and London. It grew as a canal and manufacturing town and is often called the Telephone City for Alexander Graham Bell’s early work here. Six Nations of the Grand River lies immediately to the south. About 105,000 people live in Brantford.

Known for

Alexander Graham Bell and the Telephone City name
Grand River and the former canal corridor
Proximity to Six Nations of the Grand River
Harmony Square and a rebuilt downtown core
Manufacturing and distribution on the 403 corridor

See & do

Bell Homestead National Historic Site
The Bell family’s Tutela Heights home and early telephone workshop.
Harmony Square
Civic plaza at the centre of downtown.
Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant
Gallery and gardens on the Grand River.
Her Majesty’s Royal Chapel of the Mohawks
Historic chapel on the river, among the oldest Protestant churches in Ontario.
Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts
Restored downtown theatre.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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Data sources → Census profiles, housing tables, and consumer prices