Cambridge Profile

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

National Rank:41 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Cambridge Population

Total Population (2021)

138,479

Total Population (2016)

129,920

Population Growth

+6.6% (+8,559)

Growth Rank

#247 of 688Same geo level

Male

49.5%68,615

Female

50.4%69,860

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.982

Average Age

Median Age

39.2

Age Rank

#150 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

7,575(5.5%)

5–9

8,240(6.0%)

10–14

8,665(6.3%)

15–19

8,455(6.1%)

20–24

8,325(6.0%)

25–29

9,620(6.9%)

30–34

9,965(7.2%)

35–39

9,680(7.0%)

40–44

8,965(6.5%)

45–49

9,280(6.7%)

50–54

9,195(6.6%)

55–59

9,905(7.2%)

60–64

8,470(6.1%)

65–69

6,980(5.0%)

70–74

5,790(4.2%)

75–79

3,910(2.8%)

80–84

2,630(1.9%)

85+

2,855(2.1%)

Cambridge Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.7

Total Private Dwellings

53,013

Occupied Private Dwellings

51,269

Size Distribution

1 Person

11,870 (23.2%)

2 Persons

16,295 (31.8%)

3 Persons

8,860 (17.3%)

4 Persons

8,605 (16.8%)

5+ Persons

5,630 (11.0%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

15,590(30.4%)

Couples without children

11,830(23.1%)

One-parent families

5,420(10.6%)

One-person households

11,870(23.2%)

Multigenerational

2,305(4.5%)

Multiple-family

440(0.9%)

Cambridge Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$91,500After tax

Median Household Income

$82,000After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$43,480After tax

Median Individual Income

$38,000After tax

Income Rank

#235 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

81.4%

Employment Income

71.0%

Government Transfers

18.5%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

8,275(7.7%)

$10k–$20k

12,400(11.5%)

$20k–$30k

16,810(15.6%)

$30k–$40k

13,860(12.9%)

$40k–$50k

12,460(11.6%)

$50k–$60k

10,915(10.1%)

$60k–$70k

8,600(8.0%)

$70k–$80k

6,310(5.9%)

$80k–$90k

4,700(4.4%)

$90k–$100k

3,635(3.4%)

$100k+

9,890(9.2%)

Cambridge Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

58.4%

Unemployment Rate

11.5%

Total Labour Force

74,395

Employed

65,845

Unemployed

8,550

Not in Labour Force

38,260

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

8.2%

Children (0–17)

10.3%

Adults (18–64)

6.7%

Seniors (65+)

11.4%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.2950 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.259

Cambridge 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

112,655

No certificate, diploma or degree

21,115 (18.7%)

High school diploma or equivalency

35,125 (31.2%)

Postsecondary credential

56,420 (50.1%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

16,000 (14.2%)70.9% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

4,345 (3.9%)19.3% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

495 (0.4%)2.2% 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

21,115(18.7%)

High school diploma or equivalency

35,125(31.2%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

6,555(5.8%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

25,140(22.3%)

University certificate below bachelor

2,155(1.9%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

22,570(20.0%)

Cambridge 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

21.4%

14,100 people

Share of 65,845 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

14,100(21.4%)

Usual place of work

44,320(67.3%)

No fixed workplace address

7,235(11.0%)

Worked outside Canada

195(0.3%)

Cambridge 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

74,390

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

640(0.9%)

Business, finance and administration

11,790(15.8%)

Natural and applied sciences

5,915(8.0%)

Health

4,380(5.9%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

7,055(9.5%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

1,630(2.2%)

Sales and service

17,740(23.8%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

14,580(19.6%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

1,105(1.5%)

Manufacturing and utilities

7,710(10.4%)

Cambridge 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

74,390

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

605(0.8%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

130(0.2%)

Utilities

340(0.5%)

Construction

5,630(7.6%)

Manufacturing

13,820(18.6%)

Wholesale trade

3,620(4.9%)

Retail trade

8,565(11.5%)

Transportation and warehousing

4,600(6.2%)

Information and cultural industries

1,270(1.7%)

Finance and insurance

2,840(3.8%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

1,090(1.5%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

4,980(6.7%)

Management of companies and enterprises

165(0.2%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

3,055(4.1%)

Educational services

4,605(6.2%)

Health care and social assistance

7,435(10.0%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

940(1.3%)

Accommodation and food services

3,605(4.8%)

Other services (except public administration)

2,730(3.7%)

Public administration

2,495(3.4%)

Cambridge Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

127,465 (92.7%)

French Only

80 (0.1%)

English & French

7,450 (5.4%)

Neither

2,490 (1.8%)

Mother Tongue

English

102,570 (74.6%)

French

1,540 (1.1%)

Non-official languages

28,515 (20.7%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

102,570(74.6%)

Portuguese

5,220(3.8%)

Punjabi

3,325(2.4%)

Urdu

2,480(1.8%)

Gujarati

2,000(1.5%)

Spanish

1,755(1.3%)

French

1,540(1.1%)

Arabic

1,265(0.9%)

Polish

965(0.7%)

Tagalog

780(0.6%)

Cambridge Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

29,110(56.8%)

Semi-detached

3,730(7.3%)

Row house

6,325(12.3%)

Duplex

1,735(3.4%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

7,160(14.0%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

3,020(5.9%)

Other attached

165(0.3%)

Movable

30(0.1%)

Housing · Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo (CMA), Ont.

These figures are published for Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo (CMA), Ont., a census metropolitan area, reference period 2021. They are not counts for Cambridge 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

218,525

Owner households

141,080 (64.6%)

Renter households

77,445 (35.4%)

Owners with a mortgage

88,870 (63.0%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

52,215 (37.0%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

8,065 (10.4%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

69,380 (89.6%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$1,410All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,520All households, 2021

Owners, median

$1,540

Renters, median

$1,300

Owners with a mortgage, median

$2,020

Owners without a mortgage, median

$624

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

47,860 (21.9%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

19,555 (13.9%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

28,305 (36.5%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

885 (0.4%)

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

16,915(7.7%)

$500 to $749

31,550(14.4%)

$750 to $999

23,630(10.8%)

$1,000 to $1,249

22,565(10.3%)

$1,250 to $1,499

22,355(10.2%)

$1,500 to $1,999

44,690(20.5%)

$2,000 to $2,499

28,875(13.2%)

$2,500 to $2,999

15,185(6.9%)

$3,000 and over

12,765(5.8%)

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 Cambridge

Cambridge is the southern city of Waterloo Region, at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers. It was formed by amalgamating Galt, Preston, and Hespeler. Stone mill buildings in Galt and older factory towns still give each former community its own downtown. About 140,000 people live in Cambridge.

Known for

Amalgamated Galt, Preston, and Hespeler
Grand River mill-town architecture
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada
Historic downtown Galt
River trails along the Grand

See & do

Downtown Galt
Stone buildings along the Grand River.
Idea Exchange, Queen’s Square
Modern library and gallery on the river.
Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory
Indoor tropical butterfly habitat.
Linear Park
Grand River trails through the city.
McDougall Cottage
Historic stone cottage interpreting Scottish settlement.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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