Hamilton Profile

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

National Rank:10 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Hamilton Population

Total Population (2021)

569,353

Total Population (2016)

536,917

Population Growth

+6.0% (+32,436)

Growth Rank

#271 of 688Same geo level

Male

49.1%279,640

Female

50.9%289,715

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.965

Average Age

41.5

Median Age

40.8

Age Rank

#250 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

29,100(5.1%)

5–9

30,695(5.4%)

10–14

31,450(5.5%)

15–19

31,795(5.6%)

20–24

36,405(6.4%)

25–29

40,525(7.1%)

30–34

41,330(7.3%)

35–39

38,940(6.8%)

40–44

35,025(6.2%)

45–49

34,155(6.0%)

50–54

36,665(6.4%)

55–59

40,930(7.2%)

60–64

38,045(6.7%)

65–69

31,630(5.6%)

70–74

26,700(4.7%)

75–79

18,290(3.2%)

80–84

12,990(2.3%)

85+

14,685(2.6%)

Hamilton Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.5

Total Private Dwellings

233,564

Occupied Private Dwellings

222,807

Size Distribution

1 Person

62,110 (27.9%)

2 Persons

71,460 (32.1%)

3 Persons

35,325 (15.9%)

4 Persons

32,690 (14.7%)

5+ Persons

21,220 (9.5%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

60,520(27.2%)

Couples without children

50,885(22.8%)

One-parent families

23,015(10.3%)

One-person households

62,110(27.9%)

Multigenerational

8,140(3.7%)

Multiple-family

1,570(0.7%)

Hamilton Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$92,100After tax

Median Household Income

$75,500After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$45,520After tax

Median Individual Income

$36,800After tax

Income Rank

#318 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

81.4%

Employment Income

67.2%

Government Transfers

18.7%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

36,650(8.1%)

$10k–$20k

55,620(12.3%)

$20k–$30k

71,615(15.9%)

$30k–$40k

58,470(13.0%)

$40k–$50k

50,680(11.2%)

$50k–$60k

40,980(9.1%)

$60k–$70k

32,600(7.2%)

$70k–$80k

25,035(5.6%)

$80k–$90k

18,820(4.2%)

$90k–$100k

14,970(3.3%)

$100k+

45,215(10.0%)

Hamilton Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

54.3%

Unemployment Rate

12.3%

Total Labour Force

290,990

Employed

255,075

Unemployed

35,915

Not in Labour Force

178,805

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

10.8%

Children (0–17)

13.0%

Adults (18–64)

9.7%

Seniors (65+)

12.0%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3320 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.292

Hamilton 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

469,795

No certificate, diploma or degree

80,780 (17.2%)

High school diploma or equivalency

131,010 (27.9%)

Postsecondary credential

258,000 (54.9%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

78,510 (16.7%)66.3% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

24,145 (5.1%)20.4% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

3,750 (0.8%)3.2% 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

80,780(17.2%)

High school diploma or equivalency

131,010(27.9%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

26,335(5.6%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

103,665(22.1%)

University certificate below bachelor

9,515(2.0%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

118,490(25.2%)

Hamilton 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

25.1%

64,135 people

Share of 255,075 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

64,135(25.1%)

Usual place of work

159,435(62.5%)

No fixed workplace address

30,845(12.1%)

Worked outside Canada

670(0.3%)

Hamilton 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

290,990

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

2,910(1.0%)

Business, finance and administration

45,445(15.6%)

Natural and applied sciences

21,440(7.4%)

Health

26,740(9.2%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

34,650(11.9%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

8,770(3.0%)

Sales and service

72,160(24.8%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

49,190(16.9%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

4,665(1.6%)

Manufacturing and utilities

16,945(5.8%)

Hamilton 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

290,990

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

2,875(1.0%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

420(0.1%)

Utilities

1,620(0.6%)

Construction

21,760(7.5%)

Manufacturing

31,280(10.7%)

Wholesale trade

10,205(3.5%)

Retail trade

32,750(11.3%)

Transportation and warehousing

13,910(4.8%)

Information and cultural industries

5,520(1.9%)

Finance and insurance

11,280(3.9%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

5,290(1.8%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

20,155(6.9%)

Management of companies and enterprises

660(0.2%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

13,730(4.7%)

Educational services

24,850(8.5%)

Health care and social assistance

41,515(14.3%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

5,060(1.7%)

Accommodation and food services

15,865(5.5%)

Other services (except public administration)

11,910(4.1%)

Public administration

12,245(4.2%)

Hamilton Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

520,350 (92.3%)

French Only

410 (0.1%)

English & French

32,630 (5.8%)

Neither

10,435 (1.9%)

Mother Tongue

English

402,740 (71.4%)

French

6,195 (1.1%)

Non-official languages

133,065 (23.6%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

402,740(71.4%)

Arabic

12,560(2.2%)

Italian

12,490(2.2%)

Spanish

9,930(1.8%)

Portuguese

7,405(1.3%)

Polish

6,665(1.2%)

Punjabi

6,280(1.1%)

French

6,195(1.1%)

Mandarin

5,215(0.9%)

Urdu

5,150(0.9%)

Hamilton Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

125,130(56.2%)

Semi-detached

6,770(3.0%)

Row house

27,455(12.3%)

Duplex

7,380(3.3%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

19,045(8.5%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

36,465(16.4%)

Other attached

415(0.2%)

Movable

145(0.1%)

Housing · Hamilton (CMA), Ont.

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

306,815

Owner households

210,270 (68.5%)

Renter households

96,545 (31.5%)

Owners with a mortgage

126,650 (60.2%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

83,615 (39.8%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

12,545 (13.0%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

84,000 (87.0%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$1,350All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,576All households, 2021

Owners, median

$1,500

Renters, median

$1,210

Owners with a mortgage, median

$2,140

Owners without a mortgage, median

$685

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

70,360 (22.9%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

33,085 (15.7%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

37,275 (38.6%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

1,365 (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

20,075(6.5%)

$500 to $749

47,390(15.4%)

$750 to $999

41,570(13.5%)

$1,000 to $1,249

32,360(10.5%)

$1,250 to $1,499

26,885(8.8%)

$1,500 to $1,999

50,965(16.6%)

$2,000 to $2,499

37,795(12.3%)

$2,500 to $2,999

23,700(7.7%)

$3,000 and over

26,070(8.5%)

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 Hamilton

Hamilton sits at the western end of Lake Ontario, below the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario. It is a historic steel city that has diversified into health care, education, and a rebuilding downtown. The harbour, escarpment waterfalls, and older neighbourhoods define its geography. About 570,000 people live in Hamilton.

Known for

Steelmaking and Hamilton Harbour
Niagara Escarpment waterfalls
McMaster University and a large hospital sector
James Street North arts district
Royal Botanical Gardens on the city’s west edge

See & do

Dundurn Castle
Nineteenth-century estate overlooking Burlington Bay.
Art Gallery of Hamilton
Major civic gallery downtown.
Webster’s Falls
Escarpment waterfall park in the Dundas area.
HMCS Haida
Historic destroyer at Pier 9 on the harbour.
Bayfront Park
Harbourfront park on Hamilton Harbour.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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