Kingston Profile

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

National Rank:45 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Kingston Population

Total Population (2021)

132,485

Total Population (2016)

123,798

Population Growth

+7.0% (+8,687)

Growth Rank

#234 of 688Same geo level

Male

48.4%64,095

Female

51.6%68,385

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.937

Average Age

42.7

Median Age

41.2

Age Rank

#320 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

5,820(4.4%)

5–9

6,300(4.8%)

10–14

6,610(5.0%)

15–19

7,180(5.4%)

20–24

10,045(7.6%)

25–29

10,275(7.8%)

30–34

9,490(7.2%)

35–39

8,400(6.3%)

40–44

7,750(5.8%)

45–49

7,115(5.4%)

50–54

7,700(5.8%)

55–59

9,175(6.9%)

60–64

8,720(6.6%)

65–69

7,875(5.9%)

70–74

7,090(5.4%)

75–79

5,220(3.9%)

80–84

3,700(2.8%)

85+

4,020(3.0%)

Kingston Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.2

Total Private Dwellings

63,095

Occupied Private Dwellings

57,836

Size Distribution

1 Person

19,055 (32.9%)

2 Persons

20,950 (36.2%)

3 Persons

7,960 (13.8%)

4 Persons

6,550 (11.3%)

5+ Persons

3,320 (5.7%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

11,790(20.4%)

Couples without children

15,025(26.0%)

One-parent families

4,980(8.6%)

One-person households

19,055(32.9%)

Multigenerational

1,115(1.9%)

Multiple-family

255(0.4%)

Kingston Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$83,200After tax

Median Household Income

$70,500After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$45,160After tax

Median Individual Income

$37,600After tax

Income Rank

#442 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

81.8%

Employment Income

60.2%

Government Transfers

18.2%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

8,095(7.6%)

$10k–$20k

12,995(12.2%)

$20k–$30k

16,015(15.0%)

$30k–$40k

14,150(13.3%)

$40k–$50k

11,910(11.2%)

$50k–$60k

9,655(9.1%)

$60k–$70k

7,895(7.4%)

$70k–$80k

6,185(5.8%)

$80k–$90k

4,635(4.3%)

$90k–$100k

3,680(3.5%)

$100k+

11,395(10.7%)

Kingston Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

52.7%

Unemployment Rate

13.2%

Total Labour Force

66,980

Employed

58,165

Unemployed

8,815

Not in Labour Force

43,420

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

11.3%

Children (0–17)

11.3%

Adults (18–64)

11.7%

Seniors (65+)

9.8%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3370 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.294

Kingston 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

110,400

No certificate, diploma or degree

13,020 (11.8%)

High school diploma or equivalency

31,590 (28.6%)

Postsecondary credential

65,785 (59.6%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

19,525 (17.7%)57.6% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

8,420 (7.6%)24.9% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

1,450 (1.3%)4.3% 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

13,020(11.8%)

High school diploma or equivalency

31,590(28.6%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

4,865(4.4%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

25,200(22.8%)

University certificate below bachelor

1,855(1.7%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

33,875(30.7%)

Kingston 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

25.6%

14,865 people

Share of 58,165 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

14,865(25.6%)

Usual place of work

37,305(64.1%)

No fixed workplace address

5,820(10.0%)

Worked outside Canada

170(0.3%)

Kingston 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

66,980

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

670(1.0%)

Business, finance and administration

9,380(14.0%)

Natural and applied sciences

4,755(7.1%)

Health

7,860(11.7%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

13,005(19.4%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

1,915(2.9%)

Sales and service

17,430(26.0%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

7,910(11.8%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

780(1.2%)

Manufacturing and utilities

1,405(2.1%)

Kingston 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

66,980

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

430(0.6%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

85(0.1%)

Utilities

345(0.5%)

Construction

3,765(5.6%)

Manufacturing

2,645(3.9%)

Wholesale trade

1,095(1.6%)

Retail trade

7,655(11.4%)

Transportation and warehousing

1,915(2.9%)

Information and cultural industries

805(1.2%)

Finance and insurance

1,870(2.8%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

1,320(2.0%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

3,810(5.7%)

Management of companies and enterprises

55(0.1%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

2,600(3.9%)

Educational services

8,855(13.2%)

Health care and social assistance

11,520(17.2%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

1,160(1.7%)

Accommodation and food services

5,200(7.8%)

Other services (except public administration)

2,290(3.4%)

Public administration

7,710(11.5%)

Kingston Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

111,430 (85.8%)

French Only

190 (0.1%)

English & French

17,430 (13.4%)

Neither

780 (0.6%)

Mother Tongue

English

107,590 (82.9%)

French

4,055 (3.1%)

Non-official languages

15,090 (11.6%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

107,590(82.9%)

French

4,055(3.1%)

Mandarin

1,630(1.3%)

Portuguese

1,460(1.1%)

Arabic

1,225(0.9%)

Spanish

1,075(0.8%)

Persian

550(0.4%)

Punjabi

525(0.4%)

Tagalog

520(0.4%)

Korean

510(0.4%)

Kingston Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

27,790(48.0%)

Semi-detached

4,255(7.4%)

Row house

4,005(6.9%)

Duplex

2,330(4.0%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

9,410(16.3%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

9,745(16.8%)

Other attached

110(0.2%)

Movable

190(0.3%)

Housing · Kingston (CMA), Ont.

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

73,165

Owner households

45,825 (62.6%)

Renter households

27,340 (37.4%)

Owners with a mortgage

26,585 (58.0%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

19,245 (42.0%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

3,135 (11.5%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

24,210 (88.6%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$1,270All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,380All households, 2021

Owners, median

$1,310

Renters, median

$1,240

Owners with a mortgage, median

$1,800

Owners without a mortgage, median

$632

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

16,485 (22.5%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

5,260 (11.5%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

11,225 (41.1%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

320 (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

6,000(8.2%)

$500 to $749

11,920(16.3%)

$750 to $999

9,260(12.7%)

$1,000 to $1,249

8,670(11.8%)

$1,250 to $1,499

8,955(12.2%)

$1,500 to $1,999

14,655(20.0%)

$2,000 to $2,499

8,025(11.0%)

$2,500 to $2,999

2,945(4.0%)

$3,000 and over

2,730(3.7%)

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 Kingston

Kingston sits at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the St. Lawrence River and the Rideau Canal begin. It is a historic military and university city with limestone buildings and a large penitentiary legacy. Downtown occupies a peninsula between the Cataraqui River and the lake. About 130,000 people live in Kingston.

Known for

Queen’s University and the Royal Military College
Limestone historic downtown
Fort Henry and the Rideau Canal
A former penitentiary city
Freshwater sailing at the head of the St. Lawrence

See & do

Fort Henry
Nineteenth-century British fort above the harbour.
Downtown Kingston waterfront
Limestone streets, market square, and harbour.
Canada’s Penitentiary Museum
Museum at the former Kingston Penitentiary site.
Marine Museum of the Great Lakes
Shipyard museum on the waterfront.
Queen’s University campus
Limestone campus beside City Park.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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