Thunder Bay Profile

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

National Rank:51 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Consumer Price Index

Thunder Bay, Ontario

All-items index for September 2026, up 2.8% from September 2025, calculated from the published index (2002=100). Statistics Canada publishes this series as “Thunder Bay, Ontario”. It follows that price-index area, not the municipal boundary of Thunder Bay alone.

All-items: 158.5
12-month change: +2.8%

Source: Statistics Canada table 18-10-0004-01, reference month September 2026 (2002=100). Compare consumer prices across Canada. Data sources.

Thunder Bay Population

Total Population (2021)

108,843

Total Population (2016)

107,909

Population Growth

+0.9% (+934)

Growth Rank

#539 of 688Same geo level

Male

49.2%53,505

Female

50.8%55,330

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.967

Average Age

43.7

Median Age

Age Rank

#389 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

4,825(4.4%)

5–9

5,165(4.7%)

10–14

5,435(5.0%)

15–19

5,405(5.0%)

20–24

7,325(6.7%)

25–29

8,070(7.4%)

30–34

6,970(6.4%)

35–39

6,500(6.0%)

40–44

5,920(5.4%)

45–49

6,235(5.7%)

50–54

6,785(6.2%)

55–59

7,990(7.3%)

60–64

8,390(7.7%)

65–69

7,215(6.6%)

70–74

6,255(5.7%)

75–79

4,075(3.7%)

80–84

2,960(2.7%)

85+

3,320(3.1%)

Thunder Bay Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.2

Total Private Dwellings

50,995

Occupied Private Dwellings

48,405

Size Distribution

1 Person

16,765 (34.6%)

2 Persons

16,960 (35.0%)

3 Persons

6,670 (13.8%)

4 Persons

5,385 (11.1%)

5+ Persons

2,625 (5.4%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

9,800(20.2%)

Couples without children

12,310(25.4%)

One-parent families

4,865(10.1%)

One-person households

16,765(34.6%)

Multigenerational

845(1.7%)

Multiple-family

150(0.3%)

Thunder Bay Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$79,700After tax

Median Household Income

$69,000After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$43,600After tax

Median Individual Income

$38,800After tax

Income Rank

#461 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

79.4%

Employment Income

62.1%

Government Transfers

20.6%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

5,825(6.6%)

$10k–$20k

10,045(11.4%)

$20k–$30k

13,250(15.0%)

$30k–$40k

11,850(13.4%)

$40k–$50k

10,805(12.2%)

$50k–$60k

8,940(10.1%)

$60k–$70k

7,060(8.0%)

$70k–$80k

5,380(6.1%)

$80k–$90k

3,805(4.3%)

$90k–$100k

3,040(3.4%)

$100k+

8,230(9.3%)

Thunder Bay Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

51.9%

Unemployment Rate

11.2%

Total Labour Force

53,355

Employed

47,395

Unemployed

5,960

Not in Labour Force

37,885

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

11.6%

Children (0–17)

15.3%

Adults (18–64)

10.9%

Seniors (65+)

11.0%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3120 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.277

Thunder Bay 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

91,235

No certificate, diploma or degree

15,530 (17.0%)

High school diploma or equivalency

25,180 (27.6%)

Postsecondary credential

50,525 (55.4%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

14,110 (15.5%)68.5% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

3,840 (4.2%)18.7% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

625 (0.7%)3.0% 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

15,530(17.0%)

High school diploma or equivalency

25,180(27.6%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

6,260(6.9%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

22,040(24.2%)

University certificate below bachelor

1,645(1.8%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

20,585(22.6%)

Thunder Bay 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

16.9%

7,990 people

Share of 47,390 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

7,990(16.9%)

Usual place of work

34,195(72.2%)

No fixed workplace address

5,155(10.9%)

Worked outside Canada

60(0.1%)

Thunder Bay 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

53,350

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

390(0.7%)

Business, finance and administration

7,775(14.6%)

Natural and applied sciences

3,205(6.0%)

Health

6,045(11.3%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

8,475(15.9%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

1,035(1.9%)

Sales and service

13,845(26.0%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

9,000(16.9%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

1,155(2.2%)

Manufacturing and utilities

1,290(2.4%)

Thunder Bay 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

53,350

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

795(1.5%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

780(1.5%)

Utilities

660(1.2%)

Construction

3,600(6.7%)

Manufacturing

1,895(3.6%)

Wholesale trade

1,085(2.0%)

Retail trade

6,890(12.9%)

Transportation and warehousing

3,020(5.7%)

Information and cultural industries

865(1.6%)

Finance and insurance

1,100(2.1%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

580(1.1%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

2,965(5.6%)

Management of companies and enterprises

30(0.1%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

1,765(3.3%)

Educational services

4,720(8.8%)

Health care and social assistance

10,685(20.0%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

840(1.6%)

Accommodation and food services

3,730(7.0%)

Other services (except public administration)

2,350(4.4%)

Public administration

3,865(7.2%)

Thunder Bay Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

98,045 (91.5%)

French Only

70 (0.1%)

English & French

8,565 (8.0%)

Neither

500 (0.5%)

Mother Tongue

English

91,050 (84.9%)

French

2,080 (1.9%)

Non-official languages

11,560 (10.8%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

91,050(84.9%)

Italian

2,180(2.0%)

French

2,080(1.9%)

Polish

670(0.6%)

Mandarin

370(0.3%)

Arabic

360(0.3%)

Spanish

360(0.3%)

Gujarati

320(0.3%)

Portuguese

300(0.3%)

Punjabi

250(0.2%)

Thunder Bay Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

31,685(65.5%)

Semi-detached

2,075(4.3%)

Row house

1,445(3.0%)

Duplex

2,430(5.0%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

7,865(16.2%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

2,575(5.3%)

Other attached

110(0.2%)

Movable

220(0.5%)

Housing · Thunder Bay (CMA), Ont.

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

53,740

Owner households

37,780 (70.3%)

Renter households

15,960 (29.7%)

Owners with a mortgage

20,005 (53.0%)Share of owner households

Owners without a mortgage

17,775 (47.0%)Share of owner households

Renters in subsidized housing

3,625 (22.7%)Share of renter households

Renters not in subsidized housing

12,340 (77.3%)Share of renter households

Shelter costs

Median monthly shelter cost

$960All households, 2021

Average monthly shelter cost

$1,110All households, 2021

Owners, median

$950

Renters, median

$970

Owners with a mortgage, median

$1,520

Owners without a mortgage, median

$584

Spending 30% or more of income on shelter

8,150 (15.2%)Share of households

Owners spending 30% or more

3,365 (8.9%)Share of owner households

Renters spending 30% or more

4,790 (30.0%)Share of renter households

Shelter-cost ratio not applicable

205 (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

7,540(14.0%)

$500 to $749

11,865(22.1%)

$750 to $999

8,640(16.1%)

$1,000 to $1,249

7,205(13.4%)

$1,250 to $1,499

5,700(10.6%)

$1,500 to $1,999

7,530(14.0%)

$2,000 to $2,499

3,290(6.1%)

$2,500 to $2,999

1,075(2.0%)

$3,000 and over

900(1.7%)

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 Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay sits at the western end of Lake Superior in northwestern Ontario, formed by amalgamating the former cities of Fort William and Port Arthur. It is a Great Lakes port and regional service centre, with grain elevators on the waterfront and the Sleeping Giant headland across the bay. The city is a gateway to the boreal Shield and to road and rail links toward Winnipeg and southern Ontario. About 109,000 people live in Thunder Bay.

Known for

Lake Superior harbour and grain elevators
Sleeping Giant on the Sibley Peninsula
Amalgamated Fort William and Port Arthur
Gateway between the Prairie and the Upper Great Lakes
Mount McKay overlooking the south side

See & do

Fort William Historical Park
Reconstructed fur-trade post on the Kaministiquia River.
Marina Park
Waterfront park with views across the harbour to the Sleeping Giant.
Hillcrest Park
Lookout over the bay and the north-side grain terminals.
Thunder Bay Museum
Regional history in a former police station and court building.
Cascades Conservation Area
Waterfalls and trails on the Current River in the city.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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