Waterloo Profile

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

National Rank:47 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Waterloo Population

Total Population (2021)

121,436

Total Population (2016)

104,986

Population Growth

+15.7% (+16,450)

Growth Rank

#45 of 688Same geo level

Male

50.4%61,235

Female

49.6%60,200

Male-to-Female Ratio

1.017

Average Age

39.2

Median Age

Age Rank

#104 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

5,015(4.1%)

5–9

5,960(4.9%)

10–14

6,670(5.5%)

15–19

8,250(6.8%)

20–24

14,110(11.6%)

25–29

11,145(9.2%)

30–34

8,260(6.8%)

35–39

7,330(6.0%)

40–44

6,915(5.7%)

45–49

7,200(5.9%)

50–54

7,625(6.3%)

55–59

7,575(6.2%)

60–64

6,665(5.5%)

65–69

5,455(4.5%)

70–74

4,700(3.9%)

75–79

3,280(2.7%)

80–84

2,455(2.0%)

85+

2,820(2.3%)

Waterloo Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.5

Total Private Dwellings

52,049

Occupied Private Dwellings

47,040

Size Distribution

1 Person

12,250 (26.0%)

2 Persons

15,710 (33.4%)

3 Persons

7,560 (16.1%)

4 Persons

7,505 (16.0%)

5+ Persons

4,020 (8.5%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

13,165(28.0%)

Couples without children

11,145(23.7%)

One-parent families

3,540(7.5%)

One-person households

12,245(26.0%)

Multigenerational

1,120(2.4%)

Multiple-family

210(0.4%)

Waterloo Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$99,300After tax

Median Household Income

$82,000After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$48,840After tax

Median Individual Income

$37,600After tax

Income Rank

#224 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

87.2%

Employment Income

71.0%

Government Transfers

12.7%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

10,450(10.9%)

$10k–$20k

11,860(12.4%)

$20k–$30k

13,380(14.0%)

$30k–$40k

10,595(11.1%)

$40k–$50k

9,020(9.4%)

$50k–$60k

7,510(7.9%)

$60k–$70k

6,030(6.3%)

$70k–$80k

5,055(5.3%)

$80k–$90k

3,925(4.1%)

$90k–$100k

3,285(3.4%)

$100k+

14,460(15.1%)

Waterloo Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

57.6%

Unemployment Rate

12.0%

Total Labour Force

65,955

Employed

58,050

Unemployed

7,905

Not in Labour Force

34,865

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

11.3%

Children (0–17)

10.3%

Adults (18–64)

12.1%

Seniors (65+)

9.0%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3750 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.324

Waterloo 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

100,820

No certificate, diploma or degree

10,335 (10.3%)

High school diploma or equivalency

25,335 (25.1%)

Postsecondary credential

65,150 (64.6%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

26,265 (26.1%)59.8% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

11,185 (11.1%)25.5% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

845 (0.8%)1.9% 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

10,335(10.3%)

High school diploma or equivalency

25,335(25.1%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

3,185(3.2%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

16,125(16.0%)

University certificate below bachelor

1,925(1.9%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

43,915(43.6%)

Waterloo 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

40.3%

23,380 people

Share of 58,050 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

23,380(40.3%)

Usual place of work

30,065(51.8%)

No fixed workplace address

4,275(7.4%)

Worked outside Canada

325(0.6%)

Waterloo 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

65,955

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

1,065(1.6%)

Business, finance and administration

11,205(17.0%)

Natural and applied sciences

11,260(17.1%)

Health

3,560(5.4%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

9,680(14.7%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

2,040(3.1%)

Sales and service

14,280(21.7%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

6,640(10.1%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

705(1.1%)

Manufacturing and utilities

3,595(5.5%)

Waterloo 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

65,955

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

370(0.6%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

65(0.1%)

Utilities

290(0.4%)

Construction

3,180(4.8%)

Manufacturing

6,825(10.3%)

Wholesale trade

1,900(2.9%)

Retail trade

6,510(9.9%)

Transportation and warehousing

1,915(2.9%)

Information and cultural industries

2,565(3.9%)

Finance and insurance

5,055(7.7%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

1,065(1.6%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

8,940(13.6%)

Management of companies and enterprises

340(0.5%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

2,390(3.6%)

Educational services

8,770(13.3%)

Health care and social assistance

5,670(8.6%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

935(1.4%)

Accommodation and food services

3,420(5.2%)

Other services (except public administration)

1,920(2.9%)

Public administration

1,900(2.9%)

Waterloo Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

107,495 (89.6%)

French Only

45 (0.0%)

English & French

10,360 (8.6%)

Neither

2,075 (1.7%)

Mother Tongue

English

77,465 (64.6%)

French

1,045 (0.9%)

Non-official languages

36,050 (30.0%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

77,465(64.6%)

Mandarin

7,435(6.2%)

Arabic

2,630(2.2%)

Spanish

1,770(1.5%)

Hindi

1,525(1.3%)

Persian

1,525(1.3%)

Punjabi

1,405(1.2%)

Korean

1,305(1.1%)

Urdu

1,185(1.0%)

Cantonese

1,050(0.9%)

Waterloo Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

23,145(49.2%)

Semi-detached

2,125(4.5%)

Row house

5,375(11.4%)

Duplex

1,015(2.2%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

4,945(10.5%)

Apt. ≥ 5 storeys

10,330(22.0%)

Other attached

20(0.0%)

Movable

95(0.2%)

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 Waterloo 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 Waterloo

Waterloo is a city in Waterloo Region, immediately north of Kitchener in southwestern Ontario. It is known for the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, and a dense cluster of tech and insurance employers. Uptown Waterloo is a separate commercial core from downtown Kitchener, linked by ION light rail. About 120,000 people live in Waterloo.

Known for

University of Waterloo and the tech sector
Insurance company head offices
Wilfrid Laurier University
Uptown Waterloo
Perimeter Institute and research spinoffs

See & do

Uptown Waterloo
Independent shops around Waterloo Public Square.
Waterloo Park
Central park with a lake and small zoo, beside UW.
University of Waterloo campus
Research university at the centre of the local tech cluster.
Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery
National collection of clay, glass, and stained glass.
Perimeter Institute
Theoretical physics centre with a public outreach program.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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