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Official Canadian Data

Ottawa, Ontario

ON Economic Region 3510 · Population 1,622,007
16 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
1.6M ▲
Population
$96,753 ▲
Median Income (CAD)
$84,000 national
5.7% ▲
Unemployment
$1,197B
Provincial GDP (CAD)
729,400
Total Employment
27% ▲
Bachelor's+
25% national
Community Data / Canada / Ontario / Ottawa

Demographics & Population

Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population

Household Income

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
Median Household Income
$96,753
Poverty Rate (LIM-AT) ⓘ
12.7%
Low Income Measure, after tax · Ontario 2024 · Canada: 12.5%
Median Income Comparison (CAD)
Ottawa$96,753
National$84,000

Community Snapshot

Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census of Population
1,622,007
Population
602,529
Total Dwellings
Total Employment
729,400
Unemployment Rate StatCan LFS 2024 annual
5.7% ▲ +1.2 pts YoY
Industry Sectors
10
Age Distribution
0-14: 15.3% (247,509 residents) 15-54: 52.9% (857,450 residents) 55-64 (near retirement): 12.6% (204,497 residents) 65+: 19.3% (312,551 residents) 40.3 Avg Age
0-14: 247,509
15-54: 857,450
55-64: 204,497
65+: 312,551
Visible Minority Composition
Black 6.4%
South Asian 4.5%
Arab 4.3%
Chinese 3.4%
Southeast Asian 1.1%
Latin American 1.1%
Not a visible minority(complement) 75.3%
"Visible minority" is a Statistics Canada classification defined by the Employment Equity Act and refers to "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." "Not a visible minority" is the complement to the total visible minority population. Top 6 groups shown; smaller groups are included in totals but not charted.
Indigenous Identity
3.1% identify as Indigenous
First Nations 1.6%
Métis 1.2%
Indigenous responses, n.i.e. 0.1%
Multiple Indigenous responses 0.1%
Indigenous identity per Statistics Canada Census 2021 (Table 98-10-0293): First Nations (North American Indian), Métis, and Inuk (Inuit), plus multiple and other Indigenous responses. Counts use census random rounding, so categories may not sum exactly to the total.
Ottawa's median household income sits 15% above the Canadian national median across 1,622,007 residents with a senior-skewed age structure (65+: 19.3%, 0-14: 15.3%).
Source: Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Population via CensusMapper.ca
Key Takeaways
  • Income premium: Households earn well above the Canadian median.
  • Aging population: Seniors (65+) outnumber youth (0-14); succession and senior-services demand.

Educational Attainment

Source: Statistics Canada · Table 37-10-0130 · Ontario province-wide (ages 25-64)
94%
High School+
Canada: 93%
▲ +1.0 pts
27%
Bachelor's+
Canada: 25%
▲ +2.0 pts
16%
Graduate+
Canada: 14%
▲ +2.0 pts

Economy & Industry

Statistics Canada · Labour Force Survey · Provincial GDP

$1,197B
Provincial Gross Domestic Product (CAD)
Source: Statistics Canada · Provincial Economic Accounts
729,400
Total Employment
$96,753
Median Income
729,400
Total Employment
Source: StatCan Labour Force Survey
$96,753
Median Income (CAD)
Source: Statistics Canada · 2021 Census

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Statistics Canada · Labour Force Survey
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top Sectors
1Public administration		 150,500 20.6%
2Wholesale and retail trade		 109,000 14.9%
3Health care and social assistance		 108,200 14.8%
4Professional, scientific and technical services		 89,300 12.2%
5Educational services		 58,900 8.1%
6Construction		 55,900 7.7%
7Accommodation and food services		 41,300 5.7%
8Manufacturing		 39,500 5.4%
9Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing		 38,600 5.3%
10Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers		 38,200 5.2%
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Public administration employs 150,500 workers (20.6% of total employment).
  • Diversified base: Top 5 sectors are Public administration, Wholesale and retail trade, Health care and social assistance, Professional, scientific and technical services, and Educational services.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey.
Ottawa's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of the top sectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey · NAICS supersectors

Housing & Rental Market

Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0133 (Rents) - Table 34-10-0127 (Vacancy) - Reference year 2025

Note: figures are single-year vintages. StatCan and CMHC do not publish ACS-style rolling 5-year housing averages, the long-form Census of Population every 5 years (2016, 2021) plays the equivalent precision role.

CMHC Average Rents by Bedroom

Source: Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0133 - 2025
23.8%
Annual Rent (2BR) as % of Median Household Income - Affordable
30% threshold = "cost-burdened" (CMHC / HUD convention). Computed from $1,916 average 2BR rent × 12 / $96,753 household income.
Bachelor
$1,332/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,593/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,916/mo
3+ Bedroom
$2,090/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,419/mo), rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Note: CMHC Rental Market Survey figures cover the metropolitan area (CMA/CA) within this economic region, not the full region. CMHC surveys urban centres only.

Vacancy & Housing Stock

Source: Statistics Canada Table 34-10-0127 - 2021 Census Dwellings
3.1%
CMHC Vacancy Rate (apartment structures of 6+ units)
Near the 3% balanced-market benchmark.
Total Dwellings
602,529
Avg 2BR Rent
$1,916/mo
Vacancy Rate
3.1%
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable rental market: Annual 2BR rent eats 23.8% of median household income, well below the 30% cost-burdened threshold; supports talent attraction.
Source: CMHC RMS rent data and StatCan median household income.

Industry Concentration

Location Quotient: industries where Ottawa over- or under-indexes vs. the Canadian national average

Provincial NAICS-3 sub-sector basis (no ER-level NAICS-3 data is published by StatCan; provincial figures inherit to Ottawa).

Concentrated Industries
Source: Statistics Canada Table 33-10-0222-01 · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector, establishment basis, LQ computed vs. national share. Note: LFS-based or SEPH-based employment LQ may differ, StatCan publishes household and payroll employment series with different methodologies.
Professional, scientific and technical services
2.82x
89,300
Public administration
2.53x
150,500
Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing
1.99x
38,600
Manufacturing
1.74x
39,500
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Professional, scientific and technical services concentrates at 2.82x the national norm.
  • Cluster depth: 4 sectors register LQ >= 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single sector.
Source: StatCan Table 33-10-0222-01 (NAICS-3 sub-sector establishment counts), provincial inheritance.

Workforce & Labour

Labour force composition from Statistics Canada population estimates and employment data

Source: StatCan Table 17-10-0137
1,061,947
Working Age (15-64)
Employment rate: 69% of working-age population (15-64) 69% Employment Rate

Labour Summary

Source: StatCan LFS + Population Estimates
Total Employment
729,400
Working Age Pop
1,061,947
Youth (0-14)
247,509
Seniors (65+)
312,551

Dependency & Aging

Source: StatCan population estimates
19%
Seniors (65+) Share
Senior population exceeds youth, aging workforce risk. Succession planning and talent attraction recommended.
Youth / Senior Ratio
79:100

Aging Workforce

Source: StatCan 17-10-0150 · Population estimates by economic region, age
19.3%
55-64 of working-age (15-64)

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0416 NOC 2021 broad categories (2025 - province-level)
Management / Professional
59.9%
Sales & Service
21%
Trades / Transport
13.4%
Natural Resources
1.1%
Manufacturing
4.5%
Bars scaled 2x for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 8,227,000 employed workers across Ontario. Economic Region-level occupation data is not published by StatCan; this provincial breakdown is the closest available proxy.

Commute

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0457
Mean Commute 0.7 min below national avg
23.0 min

Work From Home

Source: StatCan 2021 Census Table 98-10-0455
Worked At Home vs 24.3% national
43.7%
Census 2021 long-form: percent of employed labour force aged 15+ whose place of work is "at home".
Key Takeaways
  • Working-age base: 1,061,947 residents aged 15-64 (65.5% of population) form the labour pool.
  • Employment rate: 69% of working-age residents are employed (729,400 workers).
  • Succession risk: Seniors (65+) outnumber youth (0-14); plan for retirements alongside attraction strategy.
Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 + Labour Force Survey.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 16 Canadian data sources

Sample AI Insight

Ottawa's industrial base is anchored by Public administration with 150,500 workers, followed by Wholesale and retail trade and Health care and social assistance. The region skews older: seniors outnumber youth, which has implications for succession planning and workforce transition strategy.

Illustrative example

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Data Sources

All data from official Canadian government APIs. Updated from official Canadian government data.

Statistics Canada Census 20212021
StatCan Labour Force Survey2025
StatCan LFS Unemployment Rate (14-10-0393)2024
StatCan GDP Tables2024
CMHC Rental Market2025
CRTC Broadband Data2025
CensusMapper.ca2021
StatCan Education (37-10-0130)2025
StatCan Population (17-10-0150)2025
StatCan Postsecondary Enrolments (37-10-0277)2024
StatCan Top Occupations (14-10-0416)2025
StatCan Commute (98-10-0457/0458)2021
StatCan Place of Work (98-10-0455/0456)2021
StatCan Low Income (11-10-0135)2024
StatCan Visible Minority (98-10-0352)2021
StatCan Indigenous Identity (98-10-0293)2021

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Ottawa, Ontario, from Statistics Canada.

What is the population of Ottawa, Ontario?

1,622,007 (Statistics Canada, Population Estimates, Table 17-10-0150).

What is the median household income in Ottawa, Ontario?

$96,753 (Statistics Canada, Census 2021).

What is the unemployment rate in Ottawa, Ontario?

5.7% (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0393).