Average and Median Income in Ontario

Ontario is Canada’s most populous province and its largest economy, home to the financial capital of Toronto, the national capital of Ottawa, and major manufacturing and technology hubs. In 2024, Ontario’s median after-tax income was the second-highest among the provinces (see Alberta for comparison), and its average individual income the third-highest.

Income data on this page is from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey (CIS). Both the individual income figures and the household/family after-tax income figures are from the April 29, 2026 release (2024 reference year), the most recent available.

Average and median income in Ontario

Sources: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, April 29, 2026 release (2024 reference year): Table 11-10-0238-01 (individual total income, all persons aged 15 and over, including those with zero income) and Table 11-10-0190-01 (median after-tax income).

Ontario’s average individual income of $60,800 is 2.4% above the national average, while its median individual income is 2.5% below the national median. The cost of living, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area, also matters for what that income buys. Ontario’s median after-tax income (combined economic families and unattached individuals) of $79,500 also reflects the combined impact of federal and provincial income taxes plus Ontario’s health premium.

Household income by city in Ontario

Ontario has a wide range of city-level incomes, with major differences between the GTA, Ottawa, and smaller cities. See our dedicated Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, and London income pages for current local estimates alongside home price data. Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey does publish a related annual figure for two Ontario CMAs: median after-tax income of economic families and unattached individuals combined was $82,500 in Toronto and $85,500 in Ottawa-Gatineau in 2024. It does not cover Hamilton or London, where the 2021 Census remains the most recent household-level source.

Median individual income by city across Ontario (2023)

Statistics Canada’s T1 Family File (taxfiler) data provides median individual total income for every Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) and Census Agglomeration (CA) in Ontario, the most granular city-by-city income data available for the province, covering everything from major metros to small communities, for the 2023 tax year.

Unlike household-level figures, StatCan does not publish an average individual income figure at the city/CMA level in this dataset — only median, which is common for small-area taxfiler data since it is less distorted by a handful of very high earners. All figures below, including the male and female breakdowns, are medians, not averages.

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 11-10-0008-01, Tax filers and dependants with income by total income, sex and age, 2023 reference year.

A few patterns stand out in this data. Toronto’s median individual income ($41,900) was the ninth-lowest of the 42 cities and towns in the table, a reminder that household-level income tells a different story than individual income: Toronto’s median after-tax income of economic families and unattached individuals ($82,500 in 2024) compares with Ontario’s ($79,500). Petawawa’s median income ($66,100) was the highest in the table, reflecting Canadian Forces Base Petawawa and the concentration of well-paid military and defence-related employment. Elliot Lake’s ($32,420) was the lowest, reflecting its profile as a retirement community with a large share of residents on fixed incomes.

The gender income gap also varies by city. In Petawawa, median male income ($82,880) is 87% higher than median female income ($44,390), again reflecting the military employment base. In Elliot Lake, the median was $34,900 for men and $30,490 for women, so male income was 14% higher.

Key industries driving Ontario income

Ontario’s economy spans several major sectors:

• Financial services: Toronto is Canada’s financial capital, home to the Big Five banks, major insurance companies, and the TSX.
• Technology: The Toronto-Waterloo corridor is a major tech hub, with employers in software engineering, AI, and data science.
• Professional services — Legal, consulting, and accounting firms concentrated in Toronto and Ottawa.
• Government — Ottawa is the national capital, with a large federal public service providing stable, well-compensated employment.
• Manufacturing — Ontario’s automotive and advanced manufacturing sectors, particularly in the Golden Horseshoe region around Hamilton.
• Healthcare and education — Major hospital networks and universities across the province.

Ontario’s tax considerations

Ontario residents face several tax factors that affect take-home pay:

• Ontario Health Premium: an additional health tax for most incomes above $20,000, scaling up with income to $900 a year
• HST of 13%: against 5% GST-only in Alberta
• Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax: an additional tax on home purchases unique to Toronto, adding to closing costs

Use our income tax calculator to compare your take-home pay across provinces.

How Ontario compares to other provinces

In 2024, Ontario ranked second-highest among the provinces on median after-tax income; the cost of living also matters for what that income buys. Use our income percentile calculator to see how your income ranks.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average salary in Ontario? Ontario’s average individual income (all sources, 2024) is $60,800, against $59,400 nationally. Toronto’s tech, finance and professional services sectors pull the average up; see the city table above for how smaller Ontario cities compare.

Is Ontario affordable on an average salary? Housing costs vary widely across Ontario, particularly between the GTA and smaller cities. See our Ontario housing market page for current home price data.

What are the highest-paying jobs in Ontario? Finance (Bay Street banking, investment banking, asset management), technology (Toronto’s growing tech sector), legal services (Bay Street law firms), healthcare specialists, and senior corporate management are among Ontario’s best-paid fields. The provincial public service and Toronto city government are also large employers.

Related tools and resources

• Income Percentile Calculator — See where your income ranks in Canada
• Salary Calculator — Calculate your Ontario after-tax pay
• Income Tax Calculator — Estimate your Ontario income tax
• Ontario Mortgage Rates — Find the best mortgage rates in Ontario
• Ontario Housing Market — Current home prices and trends
• Ontario Land Transfer Tax Calculator — Calculate your closing costs