Hamilton
Ontario
Statistics Canada geography code 3525005 · census subdivision
MARKET SCORE
Model CS-MI-1.0 · calculated 2026-09-30
Market snapshot
Average rent
$1,656
CMHC reports this figure for the census metropolitan area, which is wider than the city this market is defined by. Population here is city-level; rent and vacancy are metro-level. CMHC reliability code "a".
Source: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Confidence: high
Rental vacancy rate
3.6%
CMHC reports this figure for the census metropolitan area, which is wider than the city this market is defined by. Population here is city-level; rent and vacancy are metro-level. CMHC reliability code "a".
Source: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Confidence: high
Population trend
+10.2% 2013–2022 · CalculatedSource: Table 17-10-0142-01 — Population estimates, July 1, by census subdivision (vector 1138981265) · published 2023-01-11
What drives this market?
These weightings are an interpretation of the local economy, not a measurement. They are shown to explain what appears to support rental demand here — treat them differently from the sourced statistics above.
- Health Care24% of local drivers
Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph's Healthcare are now the city's largest employers, having overtaken steel - the single clearest fact about how this economy has changed.
- Manufacturing22% of local drivers
Stelco and ArcelorMittal Dofasco still make Hamilton the centre of Canadian steel production, at a fraction of peak employment.
- Education18% of local drivers
McMaster University, whose medical school and research funding tie directly into the hospital network.
- Transportation12% of local drivers
The Port of Hamilton is the busiest Canadian port on the Great Lakes, and John C. Munro airport is a cargo hub.
- Construction12% of local drivers
Residential construction and conversion driven by buyers priced out of Toronto.
- Government8% of local drivers
Municipal administration for an amalgamated city of well over half a million.
- Local Services4% of local drivers
Retail and personal services across a broad suburban and rural amalgamated area.
Rental market
Average rent
$1,656
CMHC reports this figure for the census metropolitan area, which is wider than the city this market is defined by. Population here is city-level; rent and vacancy are metro-level. CMHC reliability code "a".
Vacancy rate
3.6%
CMHC reports this figure for the census metropolitan area, which is wider than the city this market is defined by. Population here is city-level; rent and vacancy are metro-level. CMHC reliability code "a".
All data for this market
| Metric | Period | Value | Type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| average rent | — | $1,656 | observed | high | Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation |
| population | 2022 | 597,010 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2021 | 587,412 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2020 | 582,966 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2019 | 574,343 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2018 | 566,144 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2017 | 559,673 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2016 | 552,272 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2015 | 547,274 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2014 | 544,629 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2013 | 541,715 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| rent change pct | — | 1.6% | observed | medium | Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation |
| unemployment rate | 2024 | 6.8% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2023 | 5.5% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2022 | 4.9% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2021 | 6.9% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2020 | 9% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2019 | 4.3% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2018 | 5% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2017 | 5% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| vacancy rate | — | 3.6% | observed | high | Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation |
Rows showing Data unavailable are recorded deliberately, with the reason, rather than omitted — so you can tell the difference between a figure that is zero and one we simply do not have.