Ottawa
Ontario
Statistics Canada geography code 3506008 · census subdivision
MARKET SCORE
Model CS-MI-1.0 · calculated 2026-09-30
Market snapshot
Average rent
$1,926
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%
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 "b".
Source: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Confidence: high
Population trend
+15.1% 2013–2022 · CalculatedSource: Table 17-10-0142-01 — Population estimates, July 1, by census subdivision (vector 1138981262) · 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.
- Government38% of local drivers
The federal public service is the defining employer, to a degree unmatched in any other Canadian market. The local economy moves with federal hiring and departmental budgets more than with any private sector.
- Technology20% of local drivers
A telecommunications and software cluster that outlasted Nortel, with defence and satellite communications work alongside it.
- Health Care14% of local drivers
The Ottawa Hospital and CHEO serve eastern Ontario.
- Education12% of local drivers
The University of Ottawa, Carleton University and Algonquin College.
- Military / Defence8% of local drivers
National Defence Headquarters and Canadian Forces Station Leitrim.
- Construction5% of local drivers
Federal accommodation projects and light rail construction.
- Tourism3% of local drivers
Parliamentary and museum tourism, concentrated in summer.
Employer concentration
Government accounts for roughly 38% of the identified economic activity here. A market can have strong rental demand and still carry real risk if too much of it traces back to one institution.
Worth investigating: what happens to local demand if that employer reduces its workforce? This is a scenario to think through, not a prediction.
Rental market
Average rent
$1,926
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%
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 "b".
All data for this market
| Metric | Period | Value | Type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| average rent | — | $1,926 | observed | high | Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation |
| population | 2022 | 1,071,868 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2021 | 1,052,526 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2020 | 1,044,484 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2019 | 1,025,354 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2018 | 1,004,802 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2017 | 983,739 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2016 | 964,341 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2015 | 948,461 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2014 | 940,273 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| population | 2013 | 931,183 | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| rent change pct | — | 3.4% | observed | high | Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation |
| unemployment rate | 2024 | 5.8% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2023 | 4.5% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2022 | 4.2% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2021 | 6.1% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2020 | 7.4% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2019 | 4.9% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2018 | 4.5% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| unemployment rate | 2017 | 5.7% | observed | high | Statistics Canada |
| vacancy rate | — | 3% | 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.