Hamilton by the Numbers
Discover data about Hamilton, Ontario on:
Development, Dwellings, Economy, Households, Residents, Business Climate, Workforce
Value of Building Permits
City of Hamilton – (CDN Dollars)
In 2022, the City of Hamilton issued building permits valued at $1,856,371,964. These permits values are the second highest annual building permit value in the City of Hamilton’s history. Permits values for 2022 are approximately 87.2% of 2021’s permit values – the highest annual permit values in the City’s history – and 134.2% of 2020’s building permit values.
| Permit Type | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 836,963,130 | 862,400,068 | 967,984,531 | 1,312,607,868 | 1,371,464,773 |
| Commercial | 124,800,222 | 138,369,667 | 121,723,102 | 225,871,546 | 108,671,530 |
| Institutional/Government | 149,998,645 | 154,492,289 | 31,767,942 | 55,629,270 | 132,928,415 |
| Industrial | 140,016,829 | 225,306,551 | 242,848,809 | 491,376,348 | 217,474,115 |
| Miscellaneous | 12,978,303 | 27,953,189 | 19,156,180 | 42,681,361 | 25,833,129 |
Source: City of Hamilton
Click here for a detailed breakdown of Hamilton’s building permits.
Employment by Sector
Hamilton CMA – 2021 & 2022
Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey reports on the number of people who are employed in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). Annual data from 2022 reports that there were there were 416,500 employed residents in the Hamilton CMA. This figure is up 2.0% from 2021, and is 101.3% of 2019’s pre-pandemic benchmark of 411,200 employed individuals.
| Employment Sector | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale and retail | 62500 | 68500 |
| Health care | 64100 | 55800 |
| Manufacturing | 43200 | 47000 |
| Professional services | 35500 | 39200 |
| Education | 31100 | 35300 |
| Finance and insurance | 31700 | 30900 |
| Construction | 30600 | 30700 |
| Accommodation and food services | 21900 | 21800 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 16600 | 18000 |
| Information & culture | 16800 | 17800 |
| Public administration | 17600 | 17100 |
| Support services | 15500 | 16300 |
| Other services ( | 15000 | 13100 |
| Utilities | 3100 | 2500 |
| Agriculture | 2500 | 1700 |
Source: Statistics Canada. 2021 and 2022 Labour Force Survey
Business Counts
City of Hamilton (CSD)
As of December 2022, Hamilton was home to approximately 16,348 businesses (including registered charities and not-for-profit organizations) with employees. Approximately 56.0% of Hamilton’s employers employ fewer than four people, and 75.0% of employers employ nine or fewer people. There are approximately 37,111 businesses operating without employees (i.e. establishments providing self-employment) in Hamilton.
| Micro (1-4 employees) | 9,163 |
|---|---|
| Small (5-99 employees) | 6,860 |
| Medium (100-499 employees) | 296 |
| Large (500+ employees) | 29 |
Source: Canadian Business Counts, December 2022
Click here for a detailed breakdown of Hamilton’s businesses by business size.
Monthly Unemployment Rate (%) in the Hamilton CMA and Ontario
At the end of Q2 2023 (June 2023), the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area’s unemployment rate was 5.0%. This figure was down from 5.5% at the end of Q1 2023 (March 2023). Ontario finished the second quarter of 2023 with an unemployment rate of 5.7%. This figure increased from March’s unemployment rate of 5.4%.
| 22-Aug | 22-Sep | 22-Oct | 22-Nov | 22-Dec | 23-Jan | 23-Feb | 23-Mar | 23-Apr | 23-May | 23-Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 5 |
| Ontario | 6.4 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 5.7 |
Source: Statistics Canada – Labour Force Survey. Tables 14-10-0017 and 14-10-0378. Seasonally unadjusted data.
Monthly Employment Rate (%) in the Hamilton CMA and Ontario
At the end of Q2 2023 (June 2023), the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area’s employment rate was 60.7%. This figure was a slight increase from the Q1 ending (March 2023) employment rate of 60.6%. In Ontario, Q2’s ending employment rate was 63.1%. June’s employment rate was an increase over Q1’s ending employment rate of 61.5%.
| 22-Aug | 22-Sep | 22-Oct | 22-Nov | 22-Dec | 23-Jan | 23-Feb | 23-Mar | 23-Apr | 23-May | 23-Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 62.5 | 62.3 | 62.3 | 62.7 | 62.8 | 62.3 | 61.4 | 60.6 | 60.3 | 60.3 | 60.7 |
| Ontario | 62.2 | 61.2 | 61.7 | 61.8 | 61.9 | 61.4 | 61.6 | 61.5 | 61.9 | 62.6 | 63.1 |
Source: Statistics Canada – Labour Force Survey. Tables 14-10-0017 and 14-10-0378. Seasonally unadjusted data.
Monthly Participation Rate (%) in the Hamilton CMA and Ontario
At the end of Q2 2023 (June 2023), the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area’s participation rate was 63.9%. This figure remained generally consistent with Q1’s ending rate (March 2023) of 64.2% – preliminary July data show a return to the March level of 64.2%. Ontario reported a 66.9% participation rate in June 2023. While preliminary data shows this figure declined in July, it remained a slight increase over Q1’s ending participation rate of 65.0%.
| 22-Aug | 22-Sep | 22-Oct | 22-Nov | 22-Dec | 23-Jan | 23-Feb | 23-Mar | 23-Apr | 23-May | 23-Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 65.9 | 65.7 | 65.7 | 65.6 | 65.4 | 65.3 | 64.8 | 64.2 | 63.5 | 63.3 | 63.9 |
| Ontario | 66.4 | 64.7 | 65.1 | 65.1 | 64.8 | 64.9 | 64.9 | 65 | 65 | 66.5 | 66.9 |
Source: Statistics Canada – Labour Force Survey. Tables 14-10-0017 and 14-10-0378. Seasonally unadjusted data.
Annual Real Estate Sales
(# of units)
| Quarters | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 2,359 | 1,586 | 1,694 | 2001 | 2702 |
| Q2 | 2,901 | 2,240 | 2,689 | 1871 | 3389 |
| Q3 | 1,867 | 1,996 | 2,300 | 3198 | 2361 |
| Q4 | 1,952 | 1,636 | 1976 | 2438 | 2155 |
Source: The Real Estate Association of Hamilton-Burlington
Annual Housing Starts
Data for the Hamilton Census Metropolitan area (CMA) reflect a decrease in housing starts in 2022. Between 2021 and 2022 there was a 15.7% decrease in housing starts within the Hamilton CMA. However, compared to 2019’s pre-pandemic benchmark, 2022’s housing starts reflect a 10.2% increase.
| Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Housing Starts | 2893 | 3616 | 3204 | 3431 | 4187 | 3530 |
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 34-10-0148-01
Click here for additional details on Hamilton’s Housing Starts
Average Daily Rate – ADR
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 129.20 | 142.03 | 139.59 | 117.73 | 124.11 | 152.00 |
| 67.4% | 67.1% | 67.8% | 41.7% | 53.1% | 69.8% |
Values in $
Source: 2023 STR, Inc. / STR Global, LTD
