NHS Focus on Geography Series – Ottawa - Gatineau

Demographic characteristics of Aboriginal people

In 2011, 2.5% (30,570) of the population of Ottawa - Gatineau had an Aboriginal identity.^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 1} Of those, 53.1% (16,245) reported a First Nations identity^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 2} only, 40.1% (12,265) reported a Métis identity only, and 2.8% (860) reported an Inuit identity only. An additional 890, or 2.9%, reported other Aboriginal identities and 305, or 1.0%, reported more than one Aboriginal identity.

Table 1 – Population by Aboriginal identity, Ottawa - Gatineau

In general, the Aboriginal population in Canada is younger than the non-Aboriginal population.

In Ottawa - Gatineau, Aboriginal children aged 14 and under represented 20.0% of the total Aboriginal population and 2.9% of all children in Ottawa - Gatineau. Non-Aboriginal children aged 14 and under accounted for 17.3% of the non-Aboriginal population.

The age distribution of First Nations people, Métis and Inuit is shown in table 2.

Table 2 – Age distribution by Aboriginal identity, Ottawa - Gatineau

Living arrangements of Aboriginal children

In Ottawa - Gatineau, 59.4% of Aboriginal children aged 14 and under lived in a family^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 3} with both their parents (biological or adoptive) and 30.2% lived in a lone-parent family.^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 4} Other Aboriginal children in that age group were stepchildren,^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 5} grandchildren living in a skip-generation family,^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 6} foster children^{Aboriginal Peoples Footnote 7} or children living with other relatives.

Living arrangements of First Nations, Métis and Inuit children aged 14 and under are illustrated in table 3.

Table 3 – Percentage distribution of the population aged 14 and under by living arrangement for selected Aboriginal identity categories, Ottawa - Gatineau

Language and Aboriginal peoples

In Ottawa - Gatineau, 750 Aboriginal people, or 2.5% of the population who had an Aboriginal identity, responded that they were able to conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language. In 2011, the Aboriginal language most frequently reported by Aboriginal people was: Cree languages (275).

In 2011, 2.0% of the Aboriginal identity population reported an Aboriginal language as mother tongue, defined as the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood.

As well, 1.7% of Aboriginal people reported speaking an Aboriginal language at home: 0.6% spoke it most often while another 1.1% spoke it on a regular basis.

Linguistic characteristics of First Nations people, Métis and Inuit are shown in tables 4 to 6.

Table 4 – Number and proportion of Aboriginal identity population, First Nations people, Métis and Inuit for selected Aboriginal language indicators, Ottawa - Gatineau

In Ottawa - Gatineau, 47.9% of the Aboriginal identity population reported that they were able to conduct a conversation only in English or only in French. Additionally, 52.0% of Aboriginal people reported that they were able to conduct a conversation in both of Canada's official languages. The other 0.1%, or 25, reported that they were not able to conduct a conversation in either of these two languages.

Table 5 – Percentage distribution of the population by knowledge of official languages for selected Aboriginal identity categories, Ottawa - Gatineau

In Ottawa - Gatineau, among the 750 Aboriginal people who reported being able to conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language, 73.3% reported that same language as their mother tongue. The other 26.7% reported a different language, such as English or French, as mother tongue, which suggests these individuals have acquired an Aboriginal language as a second language.

On the other hand, among the 620 Aboriginal people who reported an Aboriginal language as mother tongue, 12.1% could no longer conduct a conversation in this language, despite the fact that they still understand it.

Table 6 – Population who reported an ability to conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language that is not their mother tongue and population who reported an Aboriginal mother tongue but who could not conduct a conversation in that language, for selected Aboriginal identity categories, Ottawa - Gatineau

Immigrant population

According to the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS), 235,340 (19.4%) of the population of the Ottawa - Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) were foreign-born (immigrants), 967,845 (79.6%) were Canadian-born (non-immigrants) and 12,550 (1.0%) were non-permanent residents.^{Ethnocultural Footnote 1} In comparison, the proportion of the population of Ontario who were immigrants was 28.5%, 70.4% were non-immigrants, and 1.1% were non-permanent residents.

Figure 1 Percentage of Canadian born (non-immigrants), foreign born (immigrants) and non permanent residents in Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA)

Figure 1 Percentage of Canadian born (non-immigrants), foreign born (immigrants) and non permanent residents in Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA)

Of the immigrants living in Ottawa - Gatineau in 2011, 40,425 came to Canada between 2006 and 2011. These recent immigrants made up 17.2% of the immigrants in Ottawa - Gatineau.

The three most common countries of birth of immigrants living in Ottawa - Gatineau were: United Kingdom (accounting for 8.0% of the immigrant population in Ottawa - Gatineau), China (7.5%) and Lebanon (5.1%). In comparison, the top three countries of birth of immigrants living in Ontario were: India (accounting for 8.6% of the immigrant population in Ontario), United Kingdom (8.1%) and China (7.4%).

Table 1 – Immigrants by country of birth, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA)

In 2011, among Ottawa - Gatineau's immigrant population, 62.5% spoke English and/or French most often at home. Meanwhile, the three most frequently reported non-official languages spoken most often at home by immigrants in Ottawa - Gatineau were Arabic, Chinese, n.o.s. and Spanish. This compared to the top three non-official languages for immigrants in Ontario, which were Cantonese, Chinese, n.o.s. and Panjabi (Punjabi).^{Ethnocultural Footnote 2}

Table 2 – Immigrants by non-official languages spoken most often at home, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA)

The median age of immigrants in Ottawa - Gatineau was 31.1 years in 2011, compared to 33.8 years for the immigrant population at the provincial level.

Visible minority population and ethnic origins

The 2011 NHS estimated that 234,015 individuals in the Ottawa - Gatineau belonged to a visible minority group, accounting for 19.2% of its total population.^{Ethnocultural Footnote 1} In comparison, visible minorities comprised 25.9% of Ontario's population.

The three largest visible minority groups living in Ottawa - Gatineau were Black, Arab and Chinese. In Ontario, the three largest visible minority groups were South Asian, Chinese and Black.

The median age of the visible minority population in Ottawa - Gatineau was 31.1 years in 2011, compared to 33.8 years for the visible minority population at the provincial level.

Table 3 – Population showing visible minority groups, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA) , Quebec, and Ontario

The three most frequently reported ethnic origins in Ottawa - Gatineau, for people reporting either one or multiple ethnic origins, were Canadian, French and Irish. This compared to the top three in Ontario, which were Canadian, English and Scottish.

Table 4 – Most frequently reported ethnic origins, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA)

Religion

According to the 2011 NHS, 79.2% of the population in the Ottawa - Gatineau reported a religious affiliation, while 20.8% said they had no religious affiliation.^{Ethnocultural Footnote 1} At the provincial level, 76.9% of the population reported a religious affiliation, while 23.1% had no religious affiliation.

The most frequently reported religious affiliation in Ottawa - Gatineau was Roman Catholic, reported by 583,755 (48.0%) of the population. Other frequently reported religions included: Muslim (5.4%) and Anglican (5.0%). In comparison, the top three most frequently reported religions in Ontario were: Roman Catholic (reported by 31.2% of the population of Ontario), United Church (7.5%) and Anglican (6.1%).

Table 5 – Most frequently reported religions, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA)

Educational attainment ^{Education Footnote 1}

In 2011, 68.4% of the 834,585 adults aged 25 years and over in Ottawa - Gatineau had completed some form of postsecondary education, compared with 59.6% at the national level.

Of the population aged 25 years and over in Ottawa - Gatineau, 40.1% had a university certificate or degree. An additional 20.2% had a college diploma and 8.1% had a trades certificate.

The share of the adult population that had completed a high school diploma as their highest level of educational attainment was 20.1%, and 11.5% had completed neither high school nor any postsecondary certificates, diplomas or degrees.

Table 1 – Population aged 25 and over by highest level of educational attainment^{Education Footnote 1}, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Canada

Overall, successive generations of Canadians have been completing high school and attaining postsecondary qualifications in increasing proportions. In 2011, 41.7% of Canadians aged 65 years and over had a postsecondary credential; this compares with 69.5% among adults between the ages of 25 and 44. As well, 35.7% of those aged 65 years and over had not completed any certificate, diploma or degree compared with 9.5% of individuals aged 25 to 44.

In Ottawa - Gatineau, 51.0% of those aged 65 years and over had a postsecondary credential, compared to 77.4% of adults aged 25 to 44; 25.8% of individuals aged 65 years and over had no certificate, diploma or degree, compared to 6.5% of 25 to 44 year-olds.

Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA) – Proportion of the population aged 25 years and over by level of educational attainment and age groups

Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA) – Proportion of the population aged 25 years and over by level of educational attainment and age groups

Major field of study

Table 2 – Most common fields of study^{Education Footnote 9} for the population aged 25 years and over with postsecondary qualifications by level of educational attainment^{Education Footnote 1}, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Canada

Location of study^{Education Footnote 11}

In 2011, there were 570,775 residents of Ottawa - Gatineau aged 25 years and over with postsecondary credentials. Of these graduates, 65.2% had studied in the same province or territory in which they lived in 2011, 20.4% had studied in another province or territory and 14.4% had studied outside Canada. Nationally, 72.5% of graduates had studied in the same province/territory in which they lived in 2011, 10.4% had studied in another province or territory and 17.1% had studied outside Canada.

In all provinces, individuals with trades or college certificates were more likely than those with university credentials to have earned their highest certificate, diploma or degree in the province in which they lived in 2011.

Table 3 – Population aged 25 years and over with postsecondary qualifications by location of study and by level of educational attainment, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA)

Labour

In Ottawa - Gatineau, 654,515 people were employed and 46,170 were unemployed for a total labour force of 700,690 in May 2011. The employment rate was at 65.1% and the unemployment rate was at 6.6%.

Table 1 Total population aged 15 years and over by labour force status, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Quebec, Ontario

Within Ottawa - Gatineau, 14.3% of the employed labour force was aged 15 to 24 and 13.2% was aged 55 to 64. This compares to 13.3% and 14.8% respectively for Quebec and 12.6% and 15.2% respectively for Ontario.

Table 2 Employed labour force by age groups, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Quebec, Ontario

Within Ottawa - Gatineau, the top occupations were: Retail salespersons; Administrative officers; Administrative assistants. For Quebec as a whole the top occupations were: Retail salespersons; Administrative assistants; Cashiers. For Ontario as a whole the top occupations were: Retail salespersons; Retail and wholesale trade managers; Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations.

Table 3 Top occupations for the employed labour force, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Quebec, Ontario

Within Ottawa - Gatineau, the top industries were: Other federal services; Elementary and secondary schools; Hospitals. For Quebec as a whole the top industries were: Elementary and secondary schools; Hospitals; Grocery stores. For Ontario as a whole the top industries were: Elementary and secondary schools; Hospitals; Local, municipal and regional public administration.

Table 4 Top industries for the employed labour force, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Quebec, Ontario

The number of self-employed in Ottawa - Gatineau amounted to 60,755 or 9.3% of all total employed workers.

Table 5 Employed labour force by class of workers, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Quebec, Ontario

In 2011, 20.1% of commuters within Ottawa - Gatineau used public transit to get to work. This compares to Quebec at 13.3% and Ontario at 14.0%. 63.8% of the population used a car, truck or van as a driver, while 6.7% used a car, truck or van as a passenger. The average commuting time to work in Ottawa - Gatineau was 26.3 minutes, this compares to Quebec at 25.2 minutes and Ontario at 27.6 minutes.

Within Ottawa - Gatineau, 85.3% of the employed labour force aged 15 years and over worked at their usual place, 5.8% worked at home and 8.5% had no fixed workplace address.

Table 6 Employed labour force by mode of transportation, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Quebec, Ontario

Table 7 Average commuting duration for the employed labour force, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Quebec, Ontario

Table 8 Employed Labour force by time leaving for work, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Quebec, Ontario

Table 9 Employed labour force by place of work status, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Quebec, Ontario

In Ottawa - Gatineau, 74.2% (550,760) of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported English only as the language used most often at work, 19.9% (147,300) reported French only and 5.0% (36,915) said they used both official languages (English and French) equally. In addition, 0.4% of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported using an official language and a non-official language equally most often at work and 0.5% a non-official language only.

Furthermore, 10.8% (80,420) of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported working in English on a regular basis, 18.1% (134,305) in French on a regular basis and 0.0% (165) in the country's two official languages on a regular basis. In addition, 0.2% (1,820) of of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported using an official language and a non-official language on a regular basis at work and 1.3% (9,310) a non-official language only.

In Quebec, 11.9% (526,790) of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported English only as the language used most often at work, 81.6% (3,614,285) reported French only and 5.3 (235,475) said they used both official languages (English and French) equally. Furthermore, 0.4% of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported using an official language and a non-official language equally most often at work.

As for the language used at work on a regular basis in Quebec, the proportions are as follows: 21.3% (944,195) reported using English; 6.4% (284,730) use French; 0.0% (1,550) use both official languages; 0.4% (19,325) reported using an official language and a non-official language; and 1.0% (43,905) a non-official language only.

In Ontario, 95.8% (6,946,430) of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported English only as the language used most often at work, 1.3% (94,475) reported French only and 0.7% (54,120) said they used both official languages (English and French) equally. Furthermore, 0.7% of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011 reported using an official language and a non-official language equally most often at work.

As for the language used at work on a regular basis in Ontario, the proportions are as follows: 1.3% (96,395) reported using English; 3.3% (239,920) use French; 0.0% (305) use both official languages; 0.1% (8,550) reported using an official language and a non-official language; and 2.6% (189,765) a non-official language only.

Table 10 Languages used at work, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Quebec, Ontario

In Ottawa - Gatineau, the non-official languages most used, most often or regularly, with or without an official language, are Spanish, Chinese languages and Arabic, which account respectively for 0.2% (3,460), 0.2% (3,295) and 0.2% (3,030) of the population aged 15 years and over who worked in 2010 or 2011.

In Quebec, the non-official languages most used, most often or regularly, with or without an official language, are Spanish, Chinese languages and Arabic, which account respectively for 0.3% (29,245), 0.1% (11,740) and 0.1% (10,185) of the population aged 15 years and older who worked in 2010 or 2011.

In Ontario, the non-official languages most used, most often or regularly, with or without an official language, are Chinese languages, Spanish and Portuguese, which account respectively for 0.7% (101,080), 0.2% (31,845) and 0.1% (21,645) of the population aged 15 years and older who worked in 2010 or 2011.

Table 11 Non-official languages used at work, Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Quebec, Ontario

Income composition

The total income for the population in private households can be broken down into two basic components: market income^{Income Footnote 1} and government transfers.^{Income Footnote 2} In Ottawa - Gatineau, 90.8% of total income was from market income in 2010 and 9.2% was from government transfers. (Aggregate total income for Ottawa - Gatineau was 45.8 billion dollars in 2010.)

Figure 1 Income composition for the population in private households in 2010

Income composition for the population in private households in 2010

Market income's main component was employment income. In Ottawa - Gatineau, it accounted for $84.40 of every $100 of market income, identical to the figure for Quebec of $84.40 and slightly below the figure for Ontario of $85.30. For the two components of employment income, wages and salaries represented $79.50 and net income from self-employment, $4.90.

The other components of market income were smaller than employment income: in Ottawa - Gatineau, investment income represented $3.90 per $100 of market income, retirement income, $10.00 and $1.70 came from other private sources of money.

The main government transfer received in Ottawa - Gatineau was Canada Pension Plan or Quebec Pension Plan with $29.60 of every $100 of total government transfers received, followed by: Other income from government sources ($23.50), Old Age Security (OAS) pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement ($21.80), Child benefits ($13.10), and Employment Insurance benefits ($12.00).

Table 1 – Income composition for the population in private households in 2010, Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario, Canada

High total income

Among the Canadian population in private households aged 15 years and over, ten percent had total incomes of more than $80,400 in 2010. To be in the top five percent, Canadians needed to have a total income of slightly above $102,300 and to be in the top one percent required just over $191,100, nearly seven times the national median income of $27,800.^{Income Footnote 3}

In Ottawa - Gatineau, 7.6% percent of the population aged 15 years and over had total income that put them in the top five percent and 1.1% in the top one percent. This compared with 3.3% and 0.7% in Quebec and 5.5% and 1.1% in Ontario and 5.0% and 1.0% in Canada.

Table 2 – Population aged 15 years and over by total income, Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario, Canada

A national map showing the spatial distribution of persons with total income in the top five percent of persons with the highest total income is also available. Canada. Percentage of population in top five percent of total income in 2010 by 2011 census division (CD)

Employment income

Of those persons with employment income in Ottawa - Gatineau, 55.3% worked full year, full time^{Income Footnote 4} in 2010 compared to 49.0% in Quebec and 52.2% in Ontario. The median employment income was $57,551 for these workers ($41,963 for those in Quebec and $50,116 for those in Ontario).

The top three most common occupations for those working full-year full-time in 2010 in Ottawa - Gatineau were Administrative officers; Administrative assistants; and Information systems analysts and consultants.

Table 3 – Median earnings of the most common full-year, full-time occupations in 2010, Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario, Canada

Family income

The median after-tax income of economic families in Ottawa - Gatineau in 2010 was $81,334, the median for couple families was $88,212 and for lone-parent families, $50,387. For persons not in economic families (persons living alone or with non relatives only), the median after-tax income was $31,578.

These compare to the medians in Quebec of $59,560 for after-tax family income of all economic families, $64,197 for couple families, $41,275 for lone-parent families and $23,120 for persons living alone or without relatives.

These compare to the medians in Ontario of $71,128 for after-tax family income of all economic families, $76,951 for couple families, $44,398 for lone-parent families and $27,319 for persons living alone or without relatives.

Table 4 – Median after-tax income in 2010 for economic families and persons not in economic families, Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario, Canada

Figure 2 Median after-tax income in 2010 for Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario and Canada

Median after-tax income in 2010 for Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario and Canada

Families came in different sizes and larger families may have benefited from pooling of resources and economies of scale. In Ottawa - Gatineau, based on their after-tax income adjusted for family size, 62.4% of the population was in the top half of the income distribution, above the rate of 42.3% in Quebec and above the rate of 53.5% in Ontario.

In Ottawa - Gatineau, the percentage of the population in the lowest income decile group^{Income Footnote 6} at 8.4% was lower than in Quebec (10.4%) and similar to that in Ontario (9.3%). The percentage of the population in the highest decile group was 15.3%, higher than in Quebec (5.6%) and higher than in Ontario (11.6%).

Table 5 – Population in private households by adjusted after-tax family income in 2010, Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario, Canada

Low income^{Income Footnote 7}

In the NHS, a relative measure is used to classify persons by income status: the low-income measure based on after-tax income (LIM-AT). For this measure, the income threshold is half the Canadian median of after-tax household income. The income has been adjusted to account for household size. Persons in households with a household income below this threshold^{Income Footnote 8} were considered to be in low income.

Based on the after-tax income low-income measure, the proportion of the population in low income in Ottawa - Gatineau was 11.7%, below the rate of 16.7% observed in Quebec and below the rate of 13.9% in Ontario. In Ottawa - Gatineau, compared to the population of all ages, for persons under 18, the rate was higher (13.5%) and for the population aged 65 years and over, it was lower at 9.2%.

Table 6 – Income status based on after-tax low-income measure (LIM-AT) in 2010, Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario, Canada

A map showing the proportion of the population in low income within Ottawa - Gatineau CMA is also available.

Housing

The number of households in Ottawa - Gatineau was 498,790. The homeownership rate in Ottawa - Gatineau was 67.9% - which was higher than the Quebec homeownership rate of 61.2% and lower than the Ontario homeownership rate of 71.4%.

Table 1 – Housing tenure for all households, Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario, Canada

Ottawa - Gatineau – Affordability^{Housing Footnote 1}

Households in Ottawa - Gatineau that paid 30% or more of household total income toward shelter costs represented 22.1% of non-farm, non-reserve households with total income greater than zero. This proportion was lower than the Quebec proportion (23.4%) and lower than the Ontario proportion (27.0%).

A lower proportion of owner households paid 30% or more compared to tenant households in Ottawa - Gatineau (14.4% for owners versus 38.4% for renters).

Households in Ottawa - Gatineau paid an average monthly shelter cost of $1,167 – which was higher than the Quebec amount of $839 and lower than the Ontario amount of $1,181. The average monthly shelter cost for tenant households was $925, this was lower than the average monthly shelter cost for owner households of $1,282.

Table 2 – Housing affordability for non-farm, non-reserve households, Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario, Canada

Ottawa - Gatineau – Need for major repairs^{Housing Footnote 2}

In Ottawa - Gatineau, 6.3% of households reported living in dwellings that required major repairs. This was lower than the Quebec proportion of 7.2% and lower than the Ontario proportion of 6.6%. The proportion of households reporting major repair requirements was lower for owners than renters (5.0% for owner-occupied dwellings and 9.1% for renter-occupied dwellings).

Table 3 – Need for major repairs by housing tenure, Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario, Canada

Ottawa - Gatineau – Suitability

In Ottawa - Gatineau, 5.3% of households lived in dwellings that were not suitable; that is, the dwelling was crowded because there were not enough bedrooms based on the National Occupancy Standard.^{Housing Footnote 3} This was higher than the Quebec proportion of 4.8% and lower than the Ontario proportion of 7.2%. The proportion of households living in dwellings that were not suitable was lower for owners than renters (3.1% for owner households and 9.9% for renter households).

Table 4 – Housing suitability by housing tenure, Ottawa - Gatineau, Quebec, Ontario, Canada

Ottawa - Gatineau – Condominium by period of construction

Out of the 498,790 households in Ottawa - Gatineau, 65,075 lived in condominium dwellings.

Of dwellings built between 2001 and 2011, 14,875 (16.5%) were condominiums. Of dwellings built between 1991 and 2000, 6,545 (9.8%) were condominiums. Between 1981 and 1990, 18,530 (19.8%) were condominiums, and, for 1980 or before, 25,130 (10.1%) were condominiums.

Ottawa - Gatineau – Condominium by period of construction

Related data

• 2011 NHS Profile – Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Ontario
• 2011 NHS Data Tables – Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Ontario
  • Aboriginal Peoples
  • Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity
  • Mobility and Migration
  • Education and Labour
  • Income and Housing
• 2011 Census Focus on Geography Series – Ottawa - Gatineau (CMA), Ontario