Toronto’s largest sources of employment are office-based work, health care, and professional services. The City of Toronto’s 2021 Toronto Employment Survey counted about 1.45 million jobs located in the city, with the office category making up 51.5 percent of them, and the 2021 Census shows professional, scientific and technical services as the largest industry for employed residents at 14.1 percent. The Port of Toronto, run by the Toronto Port Authority (operating as PortsToronto), handled more than 2.16 million metric tonnes of cargo in its 2025 season.
Jobs in Toronto: two ways of counting
Two City sources answer the question “what industries employ people in Toronto”, and they measure different things. The Toronto Employment Survey counts jobs by where the workplace is. The Census, from Statistics Canada, counts employed residents by the industry they work in, wherever the workplace is. Neither is a ranking of companies.
Jobs by workplace: Toronto Employment Survey, 2021
The City’s 2021 survey bulletin reports the following shares of jobs located in Toronto. The bulletin gives a total of about 1.45 million; figures reviewed for this article show 1,449,910 in one table and 1,451,520 in a second reference, so the total is rounded here.
| Category | Share of jobs, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Office | 51.5 percent |
| Institutional | 17.4 percent |
| Service | 10.2 percent |
| Retail | 9.6 percent |
| Manufacturing and warehousing | 8.8 percent |
| Community and entertainment | 2.5 percent |
The City describes office as the largest category, with more than half of all jobs. Within office, finance, insurance and real estate is the largest subcategory. Institutional covers workplaces such as hospitals, universities and government.
Employed residents by industry: Census 2021
The City’s 2021 Census backgrounder, using Statistics Canada data, reports 1,308,110 employed residents. The top three industries were professional, scientific and technical services (14.1 percent, 205,875 people), health care and social assistance (11.2 percent, 163,465 people), and retail trade (9.7 percent). Between 2016 and 2021, professional, scientific and technical services had the largest gain in employed residents, followed by health care and social assistance.
Employers and headquarters
No complete, sourced ranking of Toronto’s largest employers or head offices is given here, because the Toronto Region Board of Trade and Statistics Canada pages reviewed do not publish one that could be checked. The Board of Trade does state that 53 percent of the largest employers in the Toronto region are foreign-owned multinationals. That figure covers the region, not the city alone, and the Board gives no year in the passage reviewed. Readers who want a list of public companies can consult the Toronto Stock Exchange; the history of banking in the city is covered in a separate article.
The Port of Toronto
PortsToronto states that the Port of Toronto has served as a gateway between Toronto and the St. Lawrence Seaway and international ports since 1793. Two sources describe the later governing body differently. One account says the federal government set up the Toronto Harbour Commissioners in 1911; a City of Toronto heritage report says the City created the commission that year to manage municipally owned waterfront land. The Toronto Port Authority was incorporated on June 8, 1999, as a federal business enterprise under the Canada Marine Act, according to most sources; one timeline on the port’s site gives 1998 for the Act coming into effect. The port announced a rebranding as PortsToronto in January 2015.
The port’s own figures for its 2025 shipping season are these.
- More than 2.16 million metric tonnes of cargo across 167 vessels, with imports up 4.5 percent from 2024.
- Road salt (about 751,353 tonnes), sugar (575,898 tonnes), cement (714,843 tonnes), aggregate (57,667 tonnes) and steel products (79,079 tonnes).
- 42 cruise ship calls bringing 18,461 passengers.
- Marine terminals with about 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) of berthing space and a paved yard of more than 20 hectares (50 acres). Two terminals are leased to Cinespace, which provides production facilities for film and television.
A 2023 study by Martin Associates, cited by the port, estimated that marine shipping generates over 670 directly related jobs and an overall economic impact of $460 million (CAD). PortsToronto also operates the Outer Harbour Marina and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport; airports are covered in a separate article.
Housing: what Statistics Canada documents
Housing cost is measured in the Census by the share of households spending 30 percent or more of income on shelter. The City’s 2021 Census backgrounder reports that 373,965 of 1,160,885 Toronto households, or 32 percent, were in that group in 2021. Among renter households the share was 40 percent (220,490 households), and among owner households 26 percent (153,475 households). Statistics Canada’s figures for the Toronto census metropolitan area, a wider region, are 30.5 percent for all households, 40.5 percent for renters and 25.2 percent for owners in 2021, down from 33.4, 46.9 and 26.7 percent in 2016. The two sets of numbers cover different geographies and should not be mixed.
Homelessness: City counts with years
The City of Toronto counts homelessness through the Street Needs Assessment and, from 2025, a Point-in-Time Count. The counts use different methods and dates, so they are not directly comparable.
- April 21, 2021: the Street Needs Assessment estimated 7,347 people experiencing homelessness, 6,605 indoors and 742 outdoors. The City attributed the decrease from 2018 mainly to fewer refugee families in the shelter system during COVID-19 border restrictions.
- October 2024: the sixth Street Needs Assessment found that mental health issues were the most commonly reported health challenge, at 44 percent. Indigenous people made up 9 percent of people experiencing homelessness and 3 percent of Toronto’s population.
- October 22, 2025: the Point-in-Time Count estimated 12,196 people, including 9,026 in the base shelter system, 1,446 outdoors, and 1,724 in provincially administered settings. The City reports that the total fell 21 percent from October 2024.
The City’s current pages are the place to find any newer count.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest industry in Toronto?
By workplace, the office category held 51.5 percent of jobs in the City’s 2021 survey. By residents’ industry in the 2021 Census, professional, scientific and technical services was largest at 14.1 percent.
How much cargo does the Port of Toronto handle?
PortsToronto reports more than 2.16 million metric tonnes in its 2025 season, mostly salt, sugar, cement and construction materials.
How many people are homeless in Toronto?
The City estimated 12,196 people on October 22, 2025, in its Point-in-Time Count. The 2021 Street Needs Assessment estimated 7,347 on April 21, 2021, using a different method.
What share of Toronto households spend 30 percent or more of income on housing?
The City’s 2021 Census backgrounder reports 32 percent of households, and 40 percent of renter households.
Related reading
- Toronto’s financial history: TD Bank and the Toronto Stock Exchange
- Immigration and communities in Toronto’s history
- How Toronto’s neighborhoods grew
- An overview of Toronto’s history
- Living in Toronto: city services, universities and the economy
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- City of Toronto, Toronto Employment Survey 2021 bulletin
- City of Toronto City Planning, 2021 Census backgrounders (labor; housing), based on Statistics Canada
- Statistics Canada, The Daily, September 21, 2022, tables on shelter-cost burden by tenure
- PortsToronto, About the Port and history pages
- City of Toronto, Street Needs Assessment pages and 2021 results report
- Toronto Region Board of Trade, regional economy statement
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Toronto’s Economy: Industries, the Port and Housing Data. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/torontos-leading-industries-a-comprehensive-look-at-the-citys-economic-powerhouses
MLA: “Toronto’s Economy: Industries, the Port and Housing Data.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/torontos-leading-industries-a-comprehensive-look-at-the-citys-economic-powerhouses. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Toronto’s Economy: Industries, the Port and Housing Data.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/torontos-leading-industries-a-comprehensive-look-at-the-citys-economic-powerhouses.
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