City of Vaughan

Key highlights

• Nearly 3 in 4 residents (73 per cent) in Vaughan aged 25 to 64 years old hold a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree.
• The number of post-secondary, certificate, diploma or degree holders in Vaughan surpasses provincial (68 per cent) and national (67 per cent) education attainment
• Forty per cent of residents hold a bachelor’s degree, while 26 per cent hold a college diploma.
• From 2016 to 2021, there was a 19 per cent increase in the number of working-aged Canadian individuals who held a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• Degrees held by Canadians in the fields of “health and healthcare” and “computer and information sciences” rose drastically from 2016 to 2021, increasing by 24 per cent and 46 per cent respectively.

INSIGHTS and Findings

Canada and Ontario

Canada continues to rank first in the G7 for the share of working-age people (25 to 64) with 57.4 per cent of Canadians achieving a college or university education. From 2016 to 2021, there was a 19 per cent increase in the number of working-aged individuals who held a bachelor’s degree or higher. Degrees in the fields of “health and healthcare” and “computer and information sciences” rose drastically over this period at 24 per cent and 46 per cent respectively. Canadian-born young adults aged 25 to 34 with a degree or higher have risen 2.7 percentage points from 2016 to 2021, with young women making up a larger share of educated young adults than males. Those with education credentials above the bachelor’s level were more likely to have weathered COVID-19 labour challenges partly due to working in industries that were more suited to remote work.

Recently landed immigrants made up half the share of Canadians with bachelor’s degrees or higher. More than one-quarter of immigrants with foreign-held education credentials are currently working jobs in which their education is underutilized primarily working in positions that require at most a high school diploma.

City of Vaughan

Vaughan residents continue to be well-educated across a variety of fields. Nearly three in four (73 per cent) of Vaughan residents aged 25 to 64 years old hold a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree. Of those holding a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, 26 per cent (or 33,850 residents) hold a college diploma, and 40 per cent (or 50,910 residents) hold a bachelor’s degree.

“Business management and public administration”, “Architecture, engineering and related trades” and “Social and behavioural sciences and law” are the most common fields of study held by residents in Vaughan.