Where people in Toronto are moving to the most

Written by:
March 23, 2023
JHVEPhoto // Shutterstock

Where people in Toronto are moving to the most

Canadians moved out of Ontario—and specifically urban Toronto—in droves following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, young Canadians in their 20s and 30s have been moving into the province of Alberta, according to data from Statistics Canada. With broad inflation and housing prices on the rise, the trend of seeking out more affordable living conditions is only likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Stacker compiled a list of places that people in Toronto are moving to the most using data from Statistics Canada.

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#30. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Sault Ste. Marie in 2020-21: 275
- Moved from Sault Ste. Marie to Toronto in 2020-21: 234
- Total population as of 2021: 76,731

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#29. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

- Moved from Toronto to St. John's in 2020-21: 282
- Moved from St. John's to Toronto in 2020-21: 342
- Total population as of 2021: 212,579

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#28. Victoria, British Columbia

- Moved from Toronto to Victoria in 2020-21: 302
- Moved from Victoria to Toronto in 2020-21: 1,025
- Total population as of 2021: 397,237

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#27. Kawartha Lakes, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Kawartha Lakes in 2020-21: 356
- Moved from Kawartha Lakes to Toronto in 2020-21: 1,343
- Total population as of 2021: 79,247

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#26. Sarnia, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Sarnia in 2020-21: 387
- Moved from Sarnia to Toronto in 2020-21: 403
- Total population as of 2021: 97,592

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#25. Thunder Bay, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Thunder Bay in 2020-21: 421
- Moved from Thunder Bay to Toronto in 2020-21: 292
- Total population as of 2021: 123,258

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#24. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

- Moved from Toronto to Charlottetown in 2020-21: 456
- Moved from Charlottetown to Toronto in 2020-21: 606
- Total population as of 2021: 78,858

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#23. Greater Sudbury, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Greater Sudbury in 2020-21: 460
- Moved from Greater Sudbury to Toronto in 2020-21: 633
- Total population as of 2021: 170,605

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#22. Belleville, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Belleville–Quinte West in 2020-21: 461
- Moved from Belleville–Quinte West to Toronto in 2020-21: 1,336
- Total population as of 2021: 111,184

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#21. Brantford, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Brantford in 2020-21: 545
- Moved from Brantford to Toronto in 2020-21: 2,358
- Total population as of 2021: 144,162

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#20. Peterborough, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Peterborough in 2020-21: 657
- Moved from Peterborough to Toronto in 2020-21: 1,577
- Total population as of 2021: 128,624

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#19. Kingston, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Kingston in 2020-21: 681
- Moved from Kingston to Toronto in 2020-21: 1,489
- Total population as of 2021: 172,546

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#18. Regina, Saskatchewan

- Moved from Toronto to Regina in 2020-21: 710
- Moved from Regina to Toronto in 2020-21: 414
- Total population as of 2021: 249,217

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#17. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

- Moved from Toronto to Saskatoon in 2020-21: 906
- Moved from Saskatoon to Toronto in 2020-21: 518
- Total population as of 2021: 317,480

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#16. Halifax, Nova Scotia

- Moved from Toronto to Halifax in 2020-21: 923
- Moved from Halifax to Toronto in 2020-21: 3,043
- Total population as of 2021: 465,703

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#15. Guelph, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Guelph in 2020-21: 1,316
- Moved from Guelph to Toronto in 2020-21: 4,261
- Total population as of 2021: 165,588

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#14. Winnipeg, Manitoba

- Moved from Toronto to Winnipeg in 2020-21: 1,780
- Moved from Winnipeg to Toronto in 2020-21: 2,853
- Total population as of 2021: 834,678

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#13. Edmonton, Alberta

- Moved from Toronto to Edmonton in 2020-21: 1,905
- Moved from Edmonton to Toronto in 2020-21: 1,976
- Total population as of 2021: 1,418,118

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#12. St. Catharines - Niagara, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to St. Catharines–Niagara in 2020-21: 2,130
- Moved from St. Catharines–Niagara to Toronto in 2020-21: 6,681
- Total population as of 2021: 839,311

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#11. Windsor, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Windsor in 2020-21: 2,136
- Moved from Windsor to Toronto in 2020-21: 2,343
- Total population as of 2021: 422,630

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#10. Calgary, Alberta

- Moved from Toronto to Calgary in 2020-21: 2,461
- Moved from Calgary to Toronto in 2020-21: 2,815
- Total population as of 2021: 1,481,806

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#9. London, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to London in 2020-21: 2,474
- Moved from London to Toronto in 2020-21: 5,996
- Total population as of 2021: 543,551

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#8. Barrie, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Barrie in 2020-21: 2,871
- Moved from Barrie to Toronto in 2020-21: 9,184
- Total population as of 2021: 212,856

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#7. Ottawa - Gatineau, Ontario part, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 3,194
- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Toronto in 2020-21: 6,356
- Total population as of 2021: 1,488,307

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#6. Ottawa - Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec

- Moved from Toronto to Ottawa–Gatineau in 2020-21: 3,350
- Moved from Ottawa–Gatineau to Toronto in 2020-21: 6,859
- Total population as of 2021: 1,488,307

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#5. Vancouver, British Columbia

- Moved from Toronto to Vancouver in 2020-21: 3,452
- Moved from Vancouver to Toronto in 2020-21: 5,544
- Total population as of 2021: 2,642,825

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#4. Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo in 2020-21: 4,138
- Moved from Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo to Toronto in 2020-21: 10,298
- Total population as of 2021: 575,847

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#3. Montréal, Quebec

- Moved from Toronto to Montreal in 2020-21: 5,024
- Moved from Montreal to Toronto in 2020-21: 3,639
- Total population as of 2021: 4,291,732

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#2. Oshawa, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Oshawa in 2020-21: 5,973
- Moved from Oshawa to Toronto in 2020-21: 19,201
- Total population as of 2021: 415,311

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#1. Hamilton, Ontario

- Moved from Toronto to Hamilton in 2020-21: 6,460
- Moved from Hamilton to Toronto in 2020-21: 17,373
- Total population as of 2021: 785,184

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