Looking beyond rent to understand housing pressure in Toronto

An analysis of renter housing pressure across 140 Toronto neighbourhoods in 2011, built in Excel and Tableau.

Goal
$Rank areas by rent aloneAdd income and housing support
Find where renting is hardest to afford, and why.
Result
53/ 140
Neighbourhoods a rent-only ranking would put in the wrong group.
My part
  1. 01Narrowed the question
  2. 02Prepared the data in Excel
  3. 03Explored it in Tableau
  4. 04Wrote the story and its limits
From question to recommendation.
Role
Data analyst
Skills
Data preparation, exploratory analysis, data visualization, Excel and Tableau
Duration
Oct 2026

The problem

Same housing bill. Different budgets.

I began with a price question: where is housing most expensive? Price alone could not explain affordability, so I asked a better one: why is renting harder to afford in some Toronto neighbourhoods? A simple budget illustration shows why income has to be part of the answer.

ILLUSTRATIVE MONTHLY HOUSING BILL$1,200

Same cost. Different breathing room.

$3,000 before-tax income40% for housing
$6,000 before-tax income20% for housing

What I measured

Scope
140 historical Toronto neighbourhoods
Year
2011, with income from 2010
Main measure
Share of renter households spending 30%+ of before-tax income on housing
Context
Average rental cost, subsidized renters and median household income (owners and renters)

The solution

Three views, one clearer story

I connected a neighbourhood map, a cost comparison and a closer look at housing support. Each view answers a different part of the question.

Toronto’s historical neighbourhood boundaries coloured by renter pressure
01 locate

Find the pressure

See how the share of renters above the threshold varies across the city.
02 compare

Look beyond the price

Higher rental costs did not always go with greater renter pressure.
64.6%Regent Park
17.9%South Parkdale

Renters in subsidized housing

03 understand

Bring support into view

A two-neighbourhood contrast, then a check across all 140.

01 / Locate the pressure

Pressure was common. A few areas stood out.

Housing pressure is the share of renter households spending 30%+ of before-tax income on housing. Choose a neighbourhood on the map to see its numbers.

138 of 140neighbourhoods where at least 30% of renters crossed the threshold
42.8%the median neighbourhood
60.3%highest: Newtonbrook West
26.8%lowest: Regent Park
2011 / 140 historical neighbourhoods

Where renters feel the pressure

Select an area or use the list ↓
Brookhaven-Amesbury: 42.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Humewood-Cedarvale: 43.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Weston-Pelham Park: 45.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Hillcrest Village: 31.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Agincourt North: 40.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Yonge-St.Clair: 42.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Yonge-Eglinton: 41.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Edenbridge-Humber Valley: 46.5% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Rexdale-Kipling: 45.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Willowdale East: 54.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Flemingdon Park: 44.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Princess-Rosethorn: 46.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Pleasant View: 40.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Dovercourt-Wallace Emerson-Junction: 40.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Oakridge: 45.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Keelesdale-Eglinton West: 43.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Briar Hill-Belgravia: 38.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Mount Pleasant West: 41.5% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Caledonia-Fairbank: 51.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Beechborough-Greenbrook: 34.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Danforth East York: 44.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Mount Pleasant East: 41.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Moss Park: 40.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Junction Area: 44.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Little Portugal: 38.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Rosedale-Moore Park: 45.1% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Oakwood Village: 45.1% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011O'Connor-Parkview: 41.5% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Dorset Park: 38.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Newtonbrook West: 60.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Cabbagetown-South St. James Town: 40.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Black Creek: 38.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Playter Estates-Danforth: 41.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Broadview North: 46.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Kingsway South: 36.1% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Etobicoke West Mall: 42.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011North Riverdale: 32.5% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Ionview: 41.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Don Valley Village: 49.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Woodbine-Lumsden: 36.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Casa Loma: 46.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Kennedy Park: 41.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011North St. James Town: 42.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Bay Street Corridor: 54.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Roncesvalles: 44.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Cliffcrest: 41.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Clairlea-Birchmount: 41.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Church-Yonge Corridor: 46.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Highland Creek: 33.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011High Park-Swansea: 40.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Newtonbrook East: 54.5% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview: 43.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Glenfield-Jane Heights: 38.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Weston: 46.1% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Eringate-Centennial-West Deane: 42.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Englemount-Lawrence: 39.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Old East York: 36.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Bathurst Manor: 44.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Banbury-Don Mills: 47.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011L'Amoreaux: 42.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Morningside: 43.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Mimico (includes Humber Bay Shores): 41.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Maple Leaf: 35.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Lawrence Park North: 41.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Dufferin Grove: 52.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Lawrence Park South: 37.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Bayview Village: 49.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Lambton Baby Point: 33.5% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Palmerston-Little Italy: 43.5% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011New Toronto: 42.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Niagara: 41.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Bedford Park-Nortown: 43.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Birchcliffe-Cliffside: 42.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Bendale: 42.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Regent Park: 26.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Parkwoods-Donalda: 42.5% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Kensington-Chinatown: 44.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Leaside-Bennington: 46.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Wychwood: 42.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Henry Farm: 49.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Corso Italia-Davenport: 40.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Thistletown-Beaumond Heights: 41.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011The Beaches: 36.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Tam O'Shanter-Sullivan: 47.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Stonegate-Queensway: 40.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Guildwood: 43.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Blake-Jones: 40.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Islington-City Centre West: 38.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Rouge: 39.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Markland Wood: 40.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Malvern: 44.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Long Branch: 41.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Danforth: 37.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Greenwood-Coxwell: 38.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Elms-Old Rexdale: 49.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Clanton Park: 36.5% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Runnymede-Bloor West Village: 45.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011East End-Danforth: 37.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Westminster-Branson: 53.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011West Humber-Clairville: 36.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills: 41.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Rockcliffe-Smythe: 40.5% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011University: 54.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011West Hill: 34.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Rustic: 29.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011High Park North: 40.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Taylor-Massey: 48.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Victoria Village: 42.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011St.Andrew-Windfields: 44.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011South Riverdale: 35.1% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011South Parkdale: 48.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Scarborough Village: 48.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Yorkdale-Glen Park: 39.1% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Pelmo Park-Humberlea: 58.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Centennial Scarborough: 44.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Humbermede: 44.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Willowdale West: 46.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Trinity-Bellwoods: 42.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Thorncliffe Park: 49.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Eglinton East: 42.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Lansing-Westgate: 51.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011York University Heights: 47.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Waterfront Communities-The Island: 43.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Mount Dennis: 49.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Bayview Woods-Steeles: 59.2% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Woodbine Corridor: 38.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Milliken: 35.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Woburn: 40.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Steeles: 50.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Annex: 47.5% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Forest Hill South: 42.8% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Downsview-Roding-CFB: 45.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Kingsview Village-The Westway: 48.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown: 41.7% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Wexford/Maryvale: 42.9% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Alderwood: 35.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Humber Summit: 31.6% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Forest Hill North: 43.0% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Humber Heights-Westmount: 39.4% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011Agincourt South-Malvern West: 38.3% of renters above the 30% threshold · 2011LAKE ONTARION
1 Newtonbrook West2 Kingsway South
Renters spending 30%+ of income on housing
<30%30–39%40–49%50–59%60%+

of renters spend at least 30% of income on housing

Monthly rental cost
Subsidized tenants

Compare the story’s neighbourhoods

02 / Compare rental costs

Rent and pressure moved together only loosely.

Each dot is a neighbourhood. Higher rent went with a little more pressure, but the spread was wide. Split at the Toronto renter average, 53 of 140 neighbourhoods broke the pattern.

Rental cost and renter pressure · 2011

All 140 neighbourhoodsToronto renter average (weighted)1 Newtonbrook West2 Kingsway South

1 Newtonbrook West

$1,135 / month

60.3% of renters above the threshold

Highest share of all 140. Rent ranked 29th.

2 Kingsway South

$1,640 / month

36.1% of renters above the threshold

2nd-highest rent, but 126th of 140 for pressure. Only 535 renter households.

03 / Add context

Housing support belongs in the picture.

Regent Park and South Parkdale had similar incomes but very different renter pressure in 2011. Regent Park had the lowest rent, the lowest pressure and the most subsidized renters of all 140 neighbourhoods.

Median monthly income all households

Regent Park
$2,681
South Parkdale
$2,967

Monthly housing cost renters

Regent Park
$631
South Parkdale
$865

Subsidized housing share of renters

Regent Park
64.6%
South Parkdale
17.9%

Housing pressure renters spending 30%+ of income

Regent Park
26.8%
South Parkdale
48.6%
21.8percentage points

Regent Park’s renter pressure was 21.8 points lower. Lower costs and more support are context, not proof of a cause.

Across all 140 neighbourhoods

One pair is not enough, so I checked all 140. More subsidized renters went with lower rent and somewhat lower pressure (correlation −0.40), though the middle groups overlap.

Share of renters in subsidized housingMedian rental costMedian renter pressure
5% or less22 areas
$1,156
44.9%
5–15%57 areas
$1,055
42.2%
15–30%46 areas
$900
42.8%
Over 30%15 areas
$777
38.7%

So what

Rent alone is the wrong yardstick

Based on this data, I would recommend three steps to anyone ranking neighbourhood affordability.

  1. pairPair rent with income and housing support data
  2. flagReview the 53 neighbourhoods that break the pattern
  3. measureUse renter-only income when it is available

Limits

What the data can and cannot show

Every figure is a 2011 neighbourhood average.

Can show
  • Where renter pressure was higher in 2011
  • How rent and pressure lined up across 140 areas
  • Contrasts between neighbourhoods
Cannot show
  • Why pressure differed associations, not causes
  • A renter’s real budget income includes owners
  • Today’s rental market 2011 costs, not asking rents
  • A trend over time 2016 covers a different group
  • Small areas reliably few renters, less stable
Why the 2016 overview stays separate

The supplied 2016 overview reports 36.6% of assessed Toronto households spending at least 30% of income on housing. It includes owners and renters. The 2011 analysis here covers renters only.

These are different populations. Connecting them with a trend line would imply a change in renter affordability that the supplied data cannot establish.

Behind the work

The work behind the story

I narrowed the question, kept the populations separate and chose one job for each visual.

01

Narrow the question

I dropped willingness to pay: the data does not measure why someone chooses a neighbourhood.

02

Prepare and explore

I organized the cleaned data by neighbourhood in Excel and explored the measures in Tableau.

03

Choose the right view

The map locates the pressure. The dot chart compares cost and pressure. Paired bars add context.

04

Edit the story

I moved from broad chart titles to takeaway headlines, with units and population definitions beside the evidence.

What I learned

What I would carry into the next analysis

A price ranking was easy to make. A useful explanation needed clearer questions, visible population definitions and comparisons that did not overstate what the data could prove.

01

Keep the population visible

All-household income is useful context. It is not a measure of renters’ actual income.

02

Let comparisons raise questions

Regent Park and South Parkdale make support visible without claiming that one factor explains the gap.

What I would do next

  1. incomeUse renter-specific income
  2. dataUse a newer, consistent dataset
  3. mapsKeep boundaries comparable
  4. trendThen compare over time
Explore the cleaned data ↓Sources: City of Toronto neighbourhood profiles ↗ Historical boundaries ↗
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