Mcmaster University vs University of Ottawa: who pays more?
In 2025 Mcmaster University listed 1,966 employees with a median of $150,713; University of Ottawa listed 2,861 with a median of $144,819 — that is 4% more at the median for Mcmaster University, and University of Ottawa lists 1.5× as many people.
On the list
- Mcmaster University
- 1,966
- University of Ottawa
- 2,861
employees paid $100K+, 2025
Median salary
- Mcmaster University
- $150,713
- University of Ottawa
- $144,819
salary paid, 2025
Average salary
- Mcmaster University
- $165,955
- University of Ottawa
- $158,196
salary paid, 2025
Listed payroll
- Mcmaster University
- $330.4M
- University of Ottawa
- $452.7M
total compensation, 2025
Median salary by year
1996–2025
- Mcmaster University
- University of Ottawa
Median salary paid on each employer’s Sunshine List filing. A gap is a year the employer filed nobody under this name.
Year by year
| Year | Mcmaster University | University of Ottawa | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People | Median | People | Median | |
| 2025 | 1,966 | $150,713 | 2,861 | $144,819 |
| 2024 | 1,818 | $152,728 | 2,244 | $160,342 |
| 2023 | 1,661 | $155,260 | 2,047 | $151,849 |
| 2022 | 1,536 | $157,175 | 1,949 | $153,018 |
| 2021 | 1,437 | $158,018 | 1,850 | $153,279 |
| 2020 | 1,425 | $155,833 | 1,675 | $154,271 |
| 2019 | 1,300 | $157,352 | 1,595 | $153,684 |
| 2018 | 1,256 | $156,524 | 1,530 | $150,159 |
| 2017 | 1,203 | $154,661 | 1,496 | $148,005 |
| 2016 | 1,150 | $152,509 | 1,440 | $143,194 |
| 2015 | 1,137 | $153,513 | 1,400 | $139,168 |
| 2014 | 1,063 | $144,863 | 1,279 | $136,994 |
| 2013 | 1,032 | $145,110 | 1,246 | $136,210 |
| 2012 | 1,015 | $141,776 | 1,047 | $129,308 |
| 2011 | 967 | $137,557 | 1,023 | $127,645 |
| 2010 | 928 | $134,053 | 967 | $126,911 |
| 2009 | 883 | $129,185 | 861 | $125,466 |
| 2008 | 793 | $124,758 | 685 | $118,823 |
| 2007 | 733 | $123,266 | 627 | $119,297 |
| 2006 | 625 | $120,186 | 650 | $123,727 |
| 2005 | 536 | $119,440 | 369 | $113,153 |
| 2004 | 437 | $115,753 | 341 | $112,404 |
| 2003 | 359 | $112,520 | 303 | $113,834 |
| 2002 | 297 | $109,367 | 260 | $112,565 |
| 2001 | 235 | $108,629 | 207 | $112,783 |
| 2000 | 213 | $106,992 | 148 | $110,600 |
| 1999 | 142 | $106,193 | 155 | $109,136 |
| 1998 | 93 | $109,190 | 126 | $108,154 |
| 1997 | 77 | $113,746 | 107 | $106,980 |
| 1996 | 72 | $110,159 | 76 | $104,691 |
Related questions
- Who makes the most at Mcmaster University? →
- Who makes the most at University of Ottawa? →
- How many Mcmaster University employees earn over $150,000? →
- How many University of Ottawa employees earn over $150,000? →
- Mcmaster University vs University of Toronto: who pays more? →
- Who makes the most in Universities? →
Method. Medians and averages are salary paid; listed payroll is total compensation (salary plus taxable benefits), as filed. Both sides come from the same Ontario Sunshine List, which covers only public-sector employees paid $100,000 or more — so this compares the shape of each employer’s six-figure payroll, not its whole workforce, and an employer with more low-paid staff simply lists fewer of them. A side with fewer than five people keeps its count but shows “<5” instead of a median, average or payroll figure, since any of those would be that handful of people’s own numbers. Sector: Universities. Data runs through 2025.