University of Waterloo vs York University: who pays more?
University of Waterloo had 2,376 people on the 2025 Sunshine List with a median of $153,961, York University 2,557 with a median of $157,104 — that is 2% more at the median for York University, and York University lists 1.1× as many people.
On the list
- University of Waterloo
- 2,376
- York University
- 2,557
employees paid $100K+, 2025
Median salary
- University of Waterloo
- $153,961
- York University
- $157,104
salary paid, 2025
Average salary
- University of Waterloo
- $167,162
- York University
- $170,678
salary paid, 2025
Listed payroll
- University of Waterloo
- $398.5M
- York University
- $438.1M
total compensation, 2025
Median salary by year
1996–2025
- University of Waterloo
- York University
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 | University of Waterloo | York University | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People | Median | People | Median | |
| 2025 | 2,376 | $153,961 | 2,557 | $157,104 |
| 2024 | 2,245 | $152,048 | 2,711 | $159,321 |
| 2023 | 2,139 | $150,048 | 2,318 | $150,148 |
| 2022 | 1,903 | $151,206 | 2,229 | $152,989 |
| 2021 | 1,856 | $151,144 | 2,125 | $149,843 |
| 2020 | 1,760 | $150,310 | 1,995 | $150,740 |
| 2019 | 1,676 | $148,966 | 1,850 | $153,620 |
| 2018 | 1,556 | $147,081 | 1,691 | $147,823 |
| 2017 | 1,450 | $144,850 | 1,681 | $146,733 |
| 2016 | 1,357 | $146,204 | 1,655 | $147,321 |
| 2015 | 1,295 | $144,182 | 1,609 | $138,782 |
| 2014 | 1,219 | $142,157 | 1,589 | $139,455 |
| 2013 | 1,139 | $140,280 | 1,596 | $134,683 |
| 2012 | 1,041 | $136,838 | 1,553 | $133,304 |
| 2011 | 955 | $133,929 | 1,467 | $131,315 |
| 2010 | 906 | $134,571 | 1,369 | $127,714 |
| 2009 | 845 | $132,043 | 1,239 | $125,752 |
| 2008 | 774 | $129,204 | 1,095 | $123,272 |
| 2007 | 688 | $125,680 | 1,023 | $121,536 |
| 2006 | 581 | $123,159 | 703 | $116,218 |
| 2005 | 519 | $120,404 | 691 | $115,553 |
| 2004 | 453 | $116,890 | 577 | $113,208 |
| 2003 | 367 | $112,552 | 483 | $110,147 |
| 2002 | 311 | $110,657 | 362 | $110,228 |
| 2001 | 245 | $107,917 | 271 | $110,361 |
| 2000 | 201 | $105,817 | 177 | $111,146 |
| 1999 | 150 | $105,648 | 126 | $113,979 |
| 1998 | 104 | $106,009 | 94 | $113,604 |
| 1997 | 90 | $104,808 | 81 | $114,545 |
| 1996 | 48 | $105,101 | 71 | $112,022 |
Related questions
- Who makes the most at University of Waterloo? →
- Who makes the most at York University? →
- How many University of Waterloo employees earn over $150,000? →
- How many York University employees earn over $150,000? →
- University of Toronto vs University of Waterloo: 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.