They are three of the most recognizable public-sector careers in Canada — and three of the most-searched “is it worth it?” jobs. Let’s put a nurse, a police officer and a university professor side by side and follow the money from gross pay to take-home.
The matchup (illustrative Ontario figures, 2025)
| Role | Gross | Take-home | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered nurse | $85,000 | $62,133 | 73.1% |
| Police officer (with overtime) | $105,000 | $75,986 | 72.4% |
| University professor | $135,000 | $93,708 | 69.4% |
(Single employee, Ontario 2025, employment income only. Real pay varies widely by step, seniority, region and overtime.)
The overtime wildcard
Front-line officers and nurses can out-earn salaried professionals through overtime. A nurse pulling heavy overtime or a constable banking court time and extra shifts can vault past their base salary — and onto the Sunshine List — even though their listed role looks lower-paid. Many of the surprising names near $150,000 on police and hospital lists are overtime stories, not base-pay stories.
The progressive-tax reality
Notice the “kept” column shrinks as pay rises: 73% at $85k, 72% at $105k, 69% at $135k. That is Canada’s progressive tax system — every extra dollar is taxed at a higher marginal rate. The professor earns much more gross but keeps a slightly smaller share.
Compare any two salaries’ real take-home with our take-home calculator.