The City of Greater Sudbury serves as the regional capital of northeastern Ontario. Located 390 kilometres north of Toronto, 290 kilometres east of Sault Ste. Marie, and 483 kilometres west of Ottawa, Greater Sudbury occupies a central location in Ontario at the convergence of two major highways, Highway 69 South and Highway 17 (Trans-Canada Highway). The total area of the City of Greater Sudbury is 3,627 square kilometres including water bodies, making it the largest municipality in Ontario based on total area. The City of Greater Sudbury contains 330 lakes within its municipal boundaries. At 13,257 hectares in area, Lake Wanapitei becomes the largest city-contained lake in the world. Greater Sudbury’s urban core also boasts numerous lakes which are a valued natural amenity. Located in the heart of the city, Ramsey Lake provides public access that is only a few minutes walk from the downtown core.

A comparison to Ontario data based on the 2016 Census reveals that the City’s labour force profile has diversified significantly over the last few decades. Health care and social assistance industries employ 14.44% of Sudbury’s total labour force while the retail trade industry employs 12.20% of the labour force. Educational services round out the top three industries in Sudbury, employing 8.28% of Sudbury’s labour force. These percentages reflect Greater Sudbury’s position as a regional service centre for Northeastern Ontario, as well as the continued development of health care and education infrastructure.

Sudbury’s economy was dominated by the mining industry for much of the 20th century. Mining now employs only 6,000 people in the city, although the mining supply and service sector employs a further 10,000. By 2006, 80% of Greater Sudbury’s labour force was employed in services with 20% remaining in manufacturing. A large number of mining supply and service companies are located in Sudbury. This includes a number of public and private firms pursuing research and development in new mining technologies While mining has decreased in relative importance, Sudbury’s economy has diversified to establish itself as a centre of finance, business, tourism, health care, education, government, and science and technology research. Major employers within Sudbury include Vale, Health Sciences North, Sudbury Tax Services Office, and Laurentian University.