How much are people making in Canada? How does your income stack up? Let’s go over some numbers on the average and median income for both individuals and households in Canada to understand how income varies across Canada.
The Canada Income Survey (CIS) was released on May 1, 2025 which has the most up to date income data on Canadians. The most recent income data is for the 2023 year.
Average Income
The overall average income in Canada for 2023 was $111,300. This includes economic families and persons not in an economic family. The average income for individuals or those not in an economic family was much lower at $56,100. The highest average income group was economic families or households which had average income of $146,600.
This table shows the average individual income over the past ten years adjusted for inflation shown in 2023 dollars.
| Year | Individual |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $56,100 |
| 2022 | $55,200 |
| 2021 | $55,700 |
| 2020 | $54,500 |
| 2019 | $51,600 |
| 2018 | $51,200 |
| 2017 | $51,700 |
| 2016 | $51,000 |
| 2015 | $50,300 |
| 2014 | $50,800 |
| 2013 | $51,300 |
If you want to know the income percentile to see how your salary compares to individuals across Canada check out this income percentile calculator.
Average Household Income
Let’s take a look at the average household income in Canada which is an important metric as it represents a households financial resources to participate in the economy, with impact on essential necessities like home affordability and overall well-being. The average Canadian household income is $146,600 which is quite a bit higher than the overall average income. Comparing the average household income to prior periods adjusted for inflation shows a rather stagant average household income from 2020 to 2023 (with previous years inflation adjusted to 2023).
| Year | Average HHI |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $146,600 |
| 2022 | $146,200 |
| 2021 | $146,800 |
| 2020 | $144,600 |
| 2019 | $137,600 |
| 2018 | $137,500 |
| 2017 | $135,900 |
| 2016 | $131,600 |
| 2015 | $133,000 |
| 2014 | $131,400 |
| 2013 | $129,000 |
While the average household income in Canada is $146,600 before taxes or $120,600 after taxes, the average household income varies a lot based on the province in Canada. This table shows the average household income by province in Canada for 2023:
| Geography | Average Total HHI | Average After-Tax HHI |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | $146,600 | $120,600 |
| Newfoundland | $125,100 | $102,900 |
| PEI | $119,100 | $98,800 |
| Nova Scotia | $120,800 | $98,900 |
| New Brunswick | $114,600 | $97,100 |
| Quebec | $135,100 | $110,400 |
| Ontario | $154,700 | $126,800 |
| Manitoba | $128,500 | $105,600 |
| Saskatchewan | $133,000 | $111,000 |
| Alberta | $161,900 | $133,600 |
| British Columbia | $151,300 | $125,600 |
Median Income
The median income in Canada which represents the middle value was lower vs. the average income. This is often due to the average income skewed by high income earners. The median total income in Canada was $84,400 in 2023. For individuals the median income was $44,200 and the income for households was $121,000.
Geography plays a major role when looking at income. For example, let’s look at the median income for Toronto, Ontario. The median total income is $94,100 which is higher than Canada’s median as a whole. For households in Toronto the median total income is $131,900 and for individuals $44,900.
This table shows the median income in Canada for indvidiuals over the past ten years.
| Year | Individual |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $44,200 |
| 2022 | $43,500 |
| 2021 | $45,000 |
| 2020 | $43,400 |
| 2019 | $40,600 |
| 2018 | $39,300 |
| 2017 | $39,600 |
| 2016 | $38,400 |
| 2015 | $37,800 |
| 2014 | $40,300 |
| 2013 | $39,800 |
Median Household Income
The median household income in Canada was $121,000 before taxes or $104,800 after taxes. This table shows the median household income over the past ten years in Canada adjusted for inflation to be shown in 2023 dollars.
| Year | Median HHI |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $121,000 |
| 2022 | $120,200 |
| 2021 | $122,300 |
| 2020 | $121,900 |
| 2019 | $114,700 |
| 2018 | $115,100 |
| 2017 | $112,100 |
| 2016 | $109,900 |
| 2015 | $110,400 |
| 2014 | $109,600 |
| 2013 | $106,600 |
The median household income (HHI) varies substantially based on the Canadian province. Alberta has the highest median household income at $137,900 with british columbia in second with $124,400 and Ontario has the third higest with $125,700.
Let’s take a look at the median household income (HHI) across Canada based on province:
| Geography | Median Total HHI | Median After-Tax HHI |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | $121,000 | $104,800 |
| Newfoundland | $103,900 | $90,200 |
| PEI | $106,100 | $90,800 |
| Nova Scotia | $105,600 | $89,800 |
| New Brunswick | $98,400 | $86,700 |
| Quebec | $112,700 | $97,100 |
| Ontario | $125,700 | $108,900 |
| Manitoba | $108,600 | $93,500 |
| Saskatchewan | $114,700 | $100,400 |
| Alberta | $137,900 | $119,100 |
| British Columbia | $124,400 | $109,200 |
How many Canadians make $100,000 or more a year?
What does it take to reach the six-figure mark for employement income and just how common is it in Canada? The most recent Canada Income Survey (CIS) released on May 1, 2025 shows these statistics with the most recent year of 2023 as there is often time between when the data is collected and then reported.
In 2023 15.5% of all persons with employement income earned $100,000 or more in the year. There were a total of 23.22 million people included in the total population. This is an increase slightly over the previous year which had 15.2% making over $100,000 in 2022.
This chart breaks down the percentage of persons with employment income over $100,000 for the past five years in addition to showing the average employement income in each year (expressed in 2023 dollars):
| Year | Percentage | Average Income |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 15.50% | $57,500 |
| 2022 | 15.20% | $57,200 |
| 2021 | 16.00% | $57,200 |
| 2020 | 15.20% | $54,500 |
| 2019 | 14.50% | $54,600 |