Average and Median Income in Canada

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 Canadian Income Survey (CIS) is Statistics Canada’s primary source for up-to-date income data. The most recent release, covering the 2024 reference year, was published April 29, 2026. Most of the figures on this page use that 2024 data; where noted, the average after-tax income of census families comes from Statistics Canada’s separate T1 Family File release, whose most recent reference year is 2023 (released July 18, 2025).

Average income by province

Explore detailed income data for your province:

Alberta | Ontario | British Columbia | Quebec | Saskatchewan | Manitoba | Nova Scotia | New Brunswick | Newfoundland & Labrador | Prince Edward Island

Average income by city

See how incomes compare in Canada’s major cities:

Toronto | Vancouver | Calgary | Edmonton | Ottawa | Montreal | Winnipeg | Hamilton | Halifax | Victoria | Saskatoon | Regina | London

Wages by industry and gender

Highest Paying Industries in Canada | Gender Pay Gap in Canada

Average Income

Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey shows the average after-tax income of economic families and unattached individuals combined was $94,900 in 2024. A separate T1 Family File release, which groups people into census families rather than economic families, put the average after-tax income of census families and persons not in a census family at $82,610 in 2023, essentially unchanged (down about 0.1% in real terms) from 2022. The average total income of individuals (all persons aged 15 and over, including those with no income) was lower, at approximately $59,400 in 2024 (Canadian Income Survey), since it is not weighted toward multi-earner families.

This table shows the average individual income over the past ten years adjusted for inflation shown in 2024 constant dollars. The rightmost column shows what each year’s figure would be worth in today’s dollars, carried forward with Statistics Canada’s all-items CPI from the 2024 annual average to the latest monthly index (currently 2026-08), so you can see roughly what it means in today’s purchasing power. This is an inflation adjustment only, not new income data: actual incomes today could be higher or lower than this in real terms, since wages don’t always move in lockstep with prices.

Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, Table 11-10-0238-01, average total income of all persons aged 15 and over including those with no income (16 and over before 2022), 2024 constant dollars, released April 29, 2026. Because every row is already in 2024 dollars, each is carried forward from the 2024 annual-average CPI to the latest monthly CPI (Table 18-10-0004-01).

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 and Median Household Income

Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey reports income for “economic families” (two or more people related by blood, marriage, common-law union, adoption, or fostering who share a dwelling) and “unattached individuals” (people not in an economic family) rather than a single “household” figure. This is a useful proxy for household finances even though it is not identical to the Census household concept. For 2024, the median after-tax income of economic families was $108,900, up 1.8% from 2023, while unattached individuals had a median after-tax income of $41,000, virtually unchanged from 2023 ($40,800). Combining both groups, the median after-tax income across all families and unattached individuals was $75,500 in 2024.

The same survey table reports the average (mean) after-tax income of economic families and unattached individuals combined: $94,900 in 2024. Because average income is pulled upward by high earners, it sits above the $75,500 combined median. (The T1 Family File’s $82,610 for 2023 measures census families, a different grouping, so it is not directly comparable.)

Figures for 2020 to 2024 are expressed in 2024 constant dollars (inflation-adjusted) for comparability. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, Table 11-10-0190-01, released April 29, 2026.

While the national median after-tax income for economic families is $108,900, income varies a lot by province. This table shows the median after-tax income by province in Canada for 2024 (combined economic families and unattached individuals, the broadest comparable measure Statistics Canada publishes by province):

Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, Table 11-10-0190-01, 2024 reference year.

Median Income

The median income in Canada, which represents the middle value, is generally lower than the average income, since the average is skewed by high earners. As described above, the median after-tax income of economic families was $108,900 in 2024, and $41,000 for unattached individuals. For individuals overall (not broken out by family status), the median total income of all people aged 15 and over, including those with no income, was approximately $44,400 in 2024.

Geography plays a major role when looking at income. For example, the Toronto CMA’s 2024 median after-tax income (combined families and unattached individuals) was $82,500, against $79,500 for Ontario as a whole (same Canadian Income Survey table). See our Toronto income guide for the most current local figures.

This table shows the median total income in Canada for individuals (all persons aged 15 and over, including those with no income) over the past ten years, in 2024 constant dollars.

Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, Table 11-10-0238-01, median total income of all persons aged 15 and over including those with no income (16 and over before 2022), 2024 constant dollars. Counting only people with income, the 2024 figures are an average of $61,600 and a median of $46,300 (Table 11-10-0239-01).

Median Household Income

Statistics Canada publishes median household income only with the census, every five years: the 2021 Census put it at $84,000 before tax and $73,000 after tax for 2020. For more recent years, the closest official measures from the annual Canadian Income Survey are the median after-tax income of economic families ($108,900 in 2024) and the median after-tax income across all economic families and unattached individuals combined ($75,500 in 2024). This table shows the combined median after-tax income over the past several years in Canada, expressed in 2024 constant dollars for comparability.

The median after-tax income (combined economic families and unattached individuals) varies substantially based on the Canadian province and territory. Among the provinces, the three highest medians in 2024 were in Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia. The median was $85,300 in Alberta, $79,500 in Ontario and $75,800 in British Columbia. In the territories it was $116,100 in the Northwest Territories, $89,300 in Yukon and $109,600 in Nunavut.

Let’s take a look at the median after-tax income (combined) across Canada based on province and territory for 2024:

Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, Table 11-10-0190-01, 2024 reference year, released April 29, 2026.

Average individual income by province

While family-level income captures total household earnings, individual income shows what the typical person makes on their own. The figures below are for the 2024 reference year, the most recent year published.

Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, Table 11-10-0238-01, 2024 (2024 dollars). Total income of all persons aged 15+, including those with no income; the same measure is used on our provincial income pages.

On average individual income, the three highest provinces were Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. On the median, the three highest were Quebec, Saskatchewan and Alberta; the median was $46,100 in Quebec, $45,700 in Saskatchewan and $45,500 in Alberta. Costs of living, particularly housing costs, also differ widely between provinces. Use our income percentile calculator to see how your income compares within your province and age group.

How many Canadians make $100,000 or more a year?

What does it take to reach the six-figure mark for employment income and just how common is it in Canada? In 2024, 17.1% of all persons with employment income earned $100,000 or more in the year, against 16.2% in 2023.

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 employment income in each year (expressed in 2024 constant dollars):

Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, Table 11-10-0240-01, all persons with employment income, released April 29, 2026. This measure covers employment income only and excludes people with none, so it is not directly comparable with the total-income figures above.

Average income by age group

Income in Canada varies significantly based on age, reflecting career stage and experience. Younger Canadians typically earn less as they enter the workforce, and earnings rise with experience. This table shows the average and median employment income by age group in Canada for 2024.

Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, Table 11-10-0239-01, 2024, employment income of people with employment income (2024 constant dollars). People with no employment income are excluded, which is why these figures run higher than the total-income figures above that include everyone aged 15+.

In 2024, average employment income was highest for people aged 45 to 54 years; after the peak, income tends to decline as some workers transition to part-time employment or early retirement. Use our income percentile calculator to see how your income ranks within your age group and across Canada.

Average income by education level

Education is one of the strongest predictors of income in Canada. Higher levels of education are associated with significantly higher earnings over a lifetime. This table shows average employment income in 2020 for people aged 25 to 64 with employment income, by highest level of education attained (2021 Census).

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, Table 98-10-0409-01 (2020 employment income, ages 25 to 64, all fields of study).

Canadians aged 25 to 64 with a bachelor’s degree earned 59% more than those with only a high school diploma. Master’s degree holders averaged $85,600, and holders of a degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or optometry $109,900. Apprenticeship and trades certificate holders averaged $52,800, with trades work concentrated in industries like construction, oil and gas, and skilled manufacturing.

After-tax vs. before-tax income

When comparing incomes, it is important to understand the difference between before-tax (gross) and after-tax (net) income.

• Before-tax income (gross): This is your total income before any deductions for federal and provincial income tax, CPP contributions, and EI premiums.
• After-tax income (net): This is what you actually take home after all deductions. Statistics Canada’s headline family-income statistics (the $108,900 median for economic families and $94,900 average across economic families and unattached individuals cited above) are already after-tax figures, since after-tax income is what StatCan emphasizes for living-standards comparisons.

Your tax bracket determines how much of your income goes to taxes. The income tax calculator can help you estimate your after-tax income based on your province of residence. You can also use the salary calculator to see a detailed breakdown of deductions from each paycheque.

Quick next steps

Use the income tax calculator and salary calculator to estimate your take-home pay, then compare your result with the income percentile calculator to benchmark your earnings against similar Canadians.