Average and Median Income in Alberta

In 2024, Alberta had the highest average individual income of any province and the highest median after-tax income for families and unattached individuals. The energy sector, skilled trades and the tax rules all shape Alberta incomes; see how they compare with the national average income. Here’s a detailed look at income data across Alberta.

Income data on this page is from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey (CIS). Both the individual income figures and the household/family after-tax income figures are from the April 29, 2026 release (2024 reference year), the most recent available.

Average and median income in Alberta

Sources: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey 2024 (released April 29, 2026): Table 11-10-0238-01 for individual total income (all persons 15 and over, including those with zero income) and Table 11-10-0190-01 for after-tax income.

Alberta’s average individual income of $63,200 is 6.4% above the Canadian average of $59,400. Its median after-tax income was the highest of any province, at $85,300, $9,800 above the national figure of $75,500. Use our salary calculator to see your Alberta after-tax take-home pay.

Household income by city in Alberta

Calgary and Edmonton are Alberta’s two largest economic centres. Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey publishes an annual figure for both: median after-tax income of economic families and unattached individuals combined was $88,900 in Calgary and $80,700 in Edmonton in 2024. See our dedicated Calgary and Edmonton income pages for the most current local estimates alongside home price data.

Income vs. housing affordability in Alberta

For housing affordability, see our Calgary and Edmonton pages for city-specific home prices and affordability ratios, and our mortgage affordability calculator to see how much home you can afford at a given income.

Key industries driving Alberta income

Alberta’s high incomes are concentrated in several key sectors:

• Oil and gas extraction: the backbone of Alberta’s economy. Statistics Canada groups it with mining, quarrying, forestry and fishing in its wage data, and that combined sector’s average weekly wage in Alberta was $2,595.86 in 2025, or $134,985 over 52 weeks. Energy companies headquartered in Calgary include Suncor, Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus and Imperial Oil.
• Mining and quarrying: part of that same combined sector, which paid an average $58.84 an hour in Alberta in 2025, versus $37.35 for all industries.
• Construction and skilled trades: construction paid an average $38.59 an hour in Alberta in 2025, against the $37.35 all-industry average; see the FAQ below for energy-related trades.
• Professional and technical services: this sector, which includes engineering, geology and environmental consulting firms, paid an average $47.53 an hour in Alberta in 2025.
• Agriculture: Alberta’s farm cash receipts were $24.5 billion in 2025, against Ontario’s $24.1 billion, led by cattle ($10.9 billion).

Alberta's tax rules

Tax rules also shape take-home pay. The province has:

• No provincial sales tax: Alberta is the only province with no PST or HST beyond the federal 5% GST
• Income tax: Alberta’s provincial income tax starts at 8% on the first $61,200 of taxable income (2026), and its basic personal amount is $22,769, against $12,989 in Ontario and $13,216 in BC. The bottom rates are 5.05% in Ontario and 5.6% in BC.
• No health premium: unlike the Ontario Health Premium, which applies once taxable income passes $20,000 (up to $900 a year)

At an illustrative $80,000 salary in 2026, for example, provincial income tax comes to $4,490 in Alberta, $4,885 in Ontario and $4,031 in British Columbia, and BC also adds a 7% PST. Calculate your exact take-home with our income tax calculator.

Income trends in Alberta

Alberta’s income performance has been closely tied to energy sector cycles. The income figures below are Statistics Canada’s median individual income (all persons 15 and over, Canadian Income Survey), in constant 2024 dollars, so the changes are after inflation:

• 2014 to 2016: oil prices collapsed (the WTI benchmark averaged US$93 a barrel in 2014 and US$43 in 2016), and Alberta’s median individual income fell from $51,200 to $47,100, about 8%
• 2017 to 2019: oil prices partly recovered (WTI averaged US$51 to US$65 a barrel), but in 2019 Alberta’s median income ($49,400) was still about 3.5% below its 2014 level
• 2020: the pandemic and an oil-price slump hit together: WTI averaged US$39 a barrel and Alberta’s real GDP shrank 7.8%, while Alberta’s median individual income was $49,600, little changed from 2019
• 2021 to 2024: Alberta’s median after-tax income was the highest of any province in the 2024 Canadian Income Survey, and its median individual income ($45,500) was 11% below its 2014 level after inflation

Alberta has drawn many interprovincial migrants in recent years, including from Ontario and British Columbia.

How Alberta compares to other provinces

Among all ten provinces in 2024, Alberta ranked highest on average individual income, third-highest on median individual income and highest on median after-tax income. Use our income percentile calculator to see how your income ranks within Alberta.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average salary in Alberta? Alberta’s average individual income (all sources, 2024) was $63,200, the highest of any province. Oil and gas, construction and professional services are major drivers of Alberta wages. Among the eight metro areas the Canadian Income Survey reports, Calgary’s median after-tax income was the highest and Edmonton’s the fourth-highest.

Is Alberta better for income than Ontario? Compare the numbers: at $80,000 in 2026, provincial income tax is $4,490 in Alberta and $4,885 in Ontario, and Alberta has no provincial sales tax. Ontario’s bottom bracket rate is 5.05% and Alberta’s 8%, but Alberta’s basic personal amount is $22,769, against $12,989, and Alberta has no surtax or health premium. Average individual income was $63,200 in Alberta and $60,800 in Ontario in 2024. The trade-off: Alberta’s economy is more volatile. Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction made up about 19% of Alberta’s real GDP in 2024, and the province’s real GDP shrank in 2009, 2015, 2016 and 2020 (by 5.3%, 3.5%, 3.6% and 7.8%).

What are the highest-paying jobs in Alberta? In Job Bank’s Alberta wage data (reference period 2023-2024), the highest median hourly wages include senior managers in financial and business services ($86.54), engineering managers ($82.00), lawyers ($78.85) and petroleum engineers ($66.35); software engineers earn a median $51.92 an hour and family physicians a median $178,213 a year. Some skilled trades also pay well above the provincial average hourly wage ($37.35 in 2025): the median is $57.00 an hour for industrial instrument technicians, $44.00 for industrial electricians and $42.00 for millwrights.

Cost of living context for Alberta incomes

• No provincial sales tax (PST): saves 7% to 8% vs Ontario (8% provincial portion of HST) and BC (7% PST) on taxable purchases
• Cheap gasoline but expensive electricity: regular self-serve gasoline averaged 130.4 cents a litre in Edmonton and 133.4 cents in Calgary in 2025, the lowest of the cities Statistics Canada tracks (Canada: 143.5 cents), but at April 2025 rates Calgary and Edmonton had the highest residential electricity prices (22.90 and 22.00 cents per kWh) of 12 Canadian cities in Hydro-Québec’s annual comparison
• See our Calgary and Edmonton pages for current local home prices and rents

With no PST, more of each paycheque is left for other spending.

Related tools and resources

• Income Percentile Calculator — See where your income ranks in Canada
• Salary Calculator — Calculate your Alberta after-tax pay
• Income Tax Calculator — Estimate your Alberta income tax
• Alberta Mortgage Rates — Find the best mortgage rates in Alberta
• Alberta Housing Market — Current home prices and trends
• Mortgage Affordability Calculator — How much home can you afford