Average and Median Income in Calgary

Calgary has one of the highest household incomes among major Canadian cities, driven by the energy sector, corporate headquarters, and a highly skilled workforce. Combined with Alberta’s tax advantage (no provincial sales tax), Calgary offers a strong combination of high earnings and, historically, more manageable housing costs than Toronto or Vancouver, though affordability has tightened considerably since 2020.

Household income data on this page is from Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, Focus on Geography Series, which reports median after-tax household income by Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) for the 2020 reference year, the most recent year Statistics Canada has published this figure at the city level. For individual (not household) income, see our Calgary income percentile guide, and for more recent (2024) after-tax income figures, which Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey reports for economic families and unattached individuals rather than households, see our Alberta income guide.

Median household income in Calgary

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, Focus on Geography Series, “Median after-tax income of households,” Calgary (CMA), 2015 to 2020 (2020 constant dollars).

Calgary’s median household income in 2020 was 5.4% below its 2015 level. Over the same period, Edmonton’s was 3.4% below and St. John’s 2.0% below, reflecting the 2014–2016 oil price collapse and its lingering effects. Calgary’s 2020 figure of $87,000 compares with the national median of $73,000. Statistics Canada has not yet published a more recent CMA-level household income figure. Its Canadian Income Survey, which counts economic families and unattached individuals instead of households, put Calgary’s median after-tax income at $88,900 in 2024, compared with $85,300 for Alberta as a whole; see our Alberta income guide for the provincial figure.

Income vs. housing affordability in Calgary

This ratio compares a 2020 household income figure (the most recent StatCan publishes at the CMA level) to a current home price from August 2026, so it likely overstates today’s affordability gap, since incomes have risen since 2020. CREB also publishes an MLS HPI benchmark price, the price of a typical home, which was $569,800 in August 2026. Use our income to afford a home calculator and mortgage affordability calculator for an up-to-date, personalized estimate, and see the Calgary housing market page for current price and income-needed breakdowns by home type.

How Calgary compares to other major cities

Household income figures are 2020 (2021 Census, most recent StatCan CMA-level data; Ottawa is the whole Ottawa-Gatineau CMA); home prices are the latest monthly figures each local real estate board publishes, shown on each city’s dedicated housing market page. An average is the mean of all sales that month and swings with the mix of homes sold; an MLS HPI benchmark is the price of a typical home, so the two measures are not directly comparable. Because the income figures are five-plus years old, these ratios should be read as directional, not precise; see each city’s housing market page for current data and our mortgage affordability calculator to see what you can afford today.

Key industries driving Calgary income

• Oil and gas: Calgary is the corporate headquarters for Suncor, CNRL, Cenovus, Imperial Oil, TC Energy, Enbridge, and dozens of other energy companies. Across Alberta, workers in mining, quarrying and oil and gas (grouped with forestry and fishing) earned an average of $58.84 an hour in 2025, versus $37.35 for all industries.
• Financial services: ATB Financial and a concentration of energy-focused investment firms, commercial banks, and private equity.
• Engineering and professional services: Professional, scientific and technical services employed 14.3% of Calgary CMA workers in 2025, versus 10.9% across Canadian CMAs combined, and engineers made up 2.7% of employment (1.6% across CMAs).
• Technology: A growing tech sector has developed through energy-tech crossover and diversification efforts, with companies like Benevity, Shareworks, and Symend.
• Logistics and transportation: Transportation and warehousing employed 6.7% of Calgary CMA workers in 2025, against the 5.3% share across Canadian CMAs combined.

Calgary's tax picture

• No provincial sales tax: Alberta is the only province with no PST/HST beyond the federal 5% GST
• Basic personal amount: Alberta’s $22,769 basic personal amount is the highest of any province, and its graduated rates start at 8% on the first $61,200. For comparison, the starting rates are 5.05% in Ontario and 5.6% in BC
• No health premium: Unlike Ontario

BC also charges a 7% PST and Alberta charges none. Provincial income tax at two salaries in 2026: on $60,000 it comes to $2,631 in Alberta, $2,567 in BC and $2,982 in Ontario; on $100,000 it comes to $6,470 in Alberta, $5,556 in BC and $6,723 in Ontario (including the Ontario Health Premium). Calculate your exact take-home pay with our income tax calculator.

Rental affordability in Calgary

The average rent for a 1-bedroom purpose-built apartment in Calgary was approximately $1,585/month as of the CMHC Rental Market Survey (October 2025), against $1,761 in Toronto and $1,809 in Vancouver. New rental supply has loosened Calgary’s market: CMHC’s vacancy rate was 5.0% in October 2025, against 4.8% a year earlier. See our Calgary rental market page for the full breakdown by bedroom type, vacancy rates, and Alberta’s rent rules, and our rent affordability calculator for a personalized estimate.

Income trends in Calgary

Calgary’s jobs and incomes have swung with the energy sector over the past decade:

• 2014–2015: At the end of the oil boom, Calgary’s unemployment rate was 5.1% (2014). In the 2016 Census, Calgary’s 2015 average household income ($152,400 before tax, in 2020 dollars) was the highest of any Canadian CMA, well ahead of Edmonton ($131,600) and Toronto ($118,500).
• 2015–2016: The oil price collapse hit the energy sector. Calgary employment in forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying and oil and gas fell from 58,900 in 2014 to 50,300 in 2016, and the unemployment rate rose to 9.4%. StatCan’s 2021 Census shows Calgary’s median household income was still 5.4% below its 2015 level by 2020.
• 2017–2019: Slow recovery. Calgary’s downtown office vacancy rate reached a record 27.8% in the second quarter of 2018 (CBRE), among the highest of any major North American city. Unemployment was still 7.1% in 2019, and median individual income (all residents 15 and older, 2024 dollars) was $51,100 in 2019, still below its 2014 level of $56,600.
• 2020: The pandemic plus an energy downturn pushed Calgary’s unemployment rate to 11.9% for the year, and employment fell from 836,700 in 2019 to 777,500.
• 2021–2025: Recovery. Employment grew from 812,600 in 2021 to 991,900 in 2025, including growth in professional, scientific and technical services from 96,500 to 142,300 jobs. The CMA’s population grew by 295,770 between July 2021 and July 2025.

Calgary’s defining characteristic is high income with significant volatility. Its 2024 median after-tax income for economic families and unattached individuals ($88,900) was the highest of the eight CMAs the Canadian Income Survey reports (Ottawa-Gatineau: $85,500), and its unemployment rate swung between 5.1% and 11.9% between 2014 and 2020.

Related tools and resources

• Calgary Mortgage Rates: Find the best mortgage rates in Calgary
• Calgary Housing Market: Current home prices and trends
• Calgary Rental Market: Current average rents and vacancy rates
• Income Percentile Calculator: See where your income ranks
• Mortgage Affordability Calculator: How much home can you afford
• Income Tax Calculator: Estimate your Alberta income tax
• Income to Afford a Home Calculator: Income needed to buy a home