Average and Median Income in Edmonton

Edmonton is Alberta’s capital city and a major energy sector hub. Its median after-tax household income was $84,000 in 2020, against $73,000 nationally, and the tables below compare its home prices with Toronto and Vancouver.

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 Edmonton income percentile guide, and for the province-wide figure, see our Alberta income guide.

Median household income in Edmonton

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

Edmonton’s median household income in 2020 was 3.4% below its 2015 level (Calgary’s was 5.4% below), reflecting the 2014–2016 oil price collapse and its lingering effects. Edmonton’s 2020 median of $84,000 compares with the national figure of $73,000. Alberta’s more recent (2024) province-wide median after-tax income was $85,300; see our Alberta income guide for that figure.

Income vs. housing affordability in Edmonton

This comparison mixes a 2020 income figure with a home price from August 2026 and should be read as directional only. The REALTORS Association of Edmonton’s average sale price for the Greater Edmonton Area, which swings with the mix of homes sold, was $469,602 in August 2026; see the Edmonton housing market page for current figures by property type.

How Edmonton compares to other major cities

Household income figures are 2020 (2021 Census, most recent StatCan CMA-level data); home prices are the latest monthly figures each local real estate board publishes. An average is the mean of all sales that month; an MLS HPI benchmark is the price of a typical home, so the two measures are not directly comparable. Use our mortgage affordability calculator to see what you can afford today.

Key industries driving Edmonton income

• Oil and gas: Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying and oil and gas employed 22,900 Edmonton CMA workers in 2025, 2.7% of jobs versus 0.8% across Canadian CMAs combined; refining and upgrading are concentrated in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland (see Manufacturing below)
• Government: As Alberta’s capital, Edmonton has significant provincial government employment
• Education and research: The University of Alberta (46,201 students and $600 million in annual research funding in 2022-23) ranks itself among Canada’s top 4 research universities, and NAIT is a polytechnic focused on hands-on, technology-based training and applied research
• Healthcare: Edmonton has major hospital networks, including the University of Alberta Hospital, operated by Alberta Health Services (now a hospital-services provider under Acute Care Alberta after the province’s 2024-2025 health-system restructuring)
• Construction and trades: Construction employed 98,700 Edmonton CMA workers in 2025, 11.5% of jobs, against the 7.1% share across Canadian CMAs combined
• Manufacturing: Petrochemical and refining plants in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, Canada’s largest hydrocarbon processing region, which spans parts of Edmonton, Strathcona, Sturgeon and Lamont counties and Fort Saskatchewan; the Edmonton region also ships about $3 billion of food products a year

Edmonton’s tax advantage

Like all Alberta cities, Edmonton benefits from:

• No provincial sales tax: Only the federal 5% GST
• Provincial income tax starting at 8% in 2026, with a basic personal amount of $22,769. Ontario’s bottom rate is 5.05% and BC’s 5.6%; on $60,000, provincial income tax is $2,631 in Alberta, $2,982 in Ontario and $2,567 in BC, and on $150,000 it is $11,470, $14,608 and $11,552
• No health premium: Unlike Ontario

Rental affordability in Edmonton

The average rent for a 1-bedroom purpose-built apartment in Edmonton was $1,302/month as of the CMHC Rental Market Survey (October 2025), against $1,761 in Toronto, $1,809 in Vancouver, $1,244 in Regina, $1,263 in Saskatoon and $1,236 in Winnipeg. See our Edmonton rental market page for the full breakdown by bedroom type and vacancy rates, and our rent affordability calculator for a personalized estimate.

Income trends in Edmonton

• 2014–2015: Oil boom peak. Edmonton’s unemployment rate was 5.1% in 2014, and median individual income (all residents 15 and older, including those with no income, in 2024 dollars) peaked at $54,400 in 2015
• 2015–2016: The oil price collapse hit Edmonton: the unemployment rate rose from 5.1% in 2014 to 7.4% in 2016, manufacturing employment fell from 57,300 to 42,300, and median individual income dropped from $54,400 in 2015 to $49,300 in 2016 (2024 dollars). StatCan’s 2021 Census shows Edmonton’s median household income was still below its 2015 level by 2020.
• 2017–2019: Slow recovery: employment grew from 748,900 in 2017 to 787,300 in 2019, but unemployment was still 7.3% in 2019. During the downturn Edmonton’s unemployment rate topped out at 8.3% (2017), below Calgary’s 9.4% (2016), while Edmonton’s public-sector employment grew from 148,900 in 2015 to 170,400 in 2019
• 2020: Double shock of pandemic and energy downturn. Edmonton’s unemployment rate averaged 11.8% for the year, up from 7.3% in 2019.
• 2021–2025: Recovery. Employment grew from 779,000 in 2021 to 860,100 in 2025, and the CMA’s population grew by 219,983 between July 2021 and July 2025.

Edmonton’s affordability has been a strong migration pull factor. Canadians leaving Toronto and Vancouver can often purchase a home outright with the equity from selling their previous property. Estimate your Edmonton take-home pay with our income tax calculator or salary calculator.

Related tools and resources

• Edmonton Mortgage Rates: Find the best mortgage rates
• Edmonton Housing Market: Current home prices and trends
• Edmonton 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 to Afford a Home Calculator: Income needed to buy