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Median Household Income in Canada by Province (2026)

Updated

Median After-Tax Income by Province

The map below shows the median after-tax income of economic families and unattached individuals combined for each Canadian province and territory in 2024, the most recent year for which Statistics Canada has published this data (released April 29, 2026). The Canadian Income Survey does not report a “household” unit; this combined economic-family-and-individual measure is the closest comparable annual statistic Statistics Canada produces by province.

Median After-Tax Income by Province

Provincial Median Incomes (2024)

Province/TerritoryMedian After-Tax Income
Northwest Territories$116,100
Nunavut$109,600
Yukon$89,300
Alberta$85,300
Ontario$79,500
British Columbia$75,800
Saskatchewan$75,500
Manitoba$72,000
Quebec$68,800
Newfoundland and Labrador$68,000
Prince Edward Island$65,900
New Brunswick$65,100
Nova Scotia$64,200

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

Key Takeaways

  • Provincial ranking: the three highest provincial medians in 2024 were in Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia; Alberta’s reflects its energy sector.
  • Territories: the highest median of any province or territory was in the Northwest Territories. The Northwest Territories ($116,100) and Nunavut ($109,600) medians reflect government and resource-sector employment, though both also have among the highest costs of living, and Nunavut had the highest poverty rate in Canada (31.7% in 2024).
  • Atlantic provinces: the median was $65,100 in New Brunswick, $64,200 in Nova Scotia, $65,900 in Prince Edward Island and $68,000 in Newfoundland and Labrador, against $75,500 nationally.
  • Statistical caution for the territories: Because territorial sample sizes are relatively small, Statistics Canada cautions that year-over-year territorial figures carry more sampling variability than provincial ones.

How Median Income Is Measured

Statistics Canada calculates median after-tax income through the Canadian Income Survey. The after-tax figure deducts federal and provincial income taxes and adds government transfers such as:

This makes after-tax income the most practical measure of what families and individuals actually have to spend.

Statistics Canada expresses its multi-year comparison in 2024 constant dollars, so the trend below already reflects real (inflation-adjusted) change, not just nominal dollar change.

YearMedian after-tax income (combined, 2024 constant dollars)
2020$77,400
2021$76,800
2022$73,900
2023$75,100
2024$75,500

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

Real median income dipped in 2022 as inflation outpaced nominal income growth, then partially recovered in 2023 and 2024 as inflation cooled. Pandemic-era emergency benefits (CERB and related programs) also shaped the 2020 and 2021 figures: Statistics Canada reports that COVID-19 benefits made up 28% of all government transfers in 2020 and 11% in 2021, after dropping by 68% in 2021.

Economic families vs. unattached individuals

The $75,500 combined median figure blends two very different populations. Economic families (two or more related people sharing a home) had a median after-tax income of $108,900 in 2024. Unattached individuals (people living alone or with unrelated others) had a median of $41,000. A single person’s income is naturally lower than a family’s combined income, so blending the two groups pulls the combined median below the family-only figure.

PopulationMedian After-Tax Income (2024)
Economic families$108,900
 Two-parent families with children$133,900
 Non-senior families (all)$118,400
 Couples without children$106,200
 Senior families$83,200
 One-parent families$68,700
Unattached individuals$41,000
 Unattached non-seniors$42,700
 Unattached seniors$38,600
All combined$75,500

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

Median vs average income: why the difference matters

Average (mean) income tends to run higher than median income because a relatively small number of very high earners pull the average upward, while the median reflects the family or individual exactly in the middle of the distribution. Statistics Canada’s Canadian Income Survey reports medians as its headline measure for this reason. The same survey also reports the average: in 2024 the average after-tax income of economic families and unattached individuals combined was $94,900, above the $75,500 median for the same group.

Frequently asked questions

What is considered middle class income in Canada?

There is no official Statistics Canada definition of “middle class.” Common informal definitions place it at 75%–150% of median income. Using the $75,500 combined median after-tax income for 2024, that would span roughly $56,625–$113,250. Using the $108,900 median for economic families specifically, the range would be roughly $81,675–$163,350. Statistics Canada’s own poverty and low-income research typically focuses on income relative to the Market Basket Measure or the low-income measure (LIM-AT) rather than a “middle class” band.

For a detailed look at the gender pay gap in Canada by industry and province, see our dedicated gender pay gap guide, which uses Statistics Canada’s wage-based (not family-income-based) gender comparison.

→ Back to: Canadian Income Guide

Sources

The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them on September 24, 2026. How we check facts.