Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census

Feedback

Province of British Columbia

Data quality

Data quality note(s): Province of British Columbia

  • Excludes census data for one or more incompletely enumerated Indian reserves or Indian settlements.
  • Global non-response rate (GNR), long-form census questionnaire: 6.1%
  • Data quality index showing a long-form income non-response rate higher than or equal to 10%, but lower than 20%.

Median income of households

  • In 2015, the median total income of households in British Columbia was $69,995, a change of 12.2% from $62,372 in 20051.

Figure 1.1 Median total income of households, Canada, British Columbia, 1995 to 2015

Figure 1.1 description Long description for Figure 1.1 Median total income of households, British Columbia, 1995 to 2015

Figure 1.2 Distribution of households by household total income, Canada, British Columbia, 2015

Figure 1.2 description Long description for Figure 1.2 Distribution of households by household total income, Canada, British Columbia, 2015

Number and median total income of households, British Columbia and its census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2005 and 2015

Geography Number of households Median total income of households
2006 2016 % change 2005 2015 % change
British Columbia 1,643,150 1,881,970 14.5 62,372 69,995 12.2
Cranbrook 9,950 10,980 10.4 59,369 72,320 21.8
Nelson 7,365 8,265 12.2 52,562 59,129 12.5
Penticton 18,570 19,885 7.1 51,086 57,395 12.3
Kelowna 67,000 81,385 21.5 59,517 71,127 19.5
Vernon 23,045 26,180 13.6 57,121 64,780 13.4
Salmon Arm 6,600 7,535 14.2 54,395 63,122 16.0
Kamloops 38,085 42,855 12.5 63,499 73,336 15.5
Chilliwack 32,885 39,695 20.7 58,353 65,603 12.4
Abbotsford - Mission 55,955 62,630 11.9 64,521 73,598 14.1
Vancouver 817,225 960,895 17.6 65,342 72,662 11.2
Squamish 5,725 7,375 28.8 75,611 88,366 16.9
Victoria 145,435 162,715 11.9 63,057 70,283 11.5
Duncan 16,860 18,745 11.2 57,651 60,979 5.8
Nanaimo 38,800 44,960 15.9 56,035 62,844 12.2
Parksville 12,195 13,750 12.8 56,732 63,042 11.1
Port Alberni 10,825 11,365 5.0 54,365 55,131 1.4
Courtenay 21,240 24,435 15.0 56,331 62,376 10.7
Campbell River 14,190 16,385 15.5 60,834 65,309 7.4
Powell River 7,270 7,735 6.4 56,268 56,367 0.2
Williams Lake 7,550 7,620 0.9 65,823 72,338 9.9
Quesnel 9,140 10,040 9.8 64,018 65,280 2.0
Prince Rupert 5,290 5,105 -3.5 59,611 73,421 23.2
Terrace 5,975 6,365 6.5 59,262 73,856 24.6
Prince George 32,810 35,095 7.0 71,673 78,427 9.4
Dawson Creek 4,650 5,035 8.3 60,169 79,211 31.6
Fort St. John 9,710 10,965 12.9 83,992 107,091 27.5

Figure 1.3 Median total income of households by household type, British Columbia, 2005 and 2015

Figure 1.3 description Long description for Figure 1.3 Median total income of households by household type, 2005 and 2015

Low income

  • In 2015, 694,960 persons or 15.5% were in low income, while in 2005, 15.4% of the persons in British Columbia lived in low income2.
  • The low-income rate for persons under 18 years of age was 18.5% compared to 14.8% for persons aged 18 to 64 and 14.9% for persons 65 and over in 2015.
  • Persons living in lone-parent families had a higher rate of low income at 30.8%, while those living in couple families without children had a lower rate of 8.7%.

Figure 1.4 Percentage of persons in low income for Canada and provinces, 2005 and 2015

Figure 1.4 description Long description for Figure Percentage of persons in low income for Canada and provinces, 2005 and 2015

Figure 1.5 Percentage of persons in low income by five-year age groups, British Columbia, 2015

Figure 1.5 description Long description for Figure Percentage of persons in low income by five-year age groups, British Columbia, 2015

Figure 1.6 Percentage of persons in low income for British Columbia and its census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2015

Figure 1.6 description Long description for Figure Percentage of persons in low income for British Columbia and its census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2015

Figure 1.7 Percentage of persons in low income by census family type, Canada, #q_canada_PR_data.OFFNAME#, 2015

Figure 1.7 description Long description for Figure 7 Percentage of persons in low income by census family type, Canada, British Columbia, 2015

Savings

  • In 2015, 64.2% of 1,881,970 households in British Columbia contributed to Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs), Registered Pension Plans (RPPs), or Tax-free Savings Accounts (TFSAs), compared to 65.2% nationally.

Percentage of households contributing to RRSPs, RPPs or TFSAs, RRSPs, RPPs and TFSAs, British Columbia, 2015

Figure 1.8 description Long description for Figure 1.8 Percentage of households contributing to RRSPs, RPPs or TFSAs, RRSPs, RPPs and TFSAs

Median contribution amount

$ 9,229

$ 4,225

$ 4,259

$ 7,645

Figure 1.9 Household contributions to RRSPs, RPPs, or TFSAs by after-tax household income, #q_canada_PR_data.OFFNAME#, 2015

Figure 1.9 description Long description for Figure 1.9 Household contributions to RRSPs, RPPs, or TFSAs by after-tax household income, British Columbia, 2015

Income of couples

  • In 2015, 31.1% of couples in British Columbia had fairly equal income3 between the two spouses or partners, a change from 20.5% in 1986. A man had higher income in 51.8% of couples (70.6% in 1986) and a woman had higher income in the remaining 17.1% of couples (8.9% in 1986).
  • For Canada overall, each partner had fairly equal incomes in 32.0% of couples with men having the higher income in 50.7% of couples and women having higher income in 17.3% of couples.

Figure 1.10 Characteristics of couples' total income, British Columbia and its census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2015

Figure 1.10 description Long description for Figure 1.11 Characteristics of couples' total income by province and territory, British Columbia, 2015

  • In 2015, the median total income of couples in British Columbia was $86,150.
  • The median income of higher-income partners in 2015 was $58,875 (a change from $54,876 in 1986) and the median income of lower-income partners was $23,232 (a change from $11,675 in 1986).

Symbols:

···
not applicable
··
incompletely enumerated Indian reserve or Indian settlement
r
revised
E
use with caution

Source:

Statistics Canada. 2017. Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-404-X2016001. Ottawa, Ontario. Data products, 2016 Census.

Date modified: