Income in Canada, 2016 Census of Population

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Release date: September 13, 2017
Infographic: Income in Canada, 2016 Census of Population
Description: Income in Canada, 2016 Census of Population

In 2015, Canada's median household income was $70,336.

The Northwest Territories had the highest median household income, while the Maritime Provinces and Quebec had the lowest.

Median household income by province or territory in 2015
Province or territory Median household income
Northwest Territories $117,688
Nunavut $97,441
Yukon $84,521
British Columbia $69,995
Alberta $93,835
Saskatchewan $75,412
Manitoba $68,147
Ontario $74,287
Quebec $59,822
Newfoundland and Labrador $67,272
Prince Edward Island $61,163
Nova Scotia $60,764
New Brunswick $59,347
Note: Heights are displayed for illustrative purposes.

Children, young adults, pre-retirees and older seniors were more likely to be in low-income households.

In 2015, 14% of Canadians were in low-income households.

Proportion of the population in low-income households by age in 2015
Age Proportion of the population in low-income households
0 18.3%
1 18.2%
2 17.7%
3 17.4%
4 17.5%
5 17.6%
6 17.5%
7 17.9%
8 17.8%
9 17.6%
10 17.4%
11 17.1%
12 16.7%
13 16.4%
14 15.9%
15 15.9%
16 15.2%
17 14.6%
18 15.3%
19 17.4%
20 17.8%
21 17.8%
22 17.4%
23 16.8%
24 15.6%
25 14.6%
26 13.9%
27 13.1%
28 12.9%
29 12.6%
30 12.4%
31 12.5%
32 12.6%
33 12.6%
34 12.7%
35 12.7%
36 12.6%
37 12.5%
38 12.4%
39 12.3%
40 12.3%
41 12.2%
42 12.1%
43 12.1%
44 12.0%
45 12.1%
46 11.9%
47 11.9%
48 11.8%
49 11.6%
50 11.6%
51 11.6%
52 11.6%
53 11.7%
54 11.6%
55 11.7%
56 12.0%
57 12.2%
58 12.7%
59 13.3%
60 13.6%
61 13.6%
62 14.1%
63 14.7%
64 15.3%
65 14.5%
66 12.4%
67 12.4%
68 12.7%
69 13.0%
70 13.9%
71 13.9%
72 13.3%
73 13.3%
74 14.2%
75 14.4%
76 15.0%
77 15.1%
78 15.6%
79 15.7%
80 15.9%
81 16.1%
82 16.5%
83 16.7%
84 17.0%
85 17.0%
86 17.8%
87 18.4%
88 19.1%
89 19.4%
90 19.9%
91 20.6%
92 20.8%
93 21.8%
94 22.0%
95+ 24.2%

65% of households contributed to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan, Registered Pension Plan or Tax-Free Savings Account.

Households with higher income were more likely to contribute.

Households contributing to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan, Registered Pension Plan or Tax-Free Savings Account by income group
Total income group Number of households contributing Number of households not contributing Percentage of households contributing
Under $30,000 694,323 2,027,626 26
$30,000 to $59,999 2,334,638 1,813,415 56
$60,000 to $89,999 2,425,080 686,125 78
$90,000 to $124,999 1,891,111 238,129 89
$125,000 to $199,999 1,416,889 96,994 94
$200,000 or more 414,244 33,505 93

In 96% of couples, both partners received income.

Income among partners in Canada (includes both opposite and same sex couples)
Income among partners Percentage
Couples with fairly equal incomes (both partners received more than 40% of the couple's combined income) 32%
A female partner had higher income 17%
A male partner had higher income 51%

Source: Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population.

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