Average Income in Canada: Median and Average by Province

Average vs median income: which number to use

A median is the middle value: half of incomes are above it and half below. An average (mean) is pulled up by very high earners, so it is almost always higher than the median. Statistics Canada reports household income mostly as medians and payroll pay as averages. The questions to ask are whose income is measured (a family, an individual or a worker) and whether it is before or after tax.

Median income by province (2024)

According to Statistics Canada, the territories have the highest median after-tax incomes, led by the Northwest Territories at $116,100. Among the provinces, Alberta ($85,300) and Ontario ($79,500) are highest and the Atlantic provinces are lowest. Statistics Canada notes these figures are "not adjusted to consider regional factors, such as the cost of living or the age structure of the population." The figures are in 2024 constant dollars, so the 2023 column has been adjusted for inflation.

Average income in Ontario: what a typical paycheque keeps

Ontario's median after-tax income for families and unattached individuals was $79,500 in 2024, essentially unchanged from $79,400 in 2023. For individual pay, Ontario's average weekly earnings were $1,391.19 in July 2026. Over 52 weeks that is about $72,342 a year before tax.

On that salary, our 2026 Ontario engine gives federal tax of $7,737, Ontario tax and Health Premium of $4,062, CPP of $4,096 and EI of $1,123. Take-home pay is about $55,323 a year ($2,128 every two weeks). That is an average deduction rate of 23.5%, with a marginal rate of 34.4% on the next dollar including CPP and EI.

The national average hourly wage of $37.02 in August 2026 works out to about $77,002 a year at 40 hours a week for 52 weeks. Few hourly workers are paid for 2,080 hours, so treat that figure as a ceiling, not a typical salary.

Average weekly earnings by province (July 2026)

These are payroll averages from Statistics Canada's Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours, seasonally adjusted and including overtime. The take-home column applies our 2026 engine (income tax, CPP or QPP, EI and QPIP) to 52 weeks of pay in that province. The Canada row uses Ontario rates for illustration.

What gross salary matches the median after-tax income?

Median after-tax income is a household figure, but it helps to know what one salary would produce it. Using our 2026 engine for a single earner with only employment income, you would need about $107,700 in Ontario to take home $79,500 after income tax, CPP and EI. In Alberta, matching the $85,300 median takes about $115,600, and in Quebec the $68,800 median takes about $98,800. Most families reach those medians with two incomes, so these are upper bounds, not typical salaries.

The same approach works for your own pay. Take your annual gross salary, subtract the deductions on your pay stub (income tax, CPP or QPP, EI and QPIP in Quebec), and compare the result with the after-tax median for your household type in the table above, not with gross salary figures.

How family type changes the picture

Household income depends heavily on how many earners there are. In 2024, median after-tax income was $133,900 for two-parent families with children, $106,200 for couples without children, $68,700 for one-parent families, $83,200 for senior families and $38,600 for unattached seniors. Government transfers are a much bigger share for seniors: a median of $37,700 for senior families, compared with $8,200 for non-senior families.

If you are comparing your own income, compare like with like. A single person earning $55,000 in Ontario keeps about $43,861 after 2026 income tax, CPP and EI, which is above the $42,700 after-tax median for unattached non-seniors. A two-earner family on the same combined income is well below the median for its group.

Why your figure differs from the headlines

Some common reasons the published numbers do not match what people expect:

• Survey income lags: the Canadian Income Survey published in April 2026 describes 2024 incomes.
• After-tax income includes government transfers such as the CCB and the GST/HST credit, which raises lower incomes.
• Average weekly earnings include part-time workers, which pulls the figure down compared with full-time salaries.
• Provincial comparisons ignore cost of living, especially housing, which varies widely.