Family income

Median family income rose for the fourth straight year in 2000, but it was still slightly less than what a family would have received as income a decade earlier.

The median income of all families rose 2.2% in 2000 to $51,000 (after adjusting for inflation), continuing the trend of steady increases since 1997. In 1990, median family income was $51,900. (The median is the point at which half the incomes are higher, and half are lower.)

Except for a slight decline in the Northwest Territories, median total income of families rose in all provinces and territories in 2000.

The median income of lone-parent families increased 5.7%, more than twice the growth rate of 2.0% for husband-wife families.

For husband-wife families, median total income reached $56,700 in 2000, up from $55,600 in 1999. The median for lone-parent families rose to $25,400, up from $24,000 in 1999 and slightly higher than the level of $25,200 a decade ago.

In 2000, the median income of lone-parent families represented 45% of that of husband-wife families. This proportion has been rising steadily since 1997 when it was 42%.

Regionally, Ottawa-Hull surpassed Oshawa and Windsor in 2000 as the census metropolitan area with the highest median family income, likely in part because of activity in the high-tech sector at the time. Median family income in Ottawa-Hull was $65,500, compared with $64,700 in Oshawa and $64,200 in Windsor. Ottawa-Hull also recorded the largest increase in median family income (+6.3%).

The number and percentage of dual-earner families continued to increase in 2000. The median employment income of husband-wife families where both spouses or partners earned income rose 1.4% to $62,500.

Employment income remained the main source of income for families as a whole, accounting for 75% of total income. Government transfers, which include income from the Child Tax Benefit program, Canada and Quebec pension plans and Old Age Security Supplements, represented 12%. Private pension plans represented 6% and investment income 5%.

Employment income represented 79% of total income for husband-wife families, and 68% of that of lone-parent families. Government transfers represented 22% of a lone-parent family's total income, but only 9% for husband-wife families.

The median income for senior husband-wife families, those in which at least one person was aged 65 or over, rose to $39,400, up 0.9% from 1999. The income profile of senior husband-wife families differed markedly from that of husband-wife families as a whole.

Senior husband-wife families derived a much lower percentage of their income from employment (22%). An additional 16% came from Old Age Security Supplements, and the Canada and Quebec Pension Plan represented 15%. Private pensions accounted for 25%, and investment income 13%.

Data for this release were obtained primarily from income tax returns filed in the spring of 2001. All income data are before tax and after transfers.

Data for family income (Family data, 13C0016, various prices) and seniors' income (Seniors, 89C0022, various prices) are available for letter carrier routes, census tracts, urban forward sortation areas (the first three characters of the postal code), cities, towns, federal electoral districts, census divisions, census metropolitan areas, economic regions, provinces, territories and Canada.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (1-866-652-8443; 613-951-9720; fax: 1-866-652-8444 or 613-951-4745; saadinfo@statcan.gc.ca), Small Area and Administrative Data Division.