Family income

The median total family income for couple families in Canada amounted to $61,200 in 2002. For the second consecutive year, couple families in Ottawa-Gatineau and Oshawa led all census metropolitan areas in family income.

Those in Ottawa-Gatineau had a median of $78,400, and those in Oshawa, $77,900. Couple families in Windsor, in third place since 2001, had a median of $75,300.

The median is the point where exactly one half of incomes are higher and one half are lower.

Among lone-parent families, Ottawa-Gatineau remained the highest in 2002 among all metropolitan areas with a median family income of $34,300. Calgary was a close second at $34,100. The national median for lone-parent families was $28,100.

Provincially and territorially, the median total family income for couple families in the Northwest Territories remained highest, at $94,300. Couple families in the Yukon and Alberta followed with median family incomes of $75,500 and $68,100, respectively.

For lone-parent families, those in the Yukon had the highest median family income at $32,300, followed by Northwest Territories ($31,200) and Ontario ($30,500).

Data are defined according to census family definitions. Couple families consist of a couple living together, whether married or common law, at the same address and any children living at the same address. A lone-parent family is a family with only one parent, male or female, and with at least one child.

Data in this release were obtained primarily from income tax returns filed in the spring of 2003. Income data are after receipt of transfers and are available for both before and after the payment of tax. All figures for previous years have been adjusted for inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

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

Available on CANSIM: tables 111-0009 to 111-0015.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 4105.

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.