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Statistics Canada - Government of Canada


Income – Social indicators

a. Average market income1, 2003 constant dollars, 1981, 1989, 1997, 1999 to 2003
  1981 1989 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Economic families, two persons or more2
58,900
61,900
57,800
62,300
65,100
65,800
65,600
64,900
Unattached individuals3
24,200
24,100
20,400
23,300
23,400
24,100
24,600
25,600
1. Market income is the sum of earnings (from employment and net self-employment), net investment income, private retirement income and "Other income". It is equivalent to total income minus government transfers.
2. An economic family is a group of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling and are related to each other by blood, marriage, common law or adoption.
3. An unattached individual is a person living either alone or with others to whom he or she is unrelated, such as roommates or lodgers.
Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 202-0202.
b. Average total income1 of persons who are income recipients, including transfer payments, 2003 constant dollars, 1981, 1989, 1997, 1999 to 2003
  1981 1989 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
All age groups
29,700
30,900
29,000
30,700
31,500
32,000
31,900
31,800
Under 20 years
8,000
7,500
5,600
6,200
6,100
6,700
5,900
6,200
20 to 24 years
22,300
20,200
13,000
14,600
15,000
15,400
15,300
14,700
25 to 34 years
33,900
32,500
28,800
30,300
31,600
32,100
32,700
31,300
35 to 44 years
40,400
41,100
35,600
39,700
40,200
41,000
39,700
39,900
45 to 54 years
39,400
40,500
39,800
40,200
42,300
41,600
42,200
42,400
55 to 64 years
32,500
32,900
30,200
31,800
32,400
33,800
34,200
34,300
65 years and over
19,700
23,200
23,500
24,200
24,300
24,700
25,100
25,100
1. Total income equals market income plus government transfers (including Old Age Security pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement, benefits from Canada or Quebec Pension Plan, benefits from Employment Insurance, social assistance payments, Canada Child Tax benefits, workers' compensation, GST and HST credits and government transfers).
Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 202-0407.
c. Average total income by family types, including transfer payments, 2003 constant dollars, 1981, 1989, 1997, 1999 to 2003
  1981 1989 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Economic families, two persons or more
63,900
68,700
66,000
69,900
72,500
73,600
73,400
72,700
Unattached individuals
28,200
29,200
26,400
28,800
28,800
29,600
30,200
30,900
Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 202-0403.
d. Average after-tax income for economic families of two persons of more, 2003 constant dollars, 1981, 1989, 1997, 1999 to 2003
  1981 1989 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Total of quintiles
54,100
55,400
52,900
56,300
58,100
60,400
60,400
59,900
Lowest quintile
20,000
21,300
18,600
20,100
20,100
21,600
21,100
21,500
Second quintile
37,200
37,800
33,400
36,100
36,500
37,900
37,800
37,700
Third quintile
50,100
50,500
46,600
49,600
50,400
52,300
52,300
52,300
Fourth quintile
64,300
65,400
62,500
66,200
67,700
69,900
70,500
69,800
Highest quintile
98,700
102,200
103,400
109,600
115,600
120,400
120,600
118,100
Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 202-0701.
e. Percentage distribution of husband-wife families by earnings characteristics1, 1981, 1989, 1997, 1999 to 2003
  1981 1989 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
All husband-wife families
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Total dual-earner families
55.4
62.6
60.8
62.1
63.0
63.7
63.6
64.8
Dual-earner families, wife earned more than husband
8.9
11.8
15.7
15.4
16.3
16.3
16.8
18.1
Total single-earner families
33.7
23.0
23.3
22.0
22.1
21.5
22.0
21.4
Single-earner families, wife sole earner
2.5
3.4
5.0
5.2
5.4
5.2
5.3
5.3
Neither spouse had earnings
10.9
14.4
15.9
15.9
14.9
14.7
14.4
13.9
1. Includes earnings from both paid employment (wages and salaries) and self-employment.
Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 202-0105.
f. Female-to-male earnings ratio1, in percent, 1981, 1989, 1997, 1999 to 2003
  1981 1989 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Full-year full-time workers
63.5
65.8
68.3
68.4
70.6
69.9
70.2
70.5
1. Includes earnings from both paid employment (wages and salaries) and self-employment.
Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 202-0102.
g. Prevalence of low income after tax, in percent, based on 1992 low income cut-offs, 1981, 1989, 1997, 1999 to 2003
  1981 1989 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
All persons
11.6
10.2
15.3
13.0
12.5
11.2
11.6
11.5
Persons under 18 years
12.4
11.7
17.8
14.4
13.8
12.1
12.2
12.4
Persons 18 to 64 years
9.9
9.4
15.5
13.4
12.9
11.7
12.1
12.1
Persons 65 years and over
21.0
11.3
9.1
7.8
7.6
6.7
7.6
6.8
Males, 65 years and over
14.2
6.1
5.6
4.7
4.6
4.6
4.9
4.4
Females, 65 years and over
26.3
15.1
11.8
10.3
10.0
8.3
9.7
8.7
Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 202-0802.
h. Prevalence of low income after tax, in percent, by family types, based on 1992 low income cut-offs1, 1981, 1989, 1997, 1999 to 2003
  1981 1989 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
All family units
16.2
14.1
20.0
17.5
16.8
15.5
15.5
15.4
Economic families, two persons or more
8.9
7.5
11.5
9.5
9.0
7.9
8.6
8.4
Elderly families
9.4
3.7
3.9
2.9
3.1
2.5
2.9
2.7
Non-elderly families
8.8
8.2
12.7
10.6
10.0
8.8
9.5
9.3
Two-parent families with children
7.2
6.3
10.3
8.1
8.3
6.9
6.5
6.6
Lone-parent families
41.0
38.9
45.4
36.1
32.3
30.1
34.2
33.6
Male lone-parent families
11.6
11.7
21.4
18.1
12.3
12.3
12.2
12.6
Female lone-parent families
46.0
42.5
49.3
39.4
36.3
33.8
39.4
38.4
Unattached individuals
35.5
28.9
37.9
34.0
32.9
30.8
29.5
29.4
Elderly males
39.0
18.8
17.2
17.2
17.6
16.8
15.9
14.7
Elderly females
53.5
31.9
23.7
22.3
21.6
18.6
20.7
18.9
Non-elderly males
24.8
24.9
39.8
35.4
32.1
30.3
29.0
30.7
Non-elderly females
35.5
34.1
49.5
43.4
44.3
42.1
39.0
37.5
1. Low income cut-offs conveys the income level at which a family may be in straitened circumstances because it is likely to spend 20 percentage points more of its income than the average family of similar size on food, shelter and clothing.
Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 202-0804.
i. After tax income distribution, share of after tax income in percent, for all family units, economic families and unattached individuals, 1981, 1989, 1997, 1999 to 2003
  1981 1989 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Total of quintiles
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Lowest quintile
5.3
5.6
4.8
4.8
4.6
4.8
4.9
5.0
Second quintile
11.9
11.6
10.8
10.9
10.7
10.7
10.7
10.8
Third quintile
18.1
17.6
16.7
16.7
16.5
16.4
16.4
16.5
Fourth quintile
24.9
24.5
24.5
24.3
24.2
24.0
24.0
24.1
Highest quintile
39.8
40.6
43.2
43.3
44.0
44.0
43.9
43.7
Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 202-0701.
j. Gini coefficient1 of after tax income, 1981, 1989, 1997, 1999 to 2003
  1981 1989 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
All family units, economic families and unattached individuals
0.348
0.351
0.385
0.386
0.392
0.392
0.391
0.389

1. The Gini coefficient measures the degree inequality in income distribution. The Gini coefficient ranges from 0 (equal distribution of income across the population) to 1 (one person or household has all the income).

The higher the Gini coefficient the more unequal the distribution of income is. A difference of .01 or more between two Gini coefficients is considered statistically significant.
Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 202-0705.