Income of Canadians, 2010

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Median after-tax income for families of two or more people amounted to $65,500 in 2010, virtually unchanged from 2009. This was the third consecutive year without significant change in after-tax income.

There were no changes to the three main components of after-tax income—market income, government transfers and income tax—from 2009 to 2010.

Two-parent families with children had a median after-tax income of $78,800 in 2010. The median for female lone-parent families was $38,700, while families headed by a senior had a median after-tax income of $46,800.

Looking at unattached individuals, median after-tax income was also unchanged in 2010. Non-seniors had a median of $27,500, while seniors received $23,400.

Components of after-tax income

After-tax income is the total of market income and government transfers, less income tax. Market income consists of earnings, private pensions, income from investments and other sources.

Despite growth in employment in some sectors, median market income for families with two or more people was unchanged at $64,900 in 2010, following a decline the previous year.

Median market income for two-parent families with children increased from $82,100 in 2009 to $84,400 in 2010.

In 2010, almost 20 million people aged 16 and over received some form of government transfer, an 11.7% increase from 2009. This gain was driven by a 14.5% increase in the number of non-seniors who received government transfers, which coincided with the introduction of new programs in Ontario and Nova Scotia.

The median amount of government transfers received by Canadian families and unattached individuals was unchanged between 2009 and 2010. Families received a median amount of $6,500, while unattached individuals had a median of $1,800.

Among families of two or more people, the median income tax paid in 2010 was $8,200, unchanged from 2009.

Incidence of low income

According to the after-tax low income cut-offs, 3 million Canadians, or 9.0% of the population, lived in low income in 2010, virtually the same number as in 2009. In 2000, this proportion was 12.5%.

About 546,000 children aged 17 and under, or 8.1%, lived in low-income families in 2010, also virtually unchanged from 2009. This compares with 13.8% in 2000.

For children in lone-parent families headed by a woman, the incidence was 21.8%, accounting for 187,000 children, unchanged from 2009.

The incidence of low income for children living in two-parent families was 5.7% in 2010, down from 9.5% in 2000.

After-tax income mobility

Absolute mobility measures changes in individual after-tax income over time. It shows how many people had an increase in income and how many experienced a decline.

Between 2009 and 2010, after-tax income rose for 52.8% of individuals, while 47.2% experienced a decline. Between 2006 and 2007, before the economic downturn, income rose for 62.4% and declined for 37.6%.

Relative mobility shows changes from one income level to another. For this purpose, the population was divided into five equal-sized groups from the lowest after-tax income to the highest.

Between 2009 and 2010, 16.2% of Canadians moved up to a higher income bracket relative to their position a year earlier, while 14.8% moved down.

Median income for families unchanged in all provinces

Median after-tax income for families with two or more people was unchanged in 2010 in all provinces.

Median after-tax income was significantly higher in Ontario and Western Canada than in Quebec and Atlantic Canada. The median was highest in Alberta, at $78,100.