“Average salary” can mean four different Statistics Canada numbers, and they don’t agree, because each one measures something slightly different. The fastest answer is the monthly payroll figure: average weekly earnings of $1,347.14 in July 2026, which works out to about $70,051 a year for the average employee, part-time workers included. The table below shows that figure for every province and territory.
How to read this table: all non-farm employees on a payroll, full-time and part-time, including overtime, before tax and deductions, seasonally adjusted (Statistics Canada table 14-10-0223-01). Multiply by 52 for a rough annual figure.
| Province or territory | Average weekly earnings | Change from July 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | $1,347.14 | 3.2% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $1,317.98 | 1.7% |
| Prince Edward Island | $1,207.99 | 4.1% |
| Nova Scotia | $1,228.91 | 5.6% |
| New Brunswick | $1,261.88 | 5.3% |
| Quebec | $1,279.96 | 1.9% |
| Ontario | $1,391.19 | 3.6% |
| Manitoba | $1,217.11 | 3.1% |
| Saskatchewan | $1,325.24 | 4.4% |
| Alberta | $1,399.61 | 2.5% |
| British Columbia | $1,356.78 | 4.4% |
| Yukon | $1,504.26 | 1.1% |
| Northwest Territories | $1,821.38 | 4.8% |
| Nunavut | $1,844.7 | 2.3% |
Source: The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, July 2026 (Table 14-10-0223-01); The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, July 2026 (average weekly earnings by province and territory); The Daily — Payroll employment, July 2026 (average weekly hours and what the earnings measure includes); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (average hourly wages); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (wages by quartile); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026, Table 11 (average usual hours and wages of employees); Employee wages by industry, annual — Table 14-10-0064-01 (Labour Force Survey); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Canada (average and median wages, all employees and full-time); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Ontario (median weekly wage, full-time); Income of individuals by age group, gender and income source — Table 11-10-0239-01 (Canadian Income Survey); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, Canada (average and median total income of individuals); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, provinces and territories (total and employment income); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024; The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024 (what the median means); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 1 (income statistics by family type, Table 11-10-0190-01); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 2 (median after-tax income by province and territory, Table 11-10-0190-01). In effect from September 24, 2026; checked September 29, 2026.
This page is education, not financial advice. The figures describe Canada as a whole; they say nothing about what a specific job pays. Your own pay history is on your T4 slips and in CRA My Account.
What does “average salary in Canada” actually measure?
Statistics Canada publishes pay in four main ways, and the headline number depends on which one a website quotes:
- Average weekly earnings (Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours, monthly). Built from payroll deduction records sent to the CRA plus a business survey. It covers every non-farm employee who got paid, including part-time and casual workers, and includes overtime; self-employed people are not counted. Latest: $1,347.14 for July 2026, up 3.2% from a year earlier.
- Average and median hourly and weekly wages (Labour Force Survey, monthly and annual). Built from a household survey of workers’ usual pay. Latest monthly: an average of $37.02 an hour in August 2026. Latest annual: a median of $30.77 an hour and an average of $36.40 an hour for 2025.
- Average and median employment income (Canadian Income Survey, annual). Everything a person earned from jobs and self-employment over a whole year, among people who had earnings. Latest: 2024, with an average of $60,100 and a median of $46,100.
- Household or family income (Canadian Income Survey). Income of the whole family unit, usually reported as a median after tax. Latest: $75,500 for 2024 across all families and unattached individuals.
The annual income figures run lower than the weekly figures multiplied by 52 because they include people who worked only part of the year, students with summer jobs and people who retired or changed jobs mid-year. The payroll figure only counts pay periods in which someone was actually paid.
What is the average salary in Canada per year?
Statistics Canada does not publish a single “annual salary” for 2026. Two ways to get an annual figure:
- Annualize the weekly figure. At $1,347.14 a week, a full year of the average paycheque is $70,051.28. For full-time employees only, the Labour Force Survey’s August 2026 average of $1,521.67 a week comes to $79,126.84 a year.
- Use the annual income survey. Average employment income was $60,100 in 2024 and median employment income was $46,100, counting everyone who earned something from work that year.
For a full-time worker, the median is the most useful benchmark: in 2025 full-time employees had a median wage of $1,320 a week, or $68,640 a year. Half of full-time employees earned more than that and half earned less.
What is the difference between average and median income?
The average (mean) adds up everyone’s pay and divides by the number of people. The median is the person exactly in the middle. Statistics Canada’s own definition: the median is the level of income at which half the population had higher income and half had lower income.
Pay in Canada is lopsided. A smaller group of high earners pulls the average up, while the median barely moves. In 2024 average total income was $61,600 but the median was $46,300, so the average was about 1.33 times the median, a gap of $15,300. The same pattern shows up in hourly wages: $36.40 average against $30.77 median in 2025.
The August 2026 Labour Force Survey splits employees into four equal groups by hourly wage. Each figure below is the average wage inside that quarter, not a cut-off point:
How to read this table: employees are ranked by hourly wage and split into four groups of equal size; the figure is the average for each group (Labour Force Survey, not seasonally adjusted).
| Group of employees | Average hourly wage | Change from August 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 25% of employees | $18.66 | 1.1% |
| Second 25% | $26.61 | 1.3% |
| Third 25% | $37.99 | 2.1% |
| Top 25% | $65.15 | 2.1% |
Source: The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, July 2026 (Table 14-10-0223-01); The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, July 2026 (average weekly earnings by province and territory); The Daily — Payroll employment, July 2026 (average weekly hours and what the earnings measure includes); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (average hourly wages); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (wages by quartile); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026, Table 11 (average usual hours and wages of employees); Employee wages by industry, annual — Table 14-10-0064-01 (Labour Force Survey); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Canada (average and median wages, all employees and full-time); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Ontario (median weekly wage, full-time); Income of individuals by age group, gender and income source — Table 11-10-0239-01 (Canadian Income Survey); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, Canada (average and median total income of individuals); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, provinces and territories (total and employment income); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024; The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024 (what the median means); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 1 (income statistics by family type, Table 11-10-0190-01); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 2 (median after-tax income by province and territory, Table 11-10-0190-01). In effect from September 24, 2026; checked September 29, 2026.
At a 40-hour week, the bottom group’s average of $18.66 an hour is $38,812.80 a year, while the top group’s $65.15 is $135,512.
What are average hourly and weekly wages in Canada?
The Labour Force Survey is the main source for hourly pay. It asks workers about their usual wages before tax, including tips and commissions. In August 2026:
How to read this table: usual hours and wages, before tax, not seasonally adjusted (Labour Force Survey, The Daily table 11).
| Employees | Average weekly hours | Average weekly wage | Average hourly wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| All employees | 36 | $1,369.53 | $37.02 |
| Full-time employees | 39.1 | $1,521.67 | — |
| Part-time employees | 18.1 | $476.64 | — |
Source: The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, July 2026 (Table 14-10-0223-01); The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, July 2026 (average weekly earnings by province and territory); The Daily — Payroll employment, July 2026 (average weekly hours and what the earnings measure includes); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (average hourly wages); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (wages by quartile); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026, Table 11 (average usual hours and wages of employees); Employee wages by industry, annual — Table 14-10-0064-01 (Labour Force Survey); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Canada (average and median wages, all employees and full-time); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Ontario (median weekly wage, full-time); Income of individuals by age group, gender and income source — Table 11-10-0239-01 (Canadian Income Survey); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, Canada (average and median total income of individuals); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, provinces and territories (total and employment income); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024; The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024 (what the median means); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 1 (income statistics by family type, Table 11-10-0190-01); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 2 (median after-tax income by province and territory, Table 11-10-0190-01). In effect from September 24, 2026; checked September 29, 2026.
Converting hourly to annual pay: multiply the hourly wage by weekly hours, then by 52. At the August 2026 average of $37.02 and a 40-hour week, that is $77,001.60 a year. At the 2025 median of $30.77 and the same week it is $64,001.60. Employees actually averaged 36 usual hours a week in August 2026 (39.1 for full-time employees), so a 40-hour annualized number is a ceiling rather than a typical total. A planned hourly-to-salary calculator on this site will do this conversion for any wage and schedule.
What is the average salary by province?
Pay varies more by province than most national headlines suggest. The 2025 Labour Force Survey figures below are annual averages of usual wages for the ten provinces (the survey’s annual wage table does not cover the territories):
How to read this table: usual wages of employees before tax, annual average of the 12 monthly surveys, in current dollars (Statistics Canada table 14-10-0064-01).
| Province | Average hourly | Median hourly | Average weekly, full-time | Median weekly, full-time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $36.4 | $30.77 | $1,510.24 | $1,320 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $33.42 | $28 | $1,445.99 | $1,248 |
| Prince Edward Island | $30.11 | $26.63 | $1,236.58 | $1,133.25 |
| Nova Scotia | $32.39 | $27.37 | $1,341.53 | $1,192.13 |
| New Brunswick | $31.27 | $27 | $1,292.04 | $1,148.63 |
| Quebec | $35.05 | $30 | $1,415.83 | $1,254.4 |
| Ontario | $37.72 | $31.25 | $1,570.24 | $1,349.6 |
| Manitoba | $31.63 | $26.75 | $1,300.02 | $1,134 |
| Saskatchewan | $33.39 | $28.85 | $1,409.99 | $1,254.8 |
| Alberta | $37.35 | $32 | $1,599.56 | $1,399.64 |
| British Columbia | $37.95 | $32.49 | $1,572.71 | $1,383.6 |
Source: The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, July 2026 (Table 14-10-0223-01); The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, July 2026 (average weekly earnings by province and territory); The Daily — Payroll employment, July 2026 (average weekly hours and what the earnings measure includes); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (average hourly wages); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (wages by quartile); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026, Table 11 (average usual hours and wages of employees); Employee wages by industry, annual — Table 14-10-0064-01 (Labour Force Survey); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Canada (average and median wages, all employees and full-time); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Ontario (median weekly wage, full-time); Income of individuals by age group, gender and income source — Table 11-10-0239-01 (Canadian Income Survey); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, Canada (average and median total income of individuals); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, provinces and territories (total and employment income); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024; The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024 (what the median means); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 1 (income statistics by family type, Table 11-10-0190-01); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 2 (median after-tax income by province and territory, Table 11-10-0190-01). In effect from September 24, 2026; checked September 29, 2026.
A few things stand out:
- Alberta leads on weekly pay, with British Columbia next for full-time workers. Alberta’s full-time median of $1,399.64 a week is $72,781.28 a year and British Columbia’s $1,383.60 is $71,947.20; Ontario’s $1,349.60 is $70,179.20.
- British Columbia has the highest median hourly wage among the provinces at $32.49, just ahead of Alberta at $32.
- Atlantic Canada and Manitoba sit lowest. Prince Edward Island’s median hourly wage was $26.63 and Manitoba’s $26.75 in 2025.
Higher pay does not always mean more money left over. Housing, car insurance and provincial tax rates differ a lot, which is why the province guides for Ontario and Alberta put wages side by side with local costs.
What is the average income in Canada by province?
For income over a full year, including people who worked part of the year, the Canadian Income Survey gives averages and medians for every province and territory:
How to read this table: people aged 15 and over who had that type of income, in 2024 constant dollars, before tax. Employment income is wages plus self-employment income; total income also counts pensions, investment income and government transfers (Statistics Canada table 11-10-0239-01). Territorial medians are based on smaller samples.
| Province or territory | Average employment income | Median employment income | Average total income | Median total income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $60,100 | $46,100 | $61,600 | $46,300 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $57,300 | $41,200 | $56,900 | $42,400 |
| Prince Edward Island | $47,500 | $38,000 | $52,400 | $43,100 |
| Nova Scotia | $52,600 | $43,000 | $54,400 | $44,400 |
| New Brunswick | $51,200 | $42,500 | $52,200 | $43,000 |
| Quebec | $56,400 | $46,500 | $58,700 | $47,300 |
| Ontario | $62,500 | $46,100 | $63,200 | $45,700 |
| Manitoba | $52,200 | $41,800 | $54,000 | $43,300 |
| Saskatchewan | $55,100 | $42,700 | $60,000 | $47,500 |
| Alberta | $64,400 | $48,400 | $66,100 | $48,100 |
| British Columbia | $61,600 | $47,400 | $63,300 | $46,800 |
| Yukon | $67,900 | $60,000 | $71,300 | $64,100 |
| Northwest Territories | $81,500 | $71,900 | $83,200 | $72,000 |
| Nunavut | $67,000 | $48,100 | $65,100 | $43,400 |
Source: The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, July 2026 (Table 14-10-0223-01); The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, July 2026 (average weekly earnings by province and territory); The Daily — Payroll employment, July 2026 (average weekly hours and what the earnings measure includes); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (average hourly wages); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (wages by quartile); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026, Table 11 (average usual hours and wages of employees); Employee wages by industry, annual — Table 14-10-0064-01 (Labour Force Survey); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Canada (average and median wages, all employees and full-time); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Ontario (median weekly wage, full-time); Income of individuals by age group, gender and income source — Table 11-10-0239-01 (Canadian Income Survey); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, Canada (average and median total income of individuals); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, provinces and territories (total and employment income); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024; The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024 (what the median means); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 1 (income statistics by family type, Table 11-10-0190-01); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 2 (median after-tax income by province and territory, Table 11-10-0190-01). In effect from September 24, 2026; checked September 29, 2026.
How does income change with age in Canada?
Income climbs through the 30s and 40s, peaks between 45 and 54, then falls as people move to part-time work and retirement:
How to read this table: people with income, before tax, in 2024 constant dollars (Canadian Income Survey, table 11-10-0239-01).
| Age group | Average total income | Median total income |
|---|---|---|
| 15 years and over (all) | $61,600 | $46,300 |
| 15 to 24 years | $20,900 | $15,700 |
| 25 to 34 years | $57,200 | $49,600 |
| 35 to 44 years | $77,200 | $63,800 |
| 45 to 54 years | $84,100 | $65,800 |
| 55 to 64 years | $70,200 | $53,300 |
| 65 years and over | $55,200 | $39,200 |
| 25 to 54 years (core working age) | $71,900 | $58,500 |
Source: The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, July 2026 (Table 14-10-0223-01); The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, July 2026 (average weekly earnings by province and territory); The Daily — Payroll employment, July 2026 (average weekly hours and what the earnings measure includes); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (average hourly wages); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (wages by quartile); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026, Table 11 (average usual hours and wages of employees); Employee wages by industry, annual — Table 14-10-0064-01 (Labour Force Survey); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Canada (average and median wages, all employees and full-time); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Ontario (median weekly wage, full-time); Income of individuals by age group, gender and income source — Table 11-10-0239-01 (Canadian Income Survey); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, Canada (average and median total income of individuals); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, provinces and territories (total and employment income); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024; The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024 (what the median means); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 1 (income statistics by family type, Table 11-10-0190-01); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 2 (median after-tax income by province and territory, Table 11-10-0190-01). In effect from September 24, 2026; checked September 29, 2026.
The low figure for ages 15 to 24 reflects students and part-time jobs, not what a full-time entry-level job pays. For people 65 and over, total income is mostly CPP, OAS and private pensions rather than salary.
What is the average household income in Canada?
Household income adds up everyone in the family, so it runs well above any individual salary. Statistics Canada reports it as a median, after income tax:
How to read this table: 2024 constant dollars (Canadian Income Survey, table 11-10-0190-01). Market income is earnings plus investment and private pension income, before government transfers and tax.
| Family type | Median after-tax income | Median market income (before tax and transfers) |
|---|---|---|
| All families and unattached individuals | $75,500 | $69,800 |
| Economic families (2+ related people) | $108,900 | $107,700 |
| Two-parent families with children | $133,900 | $141,000 |
| Couples without children | $106,200 | $119,500 |
| One-parent families | $68,700 | $54,100 |
| Senior families | $83,200 | $54,800 |
| Unattached individuals (living alone or with non-relatives) | $41,000 | $34,800 |
Source: The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, July 2026 (Table 14-10-0223-01); The Daily — Payroll employment, earnings and hours, July 2026 (average weekly earnings by province and territory); The Daily — Payroll employment, July 2026 (average weekly hours and what the earnings measure includes); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (average hourly wages); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026 (wages by quartile); The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2026, Table 11 (average usual hours and wages of employees); Employee wages by industry, annual — Table 14-10-0064-01 (Labour Force Survey); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Canada (average and median wages, all employees and full-time); Table 14-10-0064-01 data download, 2025, Ontario (median weekly wage, full-time); Income of individuals by age group, gender and income source — Table 11-10-0239-01 (Canadian Income Survey); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, Canada (average and median total income of individuals); Table 11-10-0239-01 data download, 2024, provinces and territories (total and employment income); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024; The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024 (what the median means); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 1 (income statistics by family type, Table 11-10-0190-01); The Daily — Canadian Income Survey, 2024, Table 2 (median after-tax income by province and territory, Table 11-10-0190-01). In effect from September 24, 2026; checked September 29, 2026.
By province, the median after-tax income of families and unattached individuals ranged from $64,200 in Nova Scotia to $85,300 in Alberta in 2024, with Ontario at $79,500. The three territories were higher, led by the Northwest Territories at $116,100.
Is 100k a good salary in Canada?
By Statistics Canada’s numbers, a salary of $100,000 is well above the typical worker:
- It is $1,923.08 a week, about 1.46 times the 2025 median weekly wage of full-time employees.
- At a 40-hour week it is $48.08 an hour, against an average hourly wage of $37.02 in August 2026.
- It is about 2.2 times the 2024 median employment income.
- It is not top-end pay. Its hourly equivalent sits between the average of the third quarter of employees ($37.99 an hour) and the average of the top quarter ($65.15 an hour) in August 2026.
Whether it feels like a lot is another question. Income tax, CPP and EI take a meaningful share: the guide to Canadian tax brackets shows how each slice of a salary is taxed, and the maximum CPP contribution guide shows how much comes off each paycheque for pension contributions. In expensive cities, rent or a mortgage can take a large share of what is left.
Why do salary figures differ between websites?
Most disagreements come from mixing measures or periods:
- Weekly earnings × 52 versus annual income. The first counts only paid weeks, the second counts everyone who earned anything during the year, so annual income is lower.
- Average versus median. The average is always higher.
- All employees versus full-time. Part-time workers pull averages down; full-time figures run higher.
- Before versus after tax. Wage figures are before tax; the household figures are after tax.
- Current versus constant dollars. The income survey restates past years in 2024 dollars, so an older article’s numbers will not match.
- Old data. Some sites still quote the 2021 Census or pre-2024 figures.
Common mistakes when comparing your salary
- Comparing take-home pay with gross averages. Every salary figure here is before tax and deductions except the household medians.
- Comparing a part-year income with a full-year average. A job that started in March won’t match a full-year number.
- Using the national figure in a high- or low-wage province. Use the provincial rows instead.
- Ignoring age. A 25-year-old earning less than the national median may still be above the median for their age group.
- Treating the quartile averages as cut-offs. The top group’s average of $65.15 an hour is not the wage needed to reach the top 25%.
When is the salary data updated?
Statistics Canada updates these numbers on a fixed schedule, and this page follows it:
- Monthly: average weekly earnings (the August 2026 figure is due in late October 2026) and Labour Force Survey hourly wages (early each month).
- Each January: the annual Labour Force Survey wage table for the previous year (2026 figures in January 2027).
- Each spring: the Canadian Income Survey (2025 income figures expected in spring 2027).
What to do with these numbers
A salary benchmark is most useful as a starting point for a budget. Turn a gross salary into a net monthly figure, then build a plan around it: the newcomer budget calculator works from a take-home paycheque, and the emergency fund calculator sets a savings target in months of expenses. For anyone paid by the hour, the Ontario minimum wage guide shows what the legal floor pays per week and per year. A planned income tax and take-home pay calculator on this site will turn any salary into net pay by province. Once there is money left to save each month, TFSA vs RRSP explains which account usually suits a given income level.