Median income in Canada peaked on the verge of the financial crisis in 2008 at $58,100. Note there is no data available for 2012 or 2013.
The chart below shows the Canadian total median household income since 1976. The pattern is clear - incomes are stagnating.
Calgary is one of the few cities in Canada where incomes have been trending upwards. In fact, in 2011 the median total income in Calgary reached an all time high of $82,400.
Incomes in Toronto have plateaued for the past decade. Median incomes reached an all time high of $68,300 in 2008 and then dropped below the 1980 level in 2011 to $65,500. Notice how incomes shot up during the late '80s housing bubble. Guess what is going to happen to salaries once the current housing bubble in Toronto deflates.
Edmonton is another Canadian city with incomes trending upwards, though not as much as Calgary. The median total income in Edmonton was $67,800 in 2011.
Incomes in Halifax reached an all time high in 2010 ($58,700) and then declined slightly in 2011.
Incomes in Hamilton were hit pretty hard during the early '90s recession though they recovered by the early 2000's. The median total income in Hamilton was $69,300 in 2011.
Here's something interesting. Incomes in Kitchener-Waterloo actually increased during the early '90s recession. Unfortunately in the early 2000's incomes had fallen and now with Blackberry going kaput incomes are likely to decline even further in KW.
Median incomes in London, Ontario have been falling off the cliff since the financial crisis. London incomes peaked in 1979 at $67,600 and since then have declined to $46,900 in 2011.
Median incomes in Montreal remain significantly lower compared to the late '70s. In 2011 the median total income was just $52,000.
Why are incomes high in Ottawa? Maybe because most of our bureaucrats live there - or maybe not. Regardless, median incomes reached an all time high of $75,300 in 2011.
Incomes in Quebec were relatively flat during the '80s and '90s but in late 2000's median incomes spiked. Nevertheless median income in Quebec was still below the 1976 level in 2011.
Incomes in St. Catharines-Niagara were trending downwards since the late '70s. In 2011 the median total income in St. Catharines was $55,200.
Incomes in a delusional Vancouver peaked in 1980. Median income in Vancouver was just $57,200 in 2011. The average detached home in Vancouver costs $1,211,190 - that's 21 times the median income.
Median incomes in Victoria peaked in 1976. Since then they have stagnated to say the least.
Incomes in Windsor were actually higher than in London, Ontario in 2011. Specifically, median total income in Windsor was $52,700 in 2011.
Finally, incomes in Winnipeg were slowly rising for the past few decades. Nevertheless median income peaked in 2008 at $61,300.
So there you have it. For the most part Canadians don't make more money today than a few decades ago. At the same time Canadians are currently more indebted than ever before.
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