Updated
Average salary in Canada 2026: the median and the spread
Average and median salaries in Canada based on Statistics Canada data. Earnings by province, industry, age group, and gender with take-home pay breakdowns.
Average and Median Salary in Canada
According to Statistics Canada, the average annual salary for full-time employees in Canada is approximately $64,850 as of 2025. However, the average can be misleading because high earners pull the figure up. The median salary -- the point at which half of workers earn more and half earn less -- is approximately $40,500 per year. This gap between the average and median highlights the income inequality in the Canadian labour market.
Understanding where your salary falls relative to these benchmarks helps with career planning, salary negotiations, and financial decisions. These figures are based on the Labour Force Survey and the Canadian Income Survey published by Statistics Canada.
Average Salary by Province
Salaries vary significantly across provinces, driven by differences in industry composition, cost of living, and labour demand. Resource-rich provinces and territories tend to have higher average earnings, while Atlantic provinces generally have lower averages.
| Province / Territory | Average Salary | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | $72,400 | $45,200 |
| British Columbia | $64,200 | $40,800 |
| Manitoba | $56,800 | $38,400 |
| New Brunswick | $53,600 | $36,200 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $58,900 | $37,800 |
| Northwest Territories | $82,500 | $56,000 |
| Nova Scotia | $54,200 | $36,800 |
| Nunavut | $78,300 | $52,400 |
| Ontario | $66,800 | $41,600 |
| Prince Edward Island | $50,400 | $34,800 |
| Quebec | $60,200 | $39,200 |
| Saskatchewan | $62,400 | $41,000 |
| Yukon | $70,800 | $48,600 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey and Canadian Income Survey. Figures are approximate annual averages for full-time workers.
Average Salary by Industry
Industry has a major impact on earnings. Mining, oil and gas, utilities, and professional services consistently rank among the highest-paying sectors, while accommodation, food services, and retail trade are among the lowest.
| Industry | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Mining, Oil and Gas Extraction | $120,000 |
| Utilities | $98,500 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | $90,200 |
| Finance and Insurance | $85,600 |
| Information and Cultural Industries | $82,400 |
| Public Administration | $78,000 |
| Construction | $72,800 |
| Manufacturing | $64,500 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | $62,200 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | $58,400 |
| Education | $57,600 |
| Wholesale Trade | $65,800 |
| Retail Trade | $36,400 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | $28,600 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH). Figures are approximate and include both full-time and part-time workers where indicated.
Average Salary by Age Group
Earnings in Canada follow a typical age-earnings profile: they rise steeply from ages 25 to 44 as workers gain experience and qualifications, plateau between ages 45 and 54, and then decline slightly approaching retirement age. Workers aged 25 to 34 earn significantly more than those 15 to 24, reflecting the transition from entry-level positions to established careers.
| Age Group | Average Annual Salary | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 15 to 24 | $24,800 | $18,600 |
| 25 to 34 | $52,400 | $42,000 |
| 35 to 44 | $68,200 | $52,800 |
| 45 to 54 | $72,600 | $54,400 |
| 55 to 64 | $66,800 | $48,200 |
| 65 and over | $48,400 | $32,600 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey. Age groups represent all workers including part-time.
Average Salary by Gender
The gender wage gap in Canada has narrowed over time but remains significant. As of 2025, women working full-time earn approximately 87 cents for every dollar earned by men in comparable roles. The gap varies by industry, occupation, and province. Factors contributing to the gap include occupational segregation, differences in hours worked, career interruptions, and underrepresentation in higher-paying industries such as mining, technology, and finance.
| Gender | Average Annual Salary (Full-Time) |
|---|---|
| Men | $70,200 |
| Women | $58,800 |
How Average Salary Translates to Take-Home Pay
The national average salary of $64,850 does not represent what a typical worker actually takes home. After federal and provincial income taxes, CPP contributions, and EI premiums, the take-home pay on $64,850 varies by province. For example:
- Ontario: Approximately $51,200 net per year ($4,267 per month)
- Alberta: Approximately $52,800 net per year ($4,400 per month)
- Quebec: Approximately $48,400 net per year ($4,033 per month)
- British Columbia: Approximately $51,600 net per year ($4,300 per month)
Use our salary calculator to calculate your exact take-home pay based on your province, salary, and personal circumstances.
What Is Considered a Good Salary in Canada?
A good salary depends on where you live, your household size, and your financial goals. As a general guide, earning above the median salary ($40,500) means you earn more than half of Canadian workers. Earning above the average ($64,850) puts you in the upper portion of the income distribution. In expensive cities like Toronto and Vancouver, a salary of $70,000 to $80,000 is often considered necessary for a comfortable single-person lifestyle, while in smaller cities and rural areas, $50,000 can provide a similar standard of living.
Household income is often a more meaningful measure. The median household income in Canada is approximately $72,000, meaning that combined earnings from all household members place half of Canadian households above this threshold.
Salary Growth Trends
Average wages in Canada have grown by approximately 3 to 5 percent annually in recent years, driven by tight labour markets, minimum wage increases, and inflation. However, after adjusting for inflation (real wage growth), the gains have been more modest. The post-pandemic period (2022-2025) saw above-average nominal wage growth as employers competed for talent, particularly in technology, healthcare, and skilled trades. Looking ahead, wage growth is expected to moderate as inflation cools and the labour market reaches a more balanced state.
Sources
- Statistics Canada: Average Weekly Earnings by Province
- Statistics Canada: Canadian Income Survey
- Statistics Canada: Labour Force Survey
- Government of Canada: Gender Wage Gap
How to use an average salary figure
An average is a weak benchmark for a single negotiation and a strong one for a trend. Used to judge whether a specific offer is fair, it misleads in both directions: it is pulled upward by a small number of very high earners, and it flattens the differences between industries that matter far more than the national figure. Used to see whether wages in a sector are moving, over several years and from a consistent source, it is reliable.
The better comparison for an individual offer is the median for the same occupation in the same province, which Statistics Canada publishes for major occupational groups. It answers the question actually being asked, which is whether the employer is offering what the role typically pays, rather than how the role compares with every other job in the country.
Why province and industry outweigh the national figure
The provinces with the highest average wages are generally those with concentrated resource extraction or financial services, not those with the highest cost of living, and the two do not track each other. A salary that looks strong against the national average can be modest against local housing costs, and a salary that looks weak can go considerably further. Any comparison that ignores the cost side answers only half the question.
Industry effects are larger still. The gap between median pay in the highest-paying and lowest-paying sectors exceeds the gap between the highest and lowest provinces by a wide margin. For anyone weighing a career move, the sector matters more than the address, which the national average obscures entirely by collapsing both into one number.
Official sources
Every rate on this page comes from the publications below. No figure is taken from a third-party summary.
- Canada Revenue Agency, income tax rates
Federal and provincial brackets, indexed each January, for the current and previous years.
- Canada Revenue Agency, CPP contributions
Contribution rates, the basic exemption and both earnings ceilings, including CPP2.
- Employment Insurance premium rates
Employee and employer premium rates and maximum insurable earnings, set annually.
- Revenu Québec, income tax rates
Quebec administers its own income tax, its pension plan and its parental insurance plan.