No. 17 - Income of seniors across the country

As with the overall population, seniors in Ontario and the western provinces have generally higher incomes, on average, than those in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. In 1998, seniors in both Ontario and British Columbia had average incomes of over $22,000, while the figures were just under $22,000 in Alberta and slightly over $20,000 in each of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In contrast, seniors in Quebec had an average income of $18,600 that year, while in the Atlantic Provinces the figures ranged from $20,900 in New Brunswick to $15,000 in Newfoundland.

There was a corresponding pattern in the incomes of families headed by seniors (65 and over). In 1998, the average income of these families ranged from a high of $46,700 in Ontario to less than $30,000 in Newfoundland. At the same time, the figure among unattached seniors ranged from $26,200 in Alberta to $15,600 in Newfoundland.

Average income of seniors, by province, 1998

Source: Statistics Canada