Median Household Incomes | Metro Vancouver

Housing affordability is a key measure of housing costs and a household’s ability to meet them. Median household income is the income of the household at the midpoint of all household incomes across the region, with half of all households with incomes below the median, and half of all households with incomes above the median. As a result, median household income is a useful indicator of a household’s ability to find housing in their community at an affordable price. Using the Census of Population, the data below explores median household incomes in Metro Vancouver.

Median household incomes and income thresholds

Metro 2050 has identified three strategies to reach the goal of providing diverse and affordable housing choices in the region. One is to meet the housing needs of lower income households and populations currently experiencing or at risk of homelessness. To address this, the number of lower income households in need of affordable housing was quantified using income thresholds based on the following percentage values of the regional median household income: 50%, 80%, 100%, and 120%. These thresholds help identify geographic areas and demographic groups with a greater need for affordable housing. This data helps member jurisdictions and organizations develop effective policies, programs, and housing solutions.

Median household incomes and income thresholds in Metro Vancouver

Median household incomes by family type

The family types shown are based on census families, as defined by Statistics Canada. Census families generally have higher median household incomes than lone-parent households or those living in non-census family households. After accounting for inflation, median household incomes increased since 2015 across all family types in Metro Vancouver but more significantly for one-census family households with children and lone-parent households.

Median household incomes (adjusted for inflation) by census family type

Median household incomes by tenure

After accounting for inflation, median household incomes increased since 2015 across all housing tenure types in Metro Vancouver. Homeowners earned the greatest household incomes in both 2015 and 2020. However, between 2015 and 2020, their median household income increased the least of all tenure types (+10.8%).

In both 2015 and 2020, renter households had significantly lower incomes than owner households. The median household income of renters was 54% of the median income of owners in 2015 and 67% of the median income of owners in 2020.

Median household incomes (adjusted for inflation) by tenure type

Key observations

Median household incomes varied significantly across the region, with some member jurisdictions having median household incomes that double those elsewhere.
Between 2015 and 2020, the total median household income in Metro Vancouver increased by 14.6% (adjusted for inflation).
Lone-parent households and non-census family households had the lowest median incomes among all family types, lower than the 2020 regional median household income of $90,000.
In 2020, the median incomes of lone-parent and non-census family households were 56% and 78% of the regional median household income, respectively.
Except for in the Villages of Anmore and Lions Bay, median household incomes for renters were lower than the $90,000 median income of all households in the region in 2020.

Median household incomes and percentage change in Metro Vancouver

Median household incomes and thresholds in Metro Vancouver

Notes

The glossary provides definitions of each technical term, ensuring consistent interpretation.
Data is based on Census counts and does not include undercount estimates.
Jurisdiction and Metro Vancouver totals may not equal the sum of individual values due to rounding, data suppression, or the omission of smaller data points to maintain visual readability. If a geography is not listed or appears missing, the associated data was either unavailable or did not meet reporting thresholds.
Proportion percentages are calculated using available data and may exclude instances of missed or suppressed data.
Electoral Area A includes UBC/UEL (University of British Columbia / University Endowment Lands).
Values for income thresholds are rounded to nearest 100.

Source
This information is from Statistics Canada census data .

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies. View our privacy statement.