About Income Data

Choosing a Source

There are several sources of information, with differing methodologies and outputs. What you choose to use will depend on the following

• Detail you need: demographic, geographic, industrial, occupational or other
• Acceptable release frequency: monthly, annual, five-year census, one time
• Observed metric: hourly wages, weekly, monthly, annual, before-tax, after-tax or other
• Recipient(s): individual, family, household

Find more information about the methodologies and outputs from the Statistics Canada website:

• Labour Force Survey (LFS)
• Survey of Employment, Payroll and Hours (SEPH)
• Canadian Income Survey (CIS)
• Census/National Household Survey
• Tax-based Small Area and Administrative Data Division tables (SAADD)

Another source of tax-based data:

• Canada Revenue Agency CRA

Measuring Income

Income is measured in several surveys, and is also derived from income tax returns. There are a variety of ways of measuring income, some more suitable than others, depending on the use to be made of the data. When looking at economic well-being, household or family income may be more suitable than individual income. For example, one partner in a couple may primarily stay home looking after children and may have a low income, while the other partner could be in the labour force and making significant income. The former person is not necessarily poor.