For the analysis of income, Statistics Canada distinguishes between the following statistical units:
- Households: "a person or group of persons who occupy the same dwelling"
- Economic families: "two or more persons who live in the same dwelling and are related to each other by blood, marriage, common-law union, adoption or a foster relationship (a couple may be of opposite or same sex)"
- Census families: "a married couple and the children, if any, of either and/or both spouses; a couple living common law and the children, if any, of either and/or both partners; or a lone parent of any marital status with at least one child living in the same dwelling and that child or those children (all members of a particular census family live in the same dwelling; a couple may be of opposite or same sex)"
Therefore, a person living alone constitutes a household, but not an economic or census family. Two couples sharing a dwelling constitute a single household, but two economic or census families. A couple living with its children and one spouse's parents constitutes a single household or economic family, but two census families.
Income statistics by census metropolitan area (CMA) are published:
- every 5 years for households (data from the Census of Population)
- annually for economic families, for select CMAs (data from the Canadian Income Survey)
- annually for census families (data from the T1 Family File)
The income concept for this article is total income.
Median Household and Family Income by Census Metropolitan Area
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