In Canada, a middle-class income is defined as a personal annual income ranging from $52,875 to $141,000. Your income is considered middle class income if you earn between 75% to 200% of the median household income after tax.
Socioeconomic factors also matter – many people with incomes above or below this bracket consider themselves middle class. To some, "middle class" has less to do with an annual salary and more to do with keeping up with the Joneses.
Here’s a look at middle class income in Canada, including how numbers vary by region and how they stack up against provincial minimum wage and suggested living wage.
Key Takeaways
- A middle class annual income in Canada is between $52,875 to $141,000.
- A middle class income earner takes home between 75% and 200% of the median household income after tax.
- Beyond salary, socioeconomic factors also define the middle class (car and homeownership, vacations).
- Upper class in Canada is considered between $106,717 and $235,675.
- What is considered middle class income?
- How are income classes defined?
- Middle class vs. upper middle class
- Middle class income vs. average salary
- Canadian income percentiles
- Average family income in Canada
- Living wage in Canada
- What is considered a high salary?
- 2025 update: Inflation and the middle class
- Federal minimum wage increase
- FAQ
What is considered middle class income in Canada?
Middle-class income in Canada is anything between $52,875 to $141,000 for individuals, according to the most recent data from Statistics Canada.
You have a middle-class income if you earn between 75% and 200% of the median household income after tax. This means that for 2024, the median household income for the middle class is about $96,937.50.
Setting aside income and numbers, many people see "middle class" as more of a sociological idea and a matter of status.
Common status markers of the middle class:
- Owning a home
- Having a car
- Being able to put money away for retirement
- Obtaining and maintaining healthcare for you and your family
- Having enough disposable income to take family vacations
- Paying for your kids to play sports, instruments, take lessons, etc
Being able to pay for these things – or paying for them whether or not you can afford it – creates a depiction of a certain lifestyle. Status markers are often what people imagine when they hear "middle class" rather than a specific income level.
How are income classes defined in Canada?
There is no official definition for the various income classes in Canada, but we can outline guidelines and categories based solely on income amount rather than lifestyle.
The Globe and Mail used these numbers to divide income classes in early 2024:
| Income class | Minimum income level | Maximum income level |
|---|---|---|
| Lower | 0 | $30,000 |
| Lower middle | $30,001 | $58,020 |
| Middle | $58,021 | $94,000 |
| Upper middle | $94,000 | $153,000 |
| Upper | $153,001 | N/A |
What percentage of Canadians are in each income bracket?
Using data from the Statistics Canada 2021 Census, we determined that:
- Lower = 30.76% of Canadian earners
- Middle = 37.37% of Canadian earners
For upper class incomes, we know that the top 1% of tax filers in 2022 earned an average of $586,900, according to the Stats Can page on "High-income Canadians" – and that's just one individual's income, not an entire household.
Middle class vs. upper middle class
A Canadian with an annual income between $106,717 and $235,675 is considered to be in the upper middle class.
Potential socioeconomic markers of the upper middle class are:
- Private education, often at prestigious universities
- Kids are in private schools
- Multiple streams of income in addition to an annual salary
- Luxury vacations
Many Canadians hesitate to admit they're part of the upper middle class.
The Great Canadian Class Study, performed by the University of Saskatchewan in 2023, found that 74% of respondents either didn't consider their social class identity at all or had a weak attachment to it.
This same study found that when asked to consider, 42% of Canadians consider themselves part of the middle class, and 17% identify as upper middle class.
How does middle class income in Canada compare to the average salary?
The average annual salary of a full-time employed Canadian was $72,000 pre-tax in 2024, with people in major cities like Calgary and Montreal earning the most money.
Here are the most recent numbers listing the average income earned in each part of the country as of 2023:
| Province or territory | Average annual income 2021 | Average annual income 2022 | Average annual income 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | $59,000 | $61,500 | $74,200 |
| British Columbia | $54,700 | $58,300 | $66,200 |
| Manitoba | $49,300 | $50,700 | $58,500 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $49,300 | $51,100 | $52,600 |
| New Brunswick | $47,400 | $48,200 | $57,300 |
| Nova Scotia | $48,100 | $48,800 | $56,600 |
| Ontario | $55,500 | $58,700 | $64,400 |
| Prince Edward Island | $46,500 | $48,400 | $46,200 |
| Quebec | $51,200 | $54,700 | $57,500 |
| Saskatchewan | $52,100 | $55,700 | $88,400 |
Canadian income percentiles
Here’s a breakdown of household income by percentile in Canada:
- 1% earn $315,911 and above
- 5% earn $162,210 and above
- 10% earn $125,942 and above
- 25% earn $81,184 and above
- 50% earn $46,151 and above
- 75% earn $22,465 and above
According to the most recent Stats Canada data from 2022, nearly 10% of Canadians lived below the poverty line at that time. That’s higher than the 2021 number.
Average family income in Canada
The Stats Canada Labour Force Survey reported that in July 2024, the average employment income was $67,300.
If we assume that a family has two working adults, this means the average family income that year was $134,600.
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$25 GeniusCash + Delicious meal choices with fresh ingredients + Front-door delivery.Living wage in Canada
The ideal living wages for Canadians in various areas are very different from the actual wages listed above.
Living wages are calculated based on several factors related to the province, city, and/or region where an individual resides. Think about it: a couple that earns a combined income of $80,000 in Fort McMurray, AB is going to live a very different lifestyle than a couple earning that same income in Gander, NL.
Here are the ideal living wages for a few Canadian cities as of 2024 alongside the actual minimum wage in those provinces:
| City | Living wage 2024 | Provincial minimum wage 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Edmonton, AB | $20.85 | $15.00 |
| Halifax, NS | $28.30 | $15.70 |
| Ottawa, ON | $22.8 | $17.20 |
| Saint John, NB | $24.07 | $15.65 |
| Toronto, ON | $26.00 | $17.20 |
| Winnipeg, MB | $18.75 | $15.80 |
| Vancouver, BC | $27.05 | $17.40 |
Based on the living wage numbers above, many more people across Canada would be considered middle class if they earned a living wage.
What is considered a high salary in Canada?
Many Canadians consider a salary at or above $150,000 per year to be a high salary in Canada.
Of course, how "high" a salary is depends on two things: your region and your expenses.
In an area with a lower cost of living, $150,000 goes further. You can earn less than $150,000 and still afford an excellent standard of living.
If your expenses are high, $150,000 doesn’t cover as much. With a mortgage, car payments, and multiple dependents, a salary of $150,000 may not feel very high after all your bills are paid.
How is inflation impacting Canada’s middle class: 2025 update
With elections and potential trade wars looming, Canada’s middle class is financially stressed. Here are some notes on the reasons for this stress in 2025:
- Rising CPI: the Consumer Price Index went up 1.1% between January and February 2025.
- Widening wealth gap: The income gap increased during the last months of 2024. Households in the top 40% of earners had 46.9 percentage points more of the total disposable income than those in the bottom 40%. That’s up slightly from 46.3 percentage points a year earlier.
- Mortgage renewals: Those who bought homes during the pandemic are likely prepping for mortgage renewals this year. Current rates are much higher than in 2020, which means these homeowners will be making larger monthly payments.
On a more positive note, Canadians have lately been increasing their savings. The Financial Post reports that Canadians boosted their net savings in late 2024 by about 43%. This is typical during periods of uncertainty.
The federal minimum wage is increasing
On April 1, 2025, the minimum wage will increase to $17.75 per hour. This is a 2.4% increase over the previous minimum wage rate of $17.30.
This federal rate is adjusted each year and is based on CPI changes over the past year. Since CPI went up by 2.4% in 2024, the federal minimum wage rate will increase by the same amount.
FAQ
What is considered middle class income in Canada?
A middle class income in Canada is anything that falls between between $52,875 and $141,000. Those in this class bracket typically earn between 75% and 200% of the median Canadian household income after tax.
What percentage of Canada makes over 100k?
About 11% of individual Canadians and about 20% of Canadian households take home more than $100,000 per year. This is considered middle class income, with incomes of $94,000+ putting you in the upper middle class bracket.
What is upper middle class income in Canada?
An upper middle class income in Canada is typically anything between $94,000 and $153,000 annually. There are other differences between a middle and upper-middle class lifestyle, though, like quality of education and more regular vacations.
What's considered a wealthy income in Canada?
A wealthy Canadian household has an income of about $235,675 or more per year. Stats Canada reports that the top 1% of earners in the country have an income of $512,000 – that's a single income, not a household.
What is considered low income in Canada?
Canadians who take home $30,000 or less per year are considered low-income. The average full-time salary in Canada is $72,000 (before tax), but about 30.76% of Canadians still fall into the "low income" earning category.
What's considered a lower class income in Canada?
In Canada, those considered to have a lower class income earn less than $30,000 each year. Approximately 30.76% of individual earners in Canada fall into this category, which is an unfortunately large percentage.
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