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Data & Statistics: Income, expenditures, & poverty

Sources of aggregate statistics and microdata for use in a wide variety of subject areas

Recent Statistics Canada releases on income, pensions, spending and wealth

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Sources

Last updated 2022.04.07

Unless otherwise stated, all publications in this section come from Statistics Canada.

  • Canadian Foreign Post Indexes (2003-present)
    These indexes are calculated to establish and adjust post living allowances paid to Canadian government employees serving outside of Canada. They are comparative measurements that numerically express the difference between the retail prices of a representative basket of goods and services at a foreign location with prices for a similar basket of goods and services in Ottawa. Four separate reports are provided to reflect the specific terms and conditions of service for these personnel:
    • Foreign Service Directives Post Indexes
    • Canadian International Development Agency Post Indexes
    • Military Post Indexes
    • Post Indexes for Non-government Organizations\
  • Census of Population. Income tables (Statistics Canada)
  • Employment, Earnings and Hours (1990-2012)
    "This publication presents a timely picture of employment, earnings and hours which is vital to Canada's businesses and governments for planning and decision-making purposes. The tabulations focus on monthly labour market information and historical data series. The major economic variables for over 280 industries are provided at the national and provincial/territorial level. The publication also includes a succinct monthly highlights section, and notes on the concepts and methodology of the survey." NOTE: this publication has been discontinued by Statistics Canada; the data are now available in a series of tables corresponding to the former CANSIM tables 281-0023 to 281-0049
  • Family Food Expenditure Survey
    This survey provides estimates of food expenditures and quantities purchased by households. Topics include: composition of households; characteristics of reference person, spouse and dwelling; food and beverages while away from home; personal income in the last 12 months; food and beverages purchased from stores by type of store; and food and beverages from restaurants by type of restaurant.
  • Income, pensions, spending and wealth: data tables
  • Income in Canada (2012-2020)
    "Income in Canada is an annual analytical report which summarizes the economic well-being of Canadians. It includes an extensive collection of income statistics, covering topics such as income distribution, income tax, government transfers, and low income back to 1976. The data prior to 1993 are drawn from the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). Beginning with 1998, the data are taken from the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamnics (SLID). For the 1993 to 1997 period, estimates are based on a combined sample from SCF and SLID."

    This product has been discontinued; current data are available on the Statistics Canada website.
  • Income Statistics and GST/HST Statistics (Canada Customs and Revenue Agency)
    • T1 Final Statistics -- Statistics based on approximately 100% of all income tax and benefit returns including reassessments for a given year.
    • T1 Preliminary Statistics -- Preliminary statistics are based on approximately 95% of income tax and benefit returns excluding the reassessments for a given tax year.
    • Individual tax statistics by area -- Tax data based on geographic area.
    • T2 Corporate Statistics -- Key taxation and select accounting information for all corporation tax returns that have been assessed or re-assessed.
    • GST/HST Statistics -- Detailed profiles of goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) registrants.
    • Final Statistics - Sample Data -- Detailed profiles of Canadian tax filers based on a stratified random sample of individual tax returns, 2001 -- 2008 tax years.
    • GST/HST Incremental Federal Rebate for Municipalities -- Disclosure of the incremental value (42.86%) of the 100% GST, and the federal portion of the HST rebate approved for payment by the Minister of National Revenue to each municipal entity.
  • Low income and inequality tables
  • Minimum Wage Database (Labour Program)
    Contains data for federal and provincial jurisdictions. Available in ten-year ranges in addition to current and forthcoming rates for adult and young workers.
  • Perspectives on labour and income ( Statistics Canada)
    A monthly publication that brings together and analyzes a wide range of labour and income data. Each issue presents approximately five articles covering topics such as youth in the labour market, pensions and retirement, work arrangements, education and training, and trends in the family income, to name a few. The publication also devotes sections to new products, surveys, research projects, conferences, and selected data from a database of more than 50 up-to-date labour and income statistical indicators. Discontinued as of August 2012. Succeeded by Insights on Canadian Society
  • Public Sector Salary Disclosure (Ministry of Finance, Government of Ontario)
    A compendium on public sector employees in Ontario who were paid a salary of $100,000 or more, published under the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act (1996). Organizations that receive public funding from the Province of Ontario are required to disclose the names, positions, salaries and taxable benefits of these employees. Data are released in late March or early April for the previous calendar year, and go back to 1997.
  • SimplyAnalytics
     Create and download thematic maps, tables, reports and geospatial data using Canadian and American demographic, business, and marketing variables. It is only available to members of the York University community.Canadian data sources include: Adjusted Census Data, Demographic Estimates, Household Spending, PRIZM, and COVID-19 Outbreak data. American data sources include: U.S. Census Bureau Data, Community Demographic Estimates, Consumer Expenditure Estimates, Uniform Crime Reporting and NOAA Climate Divisional Database.
  • Small Area and Administrative Data
    Derived from the annual taxfile provided by Revenue Canada. From the income tax forms submitted each year by Canadians, a wealth of economic and demographic information is available. Files include data on Families, Labour Income, Economic Dependency, Seniors, RRSP Contributions and Neighbourhood Income and Demographics. Geographic coverage is national, province/territory, postal area and by CMA. Data provided in the form of Excel files.
  • Spending patterns in Canada
    This publication presents statistical highlights and key tables from the Survey of Household Spending. This annual survey collects information about expenditures by households and families in Canada on a wide variety of goods and services. The publication includes analytical text, summary level tables, a detailed table, notes and definitions, and information about manipulating the data, survey methodology, and data quality. Current data available in data tables
  • Survey of Consumer Finances
    This is a household survey that provides data for annual estimates of income distributions by size and of low income rates for individuals and families for the previous calendar year.
  • Survey of Family Expenditure (FAMEX) (1969-1996)
    Provides detailed information on household expenditures includes: housing (type and value of dwelling, mortgage, additions, renovations and installations); characteristics of reference person and spouse (income by source, occupation, employment); household characteristics (members, employment insurance and social assistance indicators); food and shelter; household operation (communication, child care, household supplies); household furnishings and equipment; clothing (by age, sex of household members); transportation (public and private); health care; personal care; recreation; reading materials and other printed matter; education (tuition and supplies); tobacco products and alcoholic beverages; miscellaneous (interest payments, games of chance, taxes, insurance payments and pension contributions, money gifts and contributions); and total expenditure.
  • Survey of Household Spending (SHS)
    Provides detailed information on household expenditures, dwelling characteristics, and ownership of household equipment such as appliances, audio and video equipment, and vehicles.
  • Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics
    The Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics supports studies on the economic well-being of individuals and families and on the processes influencing this well-being. It aims to support research on topics such as: income dynamics, namely, movements into and out of poverty and the determinants of income changes experienced by individuals and families; labour market dynamics and life-cycle labour market transitions, such as school-to-work transitions; family dynamics, in particular their relation to economic well-being.
  • Wages, salaries and other earnings: data tables
 

Last updated 2022.04.07

  • Global Wealth Report (Credit Suisse Research Institute)
    Offers investors a comprehensive study of world wealth - the first study to analyze the wealth of all the world's 4.4 billion adults. The aim of the Credit Suisse Global Wealth project is to provide the best available estimates of the wealth holdings of households around the world for the period since the year 2000. The Global Wealth Report highlights the main findings; the accompanying Databookunderlines the extent of the analysis, and sets out in detail the data employed, the methodology used to calculate estimates of wealth, and how this may differ from other reports in this field.
  • ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)
    provides multiple datasets with annual and infra-annual labour market statistics (including earnings and employment-related income data) for over 100 indicators and 230 countries, areas and territories.
  • Income & Poverty publications (U.S. Census Bureau)
  • Income & Poverty data tables (U.S. Census Bureau)
  • Income Inequality data tables (U.S. Census Bureau)
  • Inequality facts
    A project of the Institute for Policy Studies since 2011, the site aims to provide information and insights for readers ranging from educators and journalists to activists and policy makers. The Facts section offers quick takes on economic inequality, as categorized in five key areas: income, wealth, global, health, gender,and racial. Each category has some inequality statistics and discussion of the basic numbers.
  • Living Standards Measurement Study of the World Bank
    The Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) is a household survey program housed within the Survey Unit of the World Bank's Development Data Group that provides technical assistance to national statistical offices (NSOs) in the design and implementation of multi-topic household surveys. To date, more than 100 LSMS surveys have been produced.
  • Occupational Wages around the World (OWW) Database
    This database contains occupational wage data for 161 occupations in 171 countries from 1983 to 2008.
  • Salary.com: What are you worth?
    Offers both HR-reported aggregate market pay data and traditional compensation survey data, and delivers accurate, up-to-date market pricing information for more than 15,000 unique job titles in 16 countries, as well as hard-to-find data items like hot job pricing data, long- and short-term incentive data, and embedded public executive proxy data, plus data from more than 25,000 participating organizations across 14 industries and 100 countries.
  • SimplyAnalytics
     Create and download thematic maps, tables, reports and geospatial data using Canadian and American demographic, business, and marketing variables. It is only available to members of the York University community.Canadian data sources include: Adjusted Census Data, Demographic Estimates, Household Spending, PRIZM, and COVID-19 Outbreak data. American data sources include: U.S. Census Bureau Data, Community Demographic Estimates, Consumer Expenditure Estimates, Uniform Crime Reporting and NOAA Climate Divisional Database.
  • Statistics on wages, earnings and benefits (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
    BLS has 12 surveys or programs that provide information on pay and benefits. BLS data on pay and benefits are available for occupations, industries, geographic areas, and the demographic characteristics of workers.
  • Tax statistics (US Internal Revenue Service)
  • World Development Indicators
    World Development Indicators (WDI) is the primary World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized international sources. It presents the most current and accurate global development data available, and includes national, regional and global estimates.
  • World Income Inequality Database
    The UNU-WIDER World Income Inequality Database (WIID) collects and stores information on income inequality for developed, developing, and transition countries. The current version is the fourth major update of the database. With WIID4, the observations now reach the year 2017 and coverage is extended to 189 countries (including historical entities), with over 11,000 data points in total.

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