The NL Public Record

Work and income, by the numbers

The labour force, what people earn, who is in poverty, and who is on income support. Statistics Canada surveys, shown as filed, for Newfoundland and Labrador.

Work and income
The labour force, what people earn, who is in poverty, and who is on income support. Statistics Canada surveys compiled by the Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency, plus provincial income support caseloads.
OverviewLabour forceEarningsIncomeIncome support and hardship
$94,420
median family income, 2023
$105,830
couple families
$54,660
one-parent families
Median family income: NL and Canada, 2000 to 2023
Median family income in the province has grown 143% since 2000, from $38,800 to $94,420.
33474.448918.664362.979807.195251.4110695.620002010202094420.0Newfoundland and LabradorCanada

Explore by year

By family type, 2021

$99,940
couple families
$51,100
one-parent families

The gap between couple and one-parent families in 2021 is $48,840 a year. One-parent families earn about 51% of what couple families earn.

Median income by family type, 2000 to 2023
11945.632113.452281.172448.992616.6112784.4200020102020105830.0Couple familiesOne-parent families

Government transfers, 2021

$24,760
median transfers per family
94%
of families receive transfers

148,660 of 157,560 families received some form of government transfer in 2021.

Median government transfers per family, 2000 to 2023
11934.014880.417826.820773.223719.626666.020002010202020160.0

Employment Insurance, 2021

67,810
families receiving EI

The number of families receiving Employment Insurance benefits has fallen steadily as the labour force has shrunk and the economy has shifted.

Families receiving EI benefits, 2000 to 2023
53064.056764.460464.864165.267865.671566.020002010202054340.0

Where NL sits, 2021

Median total income of census families by province, 2021. NL ranks 8th.

ProvinceMedian income
Alberta$106,960
British Columbia$99,610
Ontario$99,550
Quebec$96,910
Saskatchewan$96,770
Manitoba$90,880
Prince Edward Island$90,220
Newfoundland and Labrador$89,530
Nova Scotia$87,540
New Brunswick$85,150

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