Median Income

Median is the middle value of a set of numbers. The median income is the income cut-off that divides the income distribution into two halves, i.e. half will earn more than the median income and half will earn less than the median income. When interpreting changes in median income over time, keep in mind that a number of factors can impact household median income including, but not limited to, the economy, employment, population aging, changing household structure, investment income returns, and changes in government transfers.

All income data from the 2021 Census is based on the 2020 calendar year, as this was the last full year prior to the Census.

Key Messages

• In Simcoe Muskoka, the median after-tax household income in 2020 was $81,000. This is larger than Ontario at $79,500. Adjusting for inflation, the median after-tax household income grew 13.8% in Simcoe County, 13.2% in Ontario, and 12.7% in the District of Muskoka between 2015 and 2020.
• Median after-tax household income was highest for couple economic families with children and lowest for lone-parent economic families.
• Women+ had lower median employment income than men+ in 2015 and 2020 both locally and provincially.

Median After-Tax Household Income by Family Type

• Median after-tax household income was highest for couple economic families with children and lowest for lone-parent economic families in Simcoe County, the District of Muskoka, and Ontario. Couple economic families with children represented 66,275 families in Simcoe County and 6,595 families in the District of Muskoka, while lone-parent economic families represented 22,265 families in Simcoe County and 2,470 families in the District of Muskoka in 2020.
• The average family size for couple economic families with children in Simcoe Muskoka was 4.0, 2.7 for lone-parent economic families, and 2.0 for couple economic families without children or other relatives.
• When calculating the median after-tax household income, Statistics Canada includes income sources of all household members, which may be a factor in why couple economic families with children had the highest median income.

Median After-Tax Household Income by Census Subdivision

• In Simcoe County, Springwater had the highest median after-tax household income with $103,000while Midland had the lowest median after-tax household income with $62,800.
• Median after-tax household income for municipalities in the District of Muskoka ranged from $77,500 in Lake of Bays to $66,000 in Gravenhurst.
• The highest growth in income from 2015 to 2020 out of all Census subdivisions in Simcoe Muskoka was Collingwood, which grew 18.6% from $61,136 in 2015 to $72,500 in 2020 (inflation-adjusted to 2020 dollars). 

Median Employment Income by Gender

• The percentage of persons aged 15 years or older with employment income was lower for women+ than men+. For example, 74.1% of men+ in Simcoe County and 70.0% of men+ in the District of Muskoka had employment income, whereas 66.2% of women+ in Simcoe County and 61.9% of women+ in the District of Muskoka had employment income.
• Compared to 2015, in 2020, the median employment income for those aged 15 years and older in Simcoe County, the District of Muskoka, and Ontario has increased for both men+ and women+. The largest increases occurred in the District of Muskoka, where the median employment income for men+ increased by 12.1% and 5.7% for women+. The remaining geographical areas saw an increase of less than 4.0%. 

Income Sources

Income can come from a variety of sources including employment (i.e., wages, salaries or commissions from paid or self-employment), government transfers (e.g. government-funded pensions, disability benefits, social assistance, tax credits, child benefits), and other market sources (e.g. investment income, private retirement pensions, RRSPs).

• In Simcoe Muskoka, 86.9% of the population aged 15 years and older received income from employment and other market sources, 69.6% received income from employment, and 87.9% received income from government transfers.
• The median amount received from government transfers was $9,800 in Simcoe County and $11,200 in the District of Muskoka while median employment income was $36,800 in Simcoe County and $32,000 in the District of Muskoka in 2020.

Technical Notes

In 2021, the Census included a question on gender for the first time, rather than solely sex. The sex variable in census years prior to 2021 and the two-category gender variable in the 2021 Census are included together in this analysis. Although sex and gender refer to two different concepts, the introduction of gender is not expected to have a significant impact on data analysis and historical comparability, given the small size of the transgender and non-binary populations (Statistics Canada, 2022).

Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is sometimes necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided. In these cases, people in the category “non-binary persons” are distributed in the other two gender categories and are denoted by the “+” symbol as women+ or men+ (Statistics Canada, 2022).

Census subdivision (CSD) generally refers to municipalities (e.g. Clearview Township) as well as areas considered equivalent to municipalities for reporting census data, such as First Nations communities (e.g. Chippewas of Rama First Nation).

Local First Nation communities are included in the overall population totals for Census divisions (Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka). In regard to reporting of data at the Census subdivision-level, SMDHU is in the process of initiating conversations with local First Nation communities to determine which communities, and to what detail, data will be displayed on our HealthSTATS pages. As these conversations are had and decisions are made, updates may occur to this page.

Analysis note: Statistics Canada uses the “All-items” Consumer Price Index to calculate inflation (CANSIM Table 326-0021). All 2015 reported incomes were converted into 2020 dollars.  

Further Reading

For more information on the geographies in Canada, see:

• What are the Census Geographies in Canada?

Page Last Modified: May 25, 2023