Toronto’s median employment income was $37,550 in 2019, the lowest of the 15 largest Canadian and US metropolitan areas compared by the Fraser Institute, according to HR Reporter (2023). That source does not give a Vancouver figure, so it cannot establish a gap between the two cities. A valid comparison needs the same year, the same income measure, and the same geographic boundaries for both cities.
Toronto vs Vancouver: What Do Incomes Show?
The Toronto figure is a median, the midpoint of all earners, so it is less affected by a small number of very high salaries than an average would be. Compare medians with medians, not medians with averages.
Four checks determine whether two income figures can be compared:
- Reference year: The Toronto figure refers to 2019. A figure from another year reflects different economic conditions and needs adjustment before comparison.
- Income measure: Employment income covers earnings from work. The exact definition, for example whether self-employment income is included, varies by source. Total household income also includes investment, pension, and transfer income, so the two measures are not interchangeable.
- Geography: A metropolitan area includes surrounding municipalities. Figures for the city proper can differ substantially from metro-wide figures.
- Housing costs: Income only has meaning relative to what it buys. Set income figures alongside housing prices, rents, and taxes before judging which city leaves more disposable income.
To build the Vancouver side of the comparison, take a figure from an official Canadian census or labour data release that matches all four criteria above. Then check whether the figure is median or average, and whether it covers the same metropolitan boundary as the Toronto data.
Average or median salary: what’s the difference?
The two most common summary figures for earnings are the mean, often called the average, and the median. The mean adds all incomes and divides by the number of earners. The median is the middle value when all incomes are ranked from lowest to highest, so half of earners make more and half make less. When a small group of very high earners is present, the mean rises faster than the median, so the two figures can differ noticeably for the same city.
| Measure | How it is calculated | Effect of very high earners |
|---|---|---|
| Mean (average) | Total income ÷ number of earners | Pulled upward |
| Median | Middle value of all incomes, ranked | Little effect |
For Toronto, the figure available is a median employment income. According to HR Reporter, reporting the Fraser Institute (2023), Toronto’s median employment income was $37,550 in 2019. The Fraser Institute ranked this as the lowest of the 15 largest Canadian and US metropolitan areas it compared. The HR Reporter article does not give a Vancouver figure, so the two cities cannot be compared on this measure from that source.
When comparing any two cities, check three details before drawing conclusions:
- Measure: whether the figure is a mean or a median.
- Reference year: the year the income data covers.
- Income definition: whether it covers employment income only or another income base.
Only figures that match on all three can be compared directly.
Employment income: the 2019 median in Toronto
Toronto’s median employment income was $37,550 in 2019, according to a Fraser Institute analysis reported by HR Reporter (2023). The Fraser Institute found this to be the lowest figure among the 15 largest metropolitan areas in Canada and the United States that it compared. The same article gives no Vancouver figure, so this source alone cannot show how the two cities rank against each other.
Three terms determine whether two income figures can be compared:
- Median is the midpoint: half of workers earn more and half earn less. It is less affected by a small number of very high salaries than an average is. The Toronto figure above is a median and should not be set against an average.
- Average is the total income divided by the number of earners. A few high incomes raise it, so it often sits above the median in the same area.
- Employment income refers to income from work. Each study defines which earners and income types it includes, and that definition changes the result.
To compare Toronto and Vancouver:
- Confirm both figures come from the same reference year.
- Confirm both use the same measure, either median or average.
- Confirm both cover the same metropolitan boundaries.
- Adjust for housing and living costs before drawing conclusions about purchasing power.
## Why a Toronto–Vancouver pay ranking cannot be drawn from this source
The one verified income figure for Toronto is a median employment income of $37,550 in 2019. The Fraser Institute found this was the lowest of the 15 largest Canadian and US metropolitan areas it compared, according to HR Reporter’s coverage of the study (2023). That same coverage gives no Vancouver figure, so it cannot confirm which city pays more. Any ranking requires a Vancouver number built on the same definition and year.
How to compare the two cities on equal terms
- Match the income measure. Median employment income, median hourly wage and average salary produce different numbers. Use one measure for both cities.
- Match the reference year. A 2019 figure should not be set against a later one without accounting for inflation and changes in local employment.
- Check the population covered. Full-time and part-time workers, self-employed people and all earners may be counted differently. Confirm which group each figure includes.
- Adjust for housing costs. A higher gross income can leave less disposable income if rents or purchase prices are proportionally higher. Compare income against local rent or price data for each city, not against the other city’s figures.
Does housing cost erase the salary gap?
Pay figures alone do not show how much a household keeps after rent or a mortgage. The one published pay benchmark for this pair is from the Fraser Institute, reported by HR Reporter (2023). It ranked Toronto’s median employment income at $37,550 in 2019, the lowest of the 15 largest Canadian and US metropolitan areas it compared. The reporting gives no Vancouver figure, so the two cities cannot be compared on pay from this source, and no net gap can be calculated from it.
A method for testing the offset
Run the same four steps for both cities, using identical definitions each time:
| Step | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Income | Median employment income for each city | Sets the baseline |
| 2. Housing cost | Rent or purchase price for one fixed dwelling type, such as a two-bedroom apartment | Often a major recurring cost |
| 3. Ratio | Annual housing cost divided by annual income | Shows the share of pay absorbed by housing |
| 4. Residual | Income minus housing and other fixed costs | Shows what remains to spend or save |
A lower income can still leave more disposable money if housing takes a smaller share of it. The ratio in step 3 is the figure to compare across cities, not the raw salary difference. Mixing city-wide averages with a single neighbourhood price, or median pay with average pay, will distort the result.
Sectors and jobs that drive salary differences
The clearest published benchmark for Toronto is a median employment income of $37,550 in 2019. According to HR Reporter, reporting on a Fraser Institute analysis (2023), that figure was the lowest among the 15 largest Canadian and US metropolitan areas the institute compared. The same article gives no Vancouver figure, so this number cannot be set against Vancouver using that source alone.
A median is not an average. Median employment income is the midpoint: half of workers earn more and half earn less. Averages are pulled upward by high earners, so a city with a large finance or technology sector can show an average well above its median. Before comparing Toronto and Vancouver, check which statistic each source reports.
Occupational mix can influence pay differences between metros, but the sources consulted do not quantify its effect. Cities with heavy concentrations of finance, professional services, software, or healthcare employment tend to have different wage distributions than cities weighted toward retail, hospitality, or construction. The sources consulted here do not break down Toronto or Vancouver income by sector, so any sector-level claim needs its own citation.
A practical comparison method:
- Choose one statistic type (median or average) and one reference year for both cities.
- Use census or labour-force income tables broken down by occupation or industry.
- Compare like with like: the same occupation group in each metro, not total city averages.
- Note whether figures are before or after tax and whether they include part-time work.
How to Compare Two Cities Before Moving
Comparing two cities works best when each metric is measured the same way in both places. A single headline number rarely settles the question, so the definition, geography, and year behind it matter as much as the value. Income data shows this clearly: the only verified figure for Toronto is from 2019, and the same source gives no Vancouver figure for comparison.
Check the definition before the number
Income statistics often use different measures. Median employment income covers earnings from work only. It is not the same as median household income or average salary. Confirm which measure a source uses, and whether it covers the geography of the whole metropolitan area or only the city proper, before placing two figures side by side.
For example, according to HR Reporter, reporting on the Fraser Institute (2023), Toronto’s median employment income was $37,550 in 2019. That was the lowest of the 15 largest Canadian and US metropolitan areas the institute compared. The ranking is a useful starting point, but it describes one year and one measure. It says nothing about housing costs, taxes, or what a worker keeps after rent.
Match the time period
Compare figures from the same year. Placing a 2019 income value beside a current housing price produces a misleading gap. Where the official sources consulted do not specify a matching period for a metric, treat that comparison as unverified.
A practical checklist
- Confirm the measure: median or average, individual or household, employment income or total income.
- Confirm the geography: city proper, census metropolitan area, or region.
- Confirm the year for every metric, not only the headline one.
- Note the publisher and publication date of each source.
- Hold off on ranking two cities on a metric where only one has a verified figure.
