Per Capita Income, 1996

View this map

---

Abstract

The map shows the two most important characteristics of markets: their size (measured by population) and the level of income - hence the ability to buy various kinds of services. The market is the amount of money available to purchase goods and services. The corporations that provide services (wholesale, retail, finance, business services, leisure services, personal services) to Canadian consumers visualize the country as a set of markets of varying sizes (the cities), and with different characteristics, especially the level of income - which directly affects the ability to consume.

---

This map includes two fundamental kinds of information: the size of the market, measured as population, and indicated by the size of the symbol for the city; and the level of income per capita, shown by the colour of the symbol. The most important characteristic of urban centres (shown by the circles) is the extraordinary concentrations of human activity that they represent. The symbols emphasize the great range in city size from 10 000 people to more than four million.

[D]
Click for more information, 49 KB
Photograph shows Bay Street in Toronto, Ontario. Bay Street is the centre of Toronto’s financial district.

Outside the cities, rural populations are small and widely dispersed, with less than 25% of the population living in rural areas. Most of the goods and services consumed in these rural areas are usually provided by nearby cities. Rural populations are represented in the map by small squares. In addition to the contrast between urban and rural areas, the map also emphasizes the differences in the concentration of urban places across the country. Most urban places are found within 500 kilometres of the United States boundary, southern Ontario and southern Quebec.

Geographical Description

Income, measured here as income per capita, directly affects the amount of consumption. More prosperous individuals or cities buy more goods and services, and support more stores and more commercial employment. The map of income per capita indicates that income levels vary both with city size and by region across the country. The largest cities have higher incomes on average, with differences of $1 500 per person between the smallest and largest urban size categories. Most rural areas are found in the two lowest categories of income per capita.

The concentration of cities, especially big cities, in southern Ontario and southern Quebec dominates the map. Income levels are highest in big cities and much lower in smaller cities and rural areas. Incomes are also higher in isolated places to the north. City size aside, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia have the highest levels of income; with the Atlantic region and eastern Quebec much lower. The highest income level (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories at $27 250 per person) is more than twice the lowest (Sydney, Nova Scotia at $12 975). The variation in income per capita with city size is particularly evident in western Canada where the cities are more widely dispersed. Income levels decline with distance from Toronto to the north, but in other regions city size is the major factor. Rural and urban variations in income per capita are evident, as well as the differences in income level within the urban areas near the larger consolidated metropolitan regions such as Toronto and Montreal.

To properly interpret this map, please consult the text Data and Mapping Notes.