Newmarket and York Region households have gained more income over the past few years, but not at a rate pacing inflation or with the rest of the GTA.
The town’s median income rose to $110,000, a 6.8 per cent increase over five years ago, according to Statistics Canada 2021 income-related information released June 13. The data release also spotlighted the impact of government support in the pandemic and a rise in single-person housing.
York Region is one of the wealthiest areas in the GTA at a $112,000 average income, with King, Vaughan, and Whitchurch-Stouffville in the top 20 municipalities in that. That is higher than every region in the GTA, and tied with Halton.
“A fair amount of wealth within the region, in many respects," York Region manager of policy, research and forecasting Paul Bottomley said, but adding that “we can’t forget that certainly there are low-income households in the region as well.”
The census release, one of several planned for the year, spotlighted trends in income and household makeup across the country.
Although household income in Newmarket and the region was up, it was still below the price of the consumer-price index, at 9.4 per cent over the past five years. The region's income also grew at a rate less than all of its neighbours in the GTA at 7.2 per cent, below Toronto (18.3 per cent), Durham (10.3 per cent) and Peel (15.1 per cent).
Statistics Canada says the census highlighted fewer Canadians receiving employment income in 2020, down 0.5 per cent from a year previous (66.1 per cent overall). Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of Canadian adults received income from a pandemic relief program.
“For many, benefits from COVID-19 income support programs offset losses in employment income,” Statistics Canada said in a release.
Household dynamics in the region and beyond are also changing. More young adults are living with their families, with 61.6 of young adults between 20 and 34 still doing so.
York University environmental and urban change professor Valerie Preston said the housing market and cultural factors are probably driving that, and it is a trend she expects will continue.
“It really shows that our idea that children become young adults and move away from home is outdated,” she said. “We used to think that (kids staying at home) was only in very expensive housing markets, but it appears that’s a trend that is increasing across Canada.”
One-person households are also on the rise. Newmarket saw an eight per cent increase in one-person households, now at 5,525 total. In York Region, one-person households have gone up 22,000 over the past 10 years, now at 64,040 total, or 16 per cent of all households.
That’s less than the provincial average for private households — about 26 per cent according to Statistics Canada. Preston said York Region has historically been couples-dominated, but it is interesting to see that evolving, even if at a lower rate than other places.
“There’s more social isolation going on,” she said. “That will matter.”
Many of York Region's departments factor in census data, Bottomley said. Besides having a working group to report on the localized data, he said departments will factor it in and use the data for baselines.
Although the data highlighted average income, Preston said it would be important for decision-makers like York Region to see how many more in the low-income brackets are coming into their municipalities. In Newmarket, approximately eight per cent of its households (2,405 in all) had an income of $30,000 or less.
“It’s the group that needs help with housing, with the generally increasing costs of living,” she said.
