Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNewsCanadaHere's where Canadians are earning the most — and the region where wages are lowestResidents in the top-earning area made an average of $1,862.20 per week in May this yearLast updated 10 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.StatCan data revealed that job vacancies held steady in May 2026. Photo by Adobe StockCanadians are earning 3.4 per cent more than they were last year, and the region with the largest average earnings sees its residents make almost $700 a week more than those in the lowest-earning province.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThat’s according to new Statistics Canada data, which reveal how much Canadians earn on average per week, along with average earnings across each province and territory.The findings, which use data from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH), show that the average weekly earnings in Canada reached $1,337.77 in May this year, compared to $1,293.19 in the same month in 2025.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThis figure is little changed from April this year, when average weekly earnings were recorded at $1,343.52, which had marked a 3.7 per cent year-over-year increase.StatCan notes that “in general, growth in average weekly earnings can reflect a range of factors, including changes in wages, composition of employment, hours worked and base-year effects.”In May this year, average weekly hours worked stood at 33.4 hours and were little changed on a month-over-month and year-over-year basis, the data reveals.This latest report also broke down average weekly earnings in Canada for each province and territory.At the top of the list is Nunavut, where residents earned an average of $1,862.20 per week in May — compared to $1,747.62 in the same month in 2025.This is followed by Northwest Territories ($1,765.69), Yukon ($1,505.43), Alberta ($1,378.85), Ontario ($1,377.49), British Columbia ($1,354.67), Saskatchewan (1,298.13), Quebec ($1,293.11), Newfoundland and Labrador ($1,266.10), New Brunswick ($1,228.55), Manitoba ($1,218.31) and Nova Scotia ($1,217.66).At the bottom of the list is Prince Edward Island, where residents earned an average of $1,189.61 per week in May 2026. This was an increase on the $1,138.65 earned per week in May 2025, but nearly $700 less than Nunavut’s current average.And, despite the year-over-year increase in average wages, Canadians are continuing to feel their budgets squeezed. A recent TD survey found that more than 1 in 3 Canadians (35 per cent) planned to spend less this summer, with 62 per cent of those who are cutting back redirecting spending towards everyday needs, such as groceries, fuel and housing.Driven by lower gasoline prices at the pumps, the overall inflation rate eased to 2.8 per cent in June after a 3.2 per cent increase in May. And though the cost of food purchased from stores grew at a slower pace (+3.9 per cent) than in May (+4.3 per cent), categories that experienced double-digit price increases in June included tomatoes (+31.7 per cent), lettuce (+19.3 per cent), carrots (+16.6 per cent), fresh or frozen beef (+13.8 per cent) and bananas (+11.5 per cent).Elsewhere, recent StatCan data revealed that job vacancies held steady overall at 495,700 in May 2026, marking the fifth consecutive month of little variation in job vacancies in Canada. Year-over-year job vacancies were also little changed.In four sectors, job vacancies were up in May: construction (+18.4 per cent), professional, scientific and technical services (+13.8 per cent), finance and insurance (+10.7 per cent) and real estate and rental and leasing (25 per cent).Meanwhile, job vacancies were down in health care and social assistance (-11.6 per cent) and information and cultural industries (-39 per cent). The decrease in job vacancies in health care and social assistance was the first significant monthly decrease for this sector since December 2024, and the lowest since March 2020.Ontario was the only province to record a significant monthly variation in job vacancies in May, with an increase of 5.6 per cent.Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.