Incomes in Osoyoos are lower than province-wide and national figures, according to 2016 census data released last week.
But poverty – though it exists in Osoyoos – is not as widespread as in other parts of the province and country.
The data released Sept. 13 show that median household income in Osoyoos is significantly less than medians for the entire province and for Canada.
While this may reflect the local economy, a more significant factor is likely the older demographic of this retirement community.
In Osoyoos, just 45.3 per cent of income comes from employment, while the provincial percentage is 70.8 per cent.
The median household income in Osoyoos in 2015 was $52,352, according to Statistics Canada.
This contrasts with medians of $69,995 for B.C. and $70,336 for all of Canada.
Statistics Canada uses medians instead of averages to compare household incomes. The median is the point where half the incomes in the population are above the median and half are below.
The census also provides information on poverty, although the definition of poverty is controversial and there is no official government definition.
One measure commonly used is the low-income cut-off (LICO), which measures relative poverty compared to the rest of the population.
The LICO is an income threshold below which a family will devote a larger share of its income – 20 per cent more than the average family – on necessities such as food, shelter and clothing, Statistics Canada says.
The new figures show that 5.8 per cent of Osoyoos residents lived in low-income households, based on LICO after taxes (LICO-AT).
Poverty was higher in Osoyoos for those 64 and under than it was for seniors.
LICO-AT was 8.2-8.3 per cent in age groups 64 and under, while only two per cent of seniors 65 and over are considered low income based on this measure.
Provincially, 11 per cent of people live in low-income households based on LICO-AT.
At the other end of the scale, the data show that 400 Osoyoos households had an annual income in 2015 of $100,000 or more, compared with 2,075 households below that amount.
Less than half of income in Osoyoos among those aged 15 and over comes from employment, at just 45.3 per cent.
The rest comes from government transfers (23.7 per cent) and non-employment market income such as investment income, private retirement pensions, RRSPs and business income (31 per cent).
Canada-wide, median incomes increased by 10.8 per cent over 2005 levels when the median was $63,457.
The biggest increase was in resource provinces and regions such as Nunavut and Saskatchewan, while the slowest growth was in Ontario and Quebec, where the manufacturing sector has been hard hit.
B.C. was just above the national growth rate with a 12.2 per cent increase in median incomes since 2005.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
