Québec, April 25, 2024. – According to preliminary data for 2022, per capita disposable income in current dollars grew 7.4% in Québec as a whole. In real terms, meaning when price variations are excluded, disposable income was up by 1.8%. This increase is twice as high as that in 2021 (+0.9%), but significantly lower than that observed in 2020, when personal income was boosted by the various COVID-19 support measures. These are some of the findings of an analysis on disposable income published today by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
In Canada, per capita disposable income in real terms was down 1.9% in 2022 after stagnating in 2021. This was the seventh consecutive year that the growth rate, in real terms, was higher in Québec than in Canada. Despite this increase, per capita disposable income remains lower in Québec ($36,826) than in Canada ($38,889).
Strong growth in Laval and Montréal
Growth in per capita disposable income in current dollars was significantly higher in 2022 than in 2021 in all of Québec’s 17 administrative regions.
The largest increases were in the regions of Laval (+8.2%) and Montréal (+8.0%) and were due to strong growth in employee compensation, the main component of disposable income. Note that this was the fourth year in a row that Montréal posted an increase in current dollars greater than or equal to the provincial average.
In contrast, Nord-du-Québec posted the slightest increase among all administrative regions for the second consecutive year. This was due to a sharper decline in transfers from governments and a smaller increase in employee compensation than in other regions.
As was the case in 2021, Montérégie had the highest disposable income of all administrative regions in 2022. It was followed by the regions of Montréal, Capitale-Nationale, and Laurentides. On the other hand, the Mauricie region once again posted the lowest disposable income.
An overview of regional county municipalities (RCMs)
In 2022, per capita disposable income in current dollars grew in all of Québec’s 104 RCMs, but at varying degrees. The strongest growth was recorded in Les Jardins-de-Napierville (+11.6%) in Montérégie, where it was driven in particular by a large increase in primary income.
The Caniapiscau RCM, whose largest municipality is Fermont, once again had the highest per capita disposable income ($47,165) in the province. It was followed by the Les Pays-d’en-Haut RCM in the Laurentides region, where disposable income was $46,005.
To learn more about the situation in RCMs, go to the page on per capita disposable income, which contains interactive maps showing this indicator at this geographic level.
What is per capita disposable income?
Per capita disposable income is the average amount available to individuals for final consumption of goods and services and for voluntary savings. To calculate per capita disposable income, we start by adding up the income of all individuals living in a given area, such as employee compensation, net income of unincorporated businesses, net property income, and social benefits. Then, we subtract transfers paid by these individuals to institutional sectors, including personal income tax, contributions to social insurance plans, and contributions paid by employees to defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans. Lastly, we divide the amount obtained by the number of people of all ages living in the area.
For 25 years, the Institut de la statistique du Québec has been producing, analyzing, and disseminating official, objective and high-quality statistical information on various aspects of Québec society. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and an essential source of information for all those wishing to learn more about Québec.