Statistics Canada reports top one percent get 10 percent of nation’s income, while middle class stagnates

A Statistics Canada study on 2018 tax filings shines new light on income disparity.

The study showed that the top one percent of tax filers received 10 percent of the nation's total income in 2018.

The increase represents a 0.1 percent rise from 2017.

Real average total income for the top one percent grew 1.5 percent to under half a million dollars, or $496,200 in 2018.

Their income share was lower than the peak of 12.1 percent in 2006, according to Statistics Canada.

To be included among the top one percent in 2018, a tax filer needed a total income of $244,800 or more.

The bottom 50 percent of tax filers in 2018 saw some improvement.

According to Statistics Canada, the bottom half saw their average total income grow 1.7 percent from 2017 to $17,900 in 2018.

Tax filers in this category also witnessed their total income share increase to 18 percent in 2018, a 0.2 percent rise from 2017.

To be included in the bottom 50 percent, someone has to have a total income below $36,300 in 2018.

It’s a different story for people Statistics Canada describes as “upper-middle”, meaning filers in the 50^th to 90^th percentiles.

The real average total income of the middle class stayed flat at $59,400 from 2017 to 2018.

Also, the income share of the upper-middle of the nation’s total income decreased 0.2 percent to 47.8 percent in 2018.

To be included in this category, one needed to earn between $36,300 and $97,900 in 2018.

The Statistics Canada report released Wednesday (November 18) indicated that the number of top one percent tax filers in 2018 grew in all provinces and territories except Alberta.

The drop in Alberta in that was the fourth straight year the province saw its share of top one percent tax filers decrease since 2014, when oil prices fell.