Have you ever thought about the economic composition of Prince George and where your neighbourhood fits in?
The Canadian Census has a number of different mapping tools that help visualize census data.
One of those mapping tools is the Median Income Explorer, which allows a user to explore a city based on the median income of each area.
The median, if you need a refresher, is the value separating the higher-half from the lower-half of a data sample. For a data set, it may be thought of as the middle value.
The map separates neighbourhoods by colour, showing neighbourhoods with a median income above $125,000 as dark blue with very dark blue representing median incomes above $150,000.
Neighbourhoods with median incomes below $30,000 are white and those around $40,000 are yellow or green.
We wanted to see what Prince George looked like on this map, so we took samples of different areas of town and listed them along with their median total income, before and after tax.
The areas of the city with some of the highest median incomes are located in College Heights and North Nechako, while the parts of the city with the lowest are downtown, the VLA and the area around MacIntyre Crescent.
These lower-income areas were also pointed out in A Profile of Poverty in the City of Prince George 2019, which was completed by the City last year.
“Some census dissemination areas within Prince George appears to be disproportionately impacted by multiple factors addressed in this profile including low income, unsuitable housing, housing needing repairs, high housing costs to income ratio, lone-parenting status, low educational attainment, and high unemployment,” reads the profile.
However, the map itself, which is freely available online, does not just show the median total income but also dives deep into the statistics further breaking down the median by household composition.
It shows the median for one-person households, families with and without children, lone-parent families and more.
The information is also based on the 2016 Census, which uses 2015 data, and is the most recent census available.
The next Canadian census is scheduled to take place in 2021.
Downtown Prince George
The before tax total median household income for this area in Downtown Prince George is $18,752. (via Census Mapper) - Median total income of households: $18,752
- Median after-tax income of households: $18,752
- Households: 107
- Median employment income in 2015 for full-year, full-time workers: N/A
VLA (area near 20 Avenue and Victoria Street)
The before tax total median household income for this area near the VLA is $40,320. (via Census Mapper)- Median total income of households: $40,320
- Median after-tax income of households: $37,504
- Households: 121
- Median employment income in 2015 for full-year, full-time workers: $35,404
College Heights (area near Highway 16 West, Cowart Road, Eton Avenue)
The before tax total median household income for this area in College Heights is $125,952. (via Census Mapper)- Median total income of households: $125,952
- Median after-tax income of households: $106,240
- Households: 168
- Median employment income in 2015 for full-year, full-time workers: $77,635
North Nechako (area around North Nechako Road and Toombs Drive)
The before tax total median household income for this area near North Nechako Road is $152,832. (via Census Mapper)- Median total income of households: $152,832
- Median after-tax income of households: $124,672
- Households: 187
- Median employment income in 2015 for full-year, full-time workers: $84,122
Hart Highlands (between Foothills Boulevard and Highland Drive)
The before tax total median household income for this area in the Hart Highlands is $129,792. (via Census Mapper)- Median total income of households: $129,792
- Median after-tax income of households: $107,392
- Households: 199
- Median employment income in 2015 for full-year full-time workers: $85,135
South Ospika Boulevard (between 15 Avenue and Massey Drive)
The before tax total median household income for this area near Ospika Boulevard is $51,328 . (via Census Mapper)- Median total income of households: $51,328
- Median after-tax income of households: $46,208
- Households: 135
- Median employment income in 2015 for full-year, full-time workers: N/A
Crescents (near Winnipeg Street and McBride Crescent)
The before tax total median household income for this area in the Crescents is : $40,128- Median total income of households: $40,128
- Median after-tax income of households: $35,968
- Households: 289
- Median employment income in 2015 for full-year, full-time workers: $57,705
Miller Addition (near Dogwood Street and Taylor Drive)
The before tax total median household income for this area in the Miller Addition is $62,336. (via Census Mapper) - Median total income of households: $62,336
- Median after-tax income of households: $53,888
- Households: 239
- Median employment income in 2015 for full-year, full-time workers: $63,751
MacIntyre Crescent
The before tax total median household income for this area near MacIntyre Crescent is $32,032. (via Census Mapper)- Median total income of households: $32,032
- Median after-tax income of households: $30,144
- Households: 141
- Median employment income in 2015 for full-year, full-time workers: $42,873
Foothills Boulevard (near Fifth Avenue and Tabor)
The before tax total median household income for this area near Foothills Boulevard is $90,880. (via Census Mapper) - Median total income of households: $90,880
- Median after-tax income of households: $77,696
- Households: 321
- Median employment income in 2015 for full-year, full-time workers: $59,519
