It compares the incomes of Alberta families at all income levels, examines the income gap between the richest and poorest of families, and discusses the escalating stress that Alberta families face as they attempt to maintain their standard of living in an increasingly competitive market place. Families are divided into 10 equal groups from lowest income to highest income. Each group is called a decile and includes 10 percent of the families in Alberta. Most of the income amounts cited in this report reflect the average income of families in each decile. All amounts are in constant 1997 dollars.
Income is defined in two ways.
It includes the total of a family's market income plus any income received from government transfer programs such as employment insurance, child tax benefits, social assistance, etc. Income taxes paid are deducted from the total family income. While there has been some recovery during the latter part of this decade, market incomes have still not returned to their 1981 levels. In 1997, market incomes for families in decile 1 were approximately 62 percent of their1981 high. Families in the third lowest decile in 1997 had market incomes that were approximately 85 percent of their 1981 levels, and families in the fifth lowest income decile had incomes that were approximately 92 percent of 1981 income levels.