Poverty

We are a city that always aspires to be better and do better. Edmonton is a place where people must always feel welcome, no matter who they are. Caring means creating space for everyone to heal and succeed. When people feel safe, empowered and supported as individuals, they are better able to connect with and enrich the community. 

By tracking the number of Edmontonians living in poverty, we are better able to understand the issues and work to address them. Poverty is complex and cannot be addressed by one person or even one group; it takes deep commitment from the entire community and all levels of government.

This indicator represents Edmonton households that do not have enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter as measured by those in low income status.  In 2022, 15.5% of Edmonton families were in low income compared to 13.7% in 2021. The percentage of Edmontonians in poverty was below the national average of 17.0% in 2022.

This data is based on Census Family Low Income Measure After Tax (CFLIM-AT) from Statistics Canada. The CFLIM-AT is calculated as 50% of the national median household income. Poverty reflects all family units that are composed of couple families, lone-parent families and persons not in census families, with a median household income below the CFLIM-AT.