Core Target 2: Personal Income

Core Target Two tracks the level of personal disposable income (PDI) per person.

Real personal disposable income per capita was stagnant or in decline through much of the 1990s in BC and Canada. Strong growth started in 1998 in Canada and the following year in BC.

Personal income in BC was $1,100 above Canada's in 1990. It declined to $410 above in 1995 then to $308 below in 1998 and continued to deteriorate to $544 below in 2000. The income gap in BC improved to $266 below Canada’s in 2005 and real PDI per capita was essentially equal to ($33 below) Canada's in 2008.

North American Comparison

BC ranked 54th of 61 jurisdictions in North America in 2008. Four of the five highest-ranked jurisdictions in 2008 are located in the north-eastern United States (Wyoming is the exception). Except for Alberta, which placed 32nd, the bottom positions are all occupied by provinces.

BC's real personal disposable income per capita was roughly $5,700 above lowest-ranked Prince Edward Island, $1,400 below the lowest-ranked state, Utah, and $32,000 below first-place District of Columbia.