Regional Indicator 3: Economic Dependency Ratio

	Why It's Important This indicator provides insight into the sources of a jurisdiction’s income. Regions with relatively high pension income, or social assistance and employment insurance income have different prospects and needs.

Regional Indicator Three provides the ratio of transfer payments to total employment income reported on taxfilers' returns. Private pension income and all government transfers except Child Tax Benefits and GST credit payments are included. The lower the ratio, the better the rank.

Victoria, Vancouver and Regional BC displayed the highest ratios in 2007 with close to 30 dollars received in transfer payments per 100 dollars of employment income. The Kelowna CMA remained in the 16-18 dollar range and had the lowest economic dependency ratio (EDR) in every year reviewed.

Unlike the CMAs, Regional BC had a higher EDR in 2007 than in 1999.

The Northeast development region had, by far, the lowest dependency ratio in 2007 with nine dollars of transfers per 100 dollar of employment income while the Vancouver Island/Coast region had the highest at 34 dollars. The Lower-Mainland/Southwest and Nechako development regions had the next lowest ratios at 17 dollars.