--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-1/a-regional-perspective-on-the-canada-us-standard-of-living-comparison/" title: "A Regional Perspective on the Canada-US Standard of Living Comparison" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-10T09:12:26+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-15T09:19:45+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Fall 2000" ipm_keyword: - "Canada" - "GDP per capita" - "labour productivity" - "provinces" - "purchasing power parity" - "regional comparison" - "standard of living" - "states" - "United States" ipm_research_theme: - "Well-being and living standards" ipm_country_focus: - "Canada" - "United States" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # A Regional Perspective on the Canada-US Standard of Living Comparison Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-1/a-regional-perspective-on-the-canada-us-standard-of-living-comparison/ # A Regional Perspective on the Canada-US Standard of Living Comparison [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-1-3-Letourneau-Lajoie.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Létourneau, Raynald, and Martine Lajoie. 2000. “A Regional Perspective on the Canada-US Standard of Living Comparison.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 1 (Fall 2000): 9–16. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/issue-1/a-regional-perspective-on-the-canada-us-standard-of-living-comparison/ ## Authors: - Raynald Létourneau Micro-Economic Policy Analysis Branch, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada - Martine Lajoie Micro-Economic Policy Analysis Branch, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada ## IPM Issue 1 Fall 2000 pp. 9–16 ## Related IPM articles [Labour Productivity as a Measure of Technological Change Ulrich Kohli Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 64–81](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/labour-productivity-as-a-measure-of-technological-change/) [The Relationship between Efficiencies Defenses for Mergers and TFP Growth Robin Shaban Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 82–102](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/the-relationship-between-efficiencies-defenses-for-mergers-and-tfp-growth/) [Appendix: Variable Definitions and Country/Sector Coverage for Regulatory Reform Analysis Gilbert Cette, Jimmy Lopez, Giuseppe Nicoletti, Océane Vernerey Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 1–18](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/appendix-variable-definitions-and-country-sector-coverage-for-regulatory-reform-analysis/) [The Potential Impact of Pro-competitive Regulatory Reforms on Productivity and Growth in Canada Gilbert Cette, Jimmy Lopez, Giuseppe Nicoletti, Océane Vernerey Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 3–40](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/the-potential-impact-of-pro-competitive-regulatory-reforms-on-productivity-and-growth-in-canada/) [IPM Issue 49 Editors’ Overview Andrew Sharpe, Bart van Ark, Paul Schreyer Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 1–2](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/) [De-industrialization and the Great Productivity Slowdown: What Comes Next? 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Bart van Ark, Klaas de Vries, Abdul Erumban Spring 2024 | IPM Issue 46 | pp. 38–59](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-46/are-intangibles-running-out-of-steam/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn This article compares standards of living and labour productivity for all Canadian provinces and US states over 1995–97, finding that the US standard of living (real GDP per capita) is on average 22 per cent higher than Canada’s and that all US regions exceed the Canadian average. Productivity is identified as the primary driver of living standard differences, with a Spearman rank correlation of 0.92 between productivity and living standards across all 60 jurisdictions. Alberta ranks 18th overall (best Canadian province), followed by Ontario (37th), while most Canadian provinces cluster near the bottom of the combined ranking. Cet article compare le niveau de vie et la productivité du travail dans toutes les provinces canadiennes et tous les États américains sur la période 1995-1997, et constate que le niveau de vie aux États-Unis (PIB réel par habitant) est en moyenne supérieur de 22 % à celui du Canada et que toutes les régions américaines dépassent la moyenne canadienne. La productivité est identifiée comme le principal facteur explicatif des différences de niveau de vie, avec une corrélation de rang de Spearman de 0,92 entre la productivité et le niveau de vie dans les 60 juridictions étudiées. L’Alberta se classe au 18e rang (meilleure province canadienne), suivie de l’Ontario (37e), tandis que la plupart des provinces canadiennes se regroupent près du bas du classement combiné. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-1-3-Letourneau-Lajoie.pdf)