--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/north-versus-south-income-disparities-in-new-brunswick-2000-2019/" title: "North Versus South: Income Disparities in New Brunswick, 2000-2019" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T10:22:34+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T10:22:34+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "census family income" - "employment income" - "geographic inequality" - "income disparities" - "New Brunswick" - "north-south" - "poverty" - "regional inequality" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "NB" research_theme: - "Economic Well-Being" - "Regional Economic Development" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # North Versus South: Income Disparities in New Brunswick, 2000-2019 Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/north-versus-south-income-disparities-in-new-brunswick-2000-2019/ # North Versus South: Income Disparities in New Brunswick, 2000-2019 [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2021-07-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Bonsall, Nettie. 2021. “North Versus South: Income Disparities in New Brunswick, 2000-2019.” CSLS Research Report 2021-07. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/north-versus-south-income-disparities-in-new-brunswick-2000-2019/ ## Author: - Nettie Bonsall Atlantic Institute for Policy Research, University of New Brunswick ## Report 2021-07 October 2021 115 pages ## Related research [China’s Productivity Performance and Its Impact on Poverty in the Transition Period Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) September 2003 | Report 2003-07 | 81 pages](https://csls.ca/research/chinas-productivity-performance-and-its-impact-on-poverty-in-the-transition-period/) [The Canada-Atlantic Canada Manufacturing Productivity Gap: A Detailed Analysis Andrew Sharpe December 2003 | Report 2003-08 | 127 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-canada-atlantic-canada-manufacturing-productivity-gap-a-detailed-analysis/) [Economy Security in Nova Scotia Lars Osberg, Andrew Sharpe July 2008 | Report 2008-05 | 66 pages](https://csls.ca/research/economy-security-in-nova-scotia/) [The Economic Crisis through the Lens of Economic Wellbeing Jean-François Arsenault, Andrew Sharpe August 2009 | Report 2009-06 | 47 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-economic-crisis-through-the-lens-of-economic-wellbeing/) [Measuring Economic Security in Insecure Times: New Perspectives, New Events, and the Index of Economic Well-being Lars Osberg December 2009 | Report 2009-12 | 47 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-economic-security-in-insecure-times-new-perspectives-new-events-and-the-index-of-economic-well-being/) [Economic Security in an Index of Economic Well-being: The CSLS Approach to Economic Security Helen Boss Heslop December 2009 | Report 2009-13 | 30 pages](https://csls.ca/research/economic-security-in-an-index-of-economic-well-being-the-csls-approach-to-economic-security/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Jean-François Arsenault June 2009 | Report 2009-04 | 127 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing/) [Measuring Economic Insecurity in Rich and Poor Nations Lars Osberg, Andrew Sharpe May 2012 | Report 2012-03 | 33 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-economic-insecurity-in-rich-and-poor-nations/) [Canada 2030: An Agenda for Sustainable Development Shannon Kindornay, Andrew Sharpe, Purbita Sengupta, Elham Sirag, Evan Capeluck February 2015 | Report 2015-02 | 178 pages](https://csls.ca/research/canada-2030-an-agenda-for-sustainable-development/) [Closing the Aboriginal Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits Matthew Calver June 2015 | Report 2015-03 | 175 pages](https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-aboriginal-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn This report provides a detailed analysis of income trends and levels in New Brunswick by the province’s three census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and four census agglomerations (CAs) compared to trends and levels in areas outside the CMAs and CAs between 2000 and 2019. The three CMAs are in the southern half of New Brunswick, while the four CAs are in the northern half of the province. The average total and after-tax incomes of census family units are analyzed between 2008 and 2019, while the median total and after-tax incomes of census family units are examined between 2000 and 2019 (the respective longest periods over which the income measures were available for all CMAs and CAs). These income measures reveal significant income disparities between the northern CAs and the southern CMAs. According to all income measures discussed in the report, the Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John CMAs had considerably higher average and median incomes than did the CAs and the areas outside the CMAs and CAs. However, taxes helped lessen these sub-provincial income disparities. Moreover, the gaps between income levels in the three CMAs and in the province as a whole narrowed slightly over the measurement periods. In particular, areas outside the CMAs and CAs outperformed the CMAs and CAs in terms of average and median total and after-tax income growth between 2008 and 2019. Ce rapport fournit une analyse détaillée des tendances et des niveaux de revenu au Nouveau-Brunswick selon les trois régions métropolitaines de recensement (RMR) et les quatre agglomérations de recensement (AR) de la province, comparativement aux tendances et aux niveaux observés dans les régions situées à l’extérieur des RMR et des AR, entre 2000 et 2019. Les trois RMR se trouvent dans la moitié sud du Nouveau-Brunswick, tandis que les quatre AR se trouvent dans la moitié nord de la province. Le revenu total moyen et le revenu après impôt moyen des familles de recensement sont analysés entre 2008 et 2019, tandis que le revenu total médian et le revenu après impôt médian des familles de recensement sont examinés entre 2000 et 2019 (les périodes les plus longues respectives pour lesquelles les mesures de revenu étaient disponibles pour l’ensemble des RMR et des AR). Ces mesures de revenu révèlent d’importantes disparités de revenu entre les AR du Nord et les RMR du Sud. Selon toutes les mesures de revenu examinées dans le rapport, les RMR de Fredericton, de Moncton et de Saint John affichaient des revenus moyens et médians considérablement plus élevés que ceux des AR et des régions situées à l’extérieur des RMR et des AR. Cependant, les impôts ont contribué à atténuer ces disparités de revenu infraprovinciales. De plus, les écarts entre les niveaux de revenu des trois RMR et ceux de l’ensemble de la province se sont légèrement resserrés au cours des périodes de mesure. En particulier, les régions situées à l’extérieur des RMR et des AR ont affiché une meilleure performance que les RMR et les AR sur le plan de la croissance du revenu total moyen et médian, ainsi que du revenu après impôt, entre 2008 et 2019. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2021-07-1.pdf)