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Low Income

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Income is a very important predictor of health, and family income plays a strong role in child development.^[1] Children from low income families are more likely to perform poorly in school and have poorer health outcomes.^[2],[3] The risk of these negative outcomes increases when children live in low income for longer periods of time.

Children living in low income

About the Measure

Children in low income are those living in families earning less than the Low Income Measure After-Tax (LIM-AT). The LIM-AT is a relative measure defined as 50% of the median household income, after tax, adjusted for the number of people living in the household.^[4] As the size of the household increases, the financial need becomes greater.^[5] Children, for this measure, are defined as those aged birth to 17 years.

Key Findings

In general, the percentage of children living below the LIM-AT has remained stable across Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph. In 2016, a slightly higher percentage of children in Guelph (14.5%) lived below the LIM-AT compared to Dufferin (11.9%) and Wellington (9.7%). However, as a whole, children in Wellington, Dufferin, and Guelph were less likely to be living in low income compared to the Ontario average (19.5%).

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Source: Taxfiler 2012-15. F-18: Summary Table. Taxfiler (T1FF) - After-tax low income. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 13C0016. Taxfiler 2016. I- 13: Summary Table. Taxfiler (T1FF) – After-tax low income status of tax filers and dependents. Community Data Program (distributor). Last updated October 1, 2018. www.communitydata.ca. (accessed October 1, 2018).

Limitations

The LIM-AT provides information on the proportion of people who are below this threshold of poverty. However, the LIM-AT does not take into account other factors that affect an individual's life. For example, this does not indicate the extent of their poverty (i.e., how far they are below the LIM-AT and the length of time living below it). These limitations should be considered when reviewing the data.

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References

[1] Mikkonen, J., & Raphael, D. (2010). Social determinants of health: The Canadian facts. Toronto: York University School of Health Policy and Management.

[2] Hair, N. L., Hanson, J. L., Wolfe, B. L., & Pollak, S. D. (2015). Association of child poverty, brain development, and academic achievement. JAMA pediatrics, 169(9), 822-829.

[3] Phipps, S. (2003). The impact of poverty on health. Proceedings of the CPHI National Roundtable on Poverty and Health. Available at: https://secure.cihi.ca/free_products/CPHIImpactonPoverty_e.pdf

[4] Statistics Canada. (2016). Low-income measure after tax (LIM-AT). Available at: https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/ref/dict/fam021-eng.cfm