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Changing Patterns in Canadian Homeownership and Shelter Costs, 2006 Census: Immigrants
Immigrants more likely than Canadian-born to spend 30% or more of their income on shelter
Immigrants were more likely than the Canadian-born to spend 30% or more of their income on shelter in 2006.
About 28.5% of immigrants lived in households that spent 30% or more of their income on shelter in 2006, up from 25.4% in 2001. This compares with 18.6% of the Canadian-born population, which changed very little from 2001. For immigrants, the median household income is lower and shelter costs higher than that of the Canadian-born population. In 2006, over half of immigrants lived in Toronto or Vancouver, where shelter costs are well above the national median.
For immigrants living in a dwelling owned by a household member, the proportion of households where 30% or more of income went to shelter increased from 20.5% in 2001 to 25.0% in 2006. For immigrants who rented, this proportion increased from 36.8% in 2001 to 38.0% in 2006.
The proportion of immigrants spending 30% or more of their income on shelter was higher for the most recent immigrants and declined with the amount of time spent in Canada. Only those immigrants who had spent more than 40 years in Canada had comparable proportions to the Canadian-born population.
For immigrants who arrived within five years of the census, 41.4% spent 30% or more of their income on shelter. For those who arrived six to 10 years before the census, the percentage was 36.4%.
About 38.0% of immigrants who rented their dwelling spent 30% or more of their income on shelter in 2006; this was the case for close to one-quarter (25.0%) of immigrants who owned their accommodation.
