Vital Signs community data, Prince Edward County - Data , Economy

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Industry Composition

Updated July 7, 2025

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
SDG 8: Ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth to drive progress, create decent jobs for all and improve living standard.

Employment

Business Growth

Business Size

Agriculture Sector

Employment

Employment by Sector

The chart below shows total employment, including both employees and self-employed individuals, and average wages in each sector.

Employment concentration highlights which industries are strong or dominant in a region. A baseline of 1.0 means employment in that industry is equal to the national average. In PEC, the dominant industries are agriculture (3.65), accommodation and food services (1.8), arts, entertainment and recreation (1.79), and public administration (1.55).

Sectors employing the most people in 2024 are health and social assistance (1,529 jobs), accommodation and food services (1,500), and public administration (1,333).

Employers are currently facing workforce shortages, skill gaps, rising input costs, and increased debt loads (Canadian Chamber of Commerce). Additionally, the shortage of affordable housing is making it more difficult to attract and retain workers.

Source: Lightcast

NAICS is a North American Industry Classification System used in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data.

Business Growth

Business Growth & Decline

Despite the challenges of pandemic restrictions (2020-21) and ongoing labour shortages, job growth in PEC has been strong, outpacing many comparable economic regions.

Employment is growing in accommodation and food services, driven by the strong tourism economy. Construction is also seeing growth, supported by numerous new housing developments in the area.

Source: Lightcast

Business Size

Like most regions in Canada, the majority of businesses in PEC are small. Of those businesses with employees, 60.5% have fewer than five employees (micro businesses) and 99.6% have fewer than 100 employees (small businesses). There are only 4 establishments with 100 or more employees.

Source: Lightcast

Agriculture Sector

The COVID-19 pandemic added to farming challenges in the form of labour shortages, disruptions in the food supply chain, and rising input prices. Trends identified in previous census cycles, such as industry consolidation and aging of farm operators, have continued in 2021. Farmland continues to be lost to non-agricultural land uses like urban development and aggregate extraction.

Source: Statistics Canada Agriculture Census

Economy: Income

Sun, 23 Oct 2022 02:19:24 -0400

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Economy: Income

Updated December 5, 2025

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
SDG 8: Ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth to drive progress, create decent jobs for all and improve living standards.

Income Indicators

Income Disparities

Declining Affordability

Income Supports

Income Indicators

PEC's household income historically lags behind the province.
Low income (LIM-AT) is defined as less than 50% median after-tax household income.
Income inequality (Gini index) measures how evenly income is shared in a region. The higher the Gini index, the more unequal the income distribution is. PEC's inequality score is higher than Ontario.

Notes:

Ontario comparison is for the most recent census year.

*2023 and 2024 are estimates during intercensal years. Not all data is available.

Also see Poverty Reduction

Sources: Prince Edward County 2016 Census Profile,Prince Edward County 2021 Census Profile, Ontario Government, Ontario Living Wage Network

Statistics Canada has warned that these 2020 census data are complicated due to employment income dropping and being compensated for by government employment supports, stating “benefits from COVID-19 income support programs offset losses in employment income”.

Income Disparities

The median after-tax household income in Ontario is $84,092, compared to $75,573 in PEC. (Environics Analytics)

18.5% of PEC workers are employed in food services, accommodation and retail sales – sectors with the lowest average weekly earnings. See industry composition.

The Ontario Living Wage Network estimates that an annual after-tax income of $80,597 is needed for a family of four to maintain a basic quality of life in Eastern Ontario. Of the 868 certified living wage employers in Ontario, 5 are in Prince Edward County.

The living wage for Ontario East is $22.20 (Nov 18/25). Ontario’s minimum wage (Oct. 1/25) at $17.60 per hour is only 79% of the living wage.

Household after-tax income in 2023

Disparities between wages and the living wage contribute to low-income households and impact job recruitment and retention for low-wage positions. (OECD, 2022)

Inequalities

The pandemic deepened societal inequalities, widening the gap between those who are doing well and those who are not. Low-income workers are being driven further into poverty and insecurity. Many low-wage jobs were lost while high-wage jobs surged.

“Inequality makes for unhealthier societies. Life expectancy, literacy, infant mortality, imprisonment, murder rates, obesity, teen birthrates, mental illness (including addiction), social mobility, trust — all get worse across the entire income spectrum when the gap between rich and poor widens.”
Richard Wilkinson, Public Health Researcher

The pandemic's unequal impact disproportionately affected marginalized groups, exacerbating health and economic challenges. With emergency supports phasing out and rising inflation, these populations face heightened precarity, compounded by long-term effects like long COVID, increased disabilities, mental health issues, and developmental delays in children and youth. (Govt of Canada, 2022 Report of the National Advisory Council on Poverty)

Wage Inequities

Women are more likely than men to be working for minimum wage. A gender pay gap persists across all jobs in the country, with women earning 29 per cent less than men annually. (Canadian Women The Gender Pay Gap )
The proportion of immigrant employees who earn minimum wage is greater than Canadian-born employees. (Canada, Towards a Poverty Reduction Strategy – Discussion Paper)

Growing Gap Between High and Low Incomes

Income inequality in Canada has risen to the highest level since 1999, when Statistics Canada first started collecting the data. (Statistics Canada: Distributions of household economic accounts) Subsidies such as childcare and dental care are intended to help middle class and lower-income Canadians. Prince Edward County has higher income inequality than both Ontario and Canada.

The Gini index (at right) measures income inequality, showing how evenly income is distributed in a population. Higher numbers indicate higher inequality, a greater gap between the incomes of the richest and poorest people.

High income inequality can lead to problems like slower economic growth, less income mobility, more household debt, political divisions, and higher poverty rates.

Gini index on adjusted household after-tax income

Statistics Canada. 2021 Census of Population, Focus on Geography

Declining Affordability

Declining Affordability in 2025

50% of Ontario residents surveyed report that they are $200 away or less from not being able to meet all their monthly financial obligations. This is an increase of 7 points (YoY) since 2024. The average amount left after monthly expenses fell to from $884 to $725.
44% report having six months of emergency savings, leaving many households highly exposed to disruption.
Ontarians are also the most likely of the provinces (23%) to say they are delaying or skipping medical, dental, or prescription care, highlighting how financial strain is affecting households’ well-being.
Three in 10 (31%, +7 pts YoY) Ontarians say they have reduced their utility consumption, while a quarter (26%, -2 pts YoY) report eating less to save money.
More than two in five Ontarians worry that AI could negatively affect their job or income (45%).(MNP Consumer Debt Index )

Income Supports

Dependence on Income Supports

In 2020, Prince Edward County’s reliance on government income supports rose from 16.7% to 19.9%, with 3.9% coming from COVID-19 relief benefits. In Ontario, reliance increased from 11.1% to 17.1%, including 5.5% from COVID-19 supports.

Additionally, over one-third of PEC’s population is aged 65 and older, making them eligible for Old Age Security (OAS) benefits.

As of March 31, 2023, 1200 PEC households rely on income from the ODSP Ontario Disability Support Program (Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services) and 234 households rely on Ontario Works (PELA Social Services). Income from these programs is well below the poverty line.

Dependency on Social Assistance income as of March 31, 2023:

	Adults	Children	Total
Ontario Works	253	160	413 people
			234 households
ODSP			1200 households
			1434 people

Economy: Poverty Reduction

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 03:06:26 -0400

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Poverty Reduction

Updated July 25, 2025

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
SDG 1: Reduce poverty in all its forms.

Low-income Status

Effects of Poverty

Risk Factors for Poverty

Rural Experience

Community Actions

Low-income Status

Low-Income Status

In Prince Edward County, 2,470 individuals (10.1%) were classified as low-income according to the 2021 Census. The low-income measure (after tax) is defined as having an income below 50% of the median adjusted after-tax income. In 2021, this threshold was approximately $36,000 for a household.

Those at highest risk of poverty include people living alone, individuals with lower education levels, and those with activity limitations.
31% of low income individuals are in the labour force.
PEC has the highest percentage of low income seniors among Ontario census divisions (33%). (Rural Ontario Institute Seniors Fact Sheet)

Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0106-01 Household low-income status by household type: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions

Effects of Poverty

People who are living in poverty are more likely to face health-related setbacks; to have difficulty accessing transportation, finding and keeping a job; to find themselves in the criminal justice system; and to need various social supports and assistance. Also, children who grow up in poverty are more likely to remain in poverty as they age. (Canada Without Poverty)

As the Government of Canada continues to phase out emergency supports, populations made most marginal will face renewed precarity amid rising inflation, the high cost of living and long-term impacts of the pandemic—such as long COVID and increased rates of disability, mental health problems, and delays in the education and development of children and youth.
National Advisory Council on Poverty 2022

Income is perhaps the most important social determinant of health. Level of income shapes overall living conditions, affects psychological functioning and influences health-related behaviours such as quality of diet, extent of physical activity, smoking and excessive alcohol use. (Social Determinants of Health)

Common indicators to measure less poverty in communities include: income/poverty rate, ability to gain employment, access to quality education, access to affordable housing, access to affordable childcare, and access to affordable transportation.

Empowerment and capacity-building initiatives in Prince Edward County are vital to help vulnerable people achieve their full economic potential.

Quotes from people with lived experience

Risk Factors for Poverty

Some people are more susceptible to poverty. See the Poverty Risk Profile for PEC.

Living Alone

27% of PEC's population lives alone. Single adults are more likely to live in poverty. Working-age singles constitute the largest proportion of beneficiaries on social assistance, and they are three times as likely to live in poverty as the average Canadian. (Institute for Research on Public Policy)

Low Educational Attainment

9.2% of adults in PEC do not have a high school diploma or post-secondary education (2021 census). Less educated workers are among those at most risk.

People Living with Disabilities
People living with disabilities face barriers that increase their risk of living in poverty. The individual monthly $2,000 CERB payments were significantly higher than the $1,169 that people receive from the Ontario Disability Support Program and the $733 that people receive from Ontario Works — underscoring the difficulty of living on existing social assistance programs. (Health Providers Against Poverty)

Precarious and Low-paying Employment

PEC's economy heavily depends on seasonal tourism and agriculture, leading to a prevalence of part-year, part-time employment. Additionally, PEC has a high proportion of self-employment. Workers with precarious employment are less likely to access work-related benefits such as an employer sponsored private pension plan, disability insurance or a family dental plan. (Govt of Canada, Towards a Poverty Reduction Strategy)

19.6% of PEC workers are employed in food services, accommodation and retail sales (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Lightcast 2023) – sectors with the lowest average weekly earnings and greatest employment impact from COVID-19. (Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey January 2022)

Gender Inequities

Women in Canada are at an increased risk of living in poverty in old age. The prevalence of women who are 75 years old and over and living with low-income status was 21% compared to 13.9% of men in the same age group. (Govt of Ontario, The Gender Pension Gap).

Single Parent Households

10.6% of PEC families have a single parent (7.9% female parent, 2.8% male parent). (Prince Edward County 2021 Census Profile) In Canada, 21% of single mothers raise their children while living in poverty (7% of single fathers raise their children in poverty), where women who work full-time earn about 72 cents for every dollar earned by men. (Homeless Hub)

Marginalized Populations
Historically marginalized groups such as Indigenous, racialized people, recent immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, single-parent families, seniors, youth, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities are more likely to live in poverty. (Canada Without Poverty)

Recent Immigrants

Recent immigrants may face language barriers, discrimination, difficulty having their educational and professional credentials recognized, a lack of Canadian work experience, and difficulty building social networks when they arrive in Canada. These barriers can lead to high levels of unemployment and poverty. (Govt of Canada, Towards a Poverty Reduction Strategy)

Rural Experience

The Rural Experience

Poverty in Rural vs. Urban Areas of Hastings and Prince Edward Counties (HPE)

Significant differences in poverty exist between rural and urban communities in HPE. Urban areas benefit from easier access to community services, healthcare, and public transportation, whereas rural communities often lack these resources and develop alternative support systems.

Rural Community Supports

In rural areas, people cope by sharing resources like rides, clothing, firewood, and food preparation. Neighbours often support each other informally, with limited access to food banks and meal programs. People may rely on gardening, hunting, and preserving food for winter months due to the scarcity of nearby food resources.

Transportation Challenges

Accessing services is difficult for rural residents, especially with the high cost of vehicle ownership. Limited public transportation is typically restricted to seniors or those with disabilities, primarily for medical or essential appointments.

Employment Instability

Rural employment often relies on seasonal industries like forestry, agriculture, and tourism, which creates cycles of income insecurity. Many rural residents work multiple jobs to sustain themselves year-round.

Displacement and Aging Populations

Rising housing and utility costs make it difficult for some to stay in their communities, with youth often leaving for better employment opportunities elsewhere. This creates rural areas with aging populations lacking support from younger generations, leading to concerns about the ability of seniors to age comfortably in their communities.

Extracted from Poverty Roundtable Hastings Prince Edward "Differences Between Rural and Urban Communities in Hastings–Prince Edward"

Community Actions

Actions

Recommendations from Understanding Systems: National Advisory Council on Poverty, Transforming our Systems 2022

Develop robust systems and structures focused on early intervention and poverty prevention.
Employment income and income support.
Building equity through programs, supports and benefits.
Dignity through enhanced access and improved service design and provision.
Indigenous prosperity through truth, reconciliation and renewed relationships.
(National Advisory Council on Poverty, Transforming our Systems 2022)

PEC Poverty Roundtable

The PEC Poverty Roundtable, launched in November 2023, is a group of dedicated individuals collaborating to support those struggling to meet basic needs such as housing, food, and dignity in Prince Edward County. Representing local care groups and agencies, the Roundtable seeks to raise awareness about the challenges faced by vulnerable members of the community.

Income Tax & Benefits Screening

Prince Edward Learning Centre (PELC) and Prince Edward Community Care for Seniors host FREE CRA Income Tax and benefit screening programs for low-income County residents. The tax clinics are part of the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, funded by the Canada Revenue Agency. All volunteers are vetted by the CRA and complete Vulnerable Sector Checks with the OPP. PELC refers seniors age 60+ to PE Community Care for Seniors to ensure that they are aware of all benefits available to them, and Community Care refers those under age 60 to PELC.

When these benefits help to build a financial bridge, more people can pay rent, buy food and other goods. Investment in income tax clinics and benefits screening programs has a multiplier effect when residents are productive and spend money in this community.

Municipal Financial Relief Grant

Starting with a pilot program in 2022, the Municipal Financial Relief Grant provides property tax or water/wastewater credits to low-income residents. eligible applications received in 2023. Learn more about this grant.

Systems Navigation

Prince Edward Learning Centre (PELC) provides volunteers with additional training in resource navigation, which allows them to identify programs and benefits that clients may be eligible for, such as assistance with energy costs. It’s also an opportunity to offer life stabilization supports, depending on individual needs, or help with bills that are past due.

Tax filing & benefits screening
Completing and understanding forms
Life stabilization supports
Financial literacy
Housing
Assistance with past due/account bills
Accessing health and dental programs
Application assistance (OSAP, EI etc)

Youth Support Navigation Service through ROC Youth Services assists PEC youth to identify, access and navigate community services relevant to their needs and goals.

Skills Upgrading

Prince Edward Learning Centre is dedicated to helping adult learners acquire the skills needed to achieve their personal learning and employment goals.

Support is provided to:

Upgrade Literacy & Essential Skills
Finish High School
Prepare to write the GED
Prepare for Work or a Career
Prepare for College
Prepare for Apprenticeship & Training
Develop Skills for Personal Independence.

Employment

Career Edge provides a variety of FREE Employment Ontario services for youth and adults. They strive to eliminate barriers to employment by connecting employers to job seekers through a paid internship model.

Through the Career Edge Youthab program, free mental health supports are provided for youth aged 16 – 24, as well as housing services.

Prince Edward Learning Centre (PELC) provides the Inspire 20 week paid training program for youth ages 15-30.

Legal Advocacy

Community Advocacy and Legal Centre is a non-profit legal clinic that offers FREE legal help to people living on a low income in Prince Edward and surrounding communities.

Service areas include: Abuse & family violence, Consumer & debt, Criminal law, Employment & work, Environment, French language rights, Family, Health & disability, Housing, Human rights, Immigration & refugee, Income assistance, Indigenous rights, Schools & education, Seniors’ issues, Sexual harassment at work, Victims of crime, Wills & Powers of Attorney.

Economy: Employment & Workforce

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 03:06:26 -0400

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See Community Support Resources - Employment Services, Adult Education & Careers

Employment & Workforce

Updated July 3, 2025

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG 8: Ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth to drive progress, create decent jobs for all and improve living standards.

Employment

Workforce

Workforce Shortages

Resources

Employment

Employment & Workforce

Sources: Statistics Canada, Lightcast, Environics Analytics
Notes: Ontario comparison is for the most recent census year.

*2023 and 2024 are estimates during intercensal years. Not all data is available.

PEC's economy relies heavily on the seasonal tourism and agriculture sectors.
The 2021 labour force census data was affected by pandemic restrictions. Mass migrations of remote workers from large urban centres to rural areas boosted the local construction industry, and increased employment numbers in professional industries (see industry sectors)
PEC has a large proportion of people not participating in the labour force (PEC 48.9% / ON 37.2%). The dependency ratio also indicates a large percentage of people of non-working age (youth & seniors), compared with the number of those of working age.
The pandemic contributed to an increase in self-employment, reaching 2,592 individuals. This growth has further increased PEC's already higher-than-average proportion of self-employed workers (PEC 25.5% / ON 14.6%). High self-employment rates can signal a lack of stable job opportunities.
Remote work and working from home increased significantly, rising from 11% in 2011 to 27.6% in 2021.

Workforce

Workforce, Wages, Employment Concentration

Source: Lightcast

Jobs include employees and self-employed.
NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System.
Employment concentration shows which industries are strong or dominant in an region. The baseline is 1.0, where employment in that industry is equal to the national average. The industries with the highest employment concentration include: agriculture, arts/entertainment/recreation, accommodation and food services, and public administration.
Wages: PEC's averages wages of $54,206 are historically lower than Ontario at $60,506 (2021).

Workforce Shortages

In the midst of labour shortages and historically low unemployment, Canada faces record retirements from an aging labour force. More than 1 in 5 persons (21.8%) are close to retirement and from 2016 to 2021, the number of children younger than 15 grew six times slower than the number of persons aged 65 and older. (The Daily, Stats Canada 2022-04-27)

Prince Edward County’s workforce shortages are further impacted by a declining percentage of working age population and lack of affordable housing. The key population for workforce development, individuals age 25 to 54, decreased by 1.5% (2016 to 2021).

Adding to the labour shortages is the high out-migration rate of working age populations. In the 25-44 age range, PEC saw an out-migration of 8.1% between 2011 and 2016, among the highest rates in Ontario census divisions. (Statistics Canada: Annual Tax Filer Migration Estimates by Census Division)

The Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce survey at May 15, 2023 reported 32% of 1041 employers do not have sufficient housing for staff.

The pandemic has exacerbated the issue especially in the hospitality industry which has seen a mass exodus as workers upskilled or switched to other jobs.

The shortage of healthcare workers is causing increased pressure and burnout among those currently employed.

County Docs is actively recruiting physicians.
Local bursaries support PEC residents looking to advance their healthcare education.
A shuttle provides transportation for Personal Support Worker and Nursing student placements between Loyalist College, the hospital, and McFarland Home.

Around 700,000 of the four million Canadians working in the trades are expected to retire by the end of the decade. (Employment and Social Development Canada)

In PEC, 820 people (6.7%) hold an apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma, down from 2,315 (12.2%) in 2011. This decline mirrors a broader provincial trend, with Ontario's rate at 5.1%.
In September 2024, Thrive PEC commenced a Workforce Development Pilot centred on skilled trades in PEC, supported by an Ontario Rural Economic Development grant.
Base 31 and Loyalist College have partnered to launch two fully funded training programs that offer hands-on training, industry-recognized certifications, and career-advancing opportunities—delivered at Base 31 in Prince Edward County.

Find jobs in demand in PEC’s economic region (select Ontario Eastern Region)

The Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with local technology workforce scheduling app “Shift Yourself” launched a “Work Local” campaign in September 2021. The technology provides a shared scheduling system between employers and employees, to support labour shortages affecting businesses. During the busy season and the weeks leading up to it, businesses struggle to meet growing demand, specifically in the service industry due to severe staffing shortages. Many positions are seasonal and/or part-time in nature with schedules changing regularly to meet shifting demand.

Learn more about Work Local.

Resources

Employment Resources

Barriers to employment encompass various challenges such as inadequate housing, clothing, or food, limited proficiency in English, a criminal history, lack of education, lack of applicable work experience, lack of credentials, lack of reliable transportation, and/or difficulties associated with childcare arrangements.

Find jobs in demand in PEC’s economic region (select Ontario Eastern Region)

Economy: Collaborative Impact

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 03:00:37 -0400

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