Canada vs United States: Average hourly earnings of employees
Canada
33.04 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2025
United States
43.49 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2025
Canada rank
3rd
United States rank
1st
Average hourly earnings of employees over time
- Canada
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 43.49 international-$ in 2021 prices against 33.04 international-$ in 2021 prices in Canada, a difference of 10.45 international-$ in 2021 prices.
That makes United States's figure about 1.3 times Canada's.
Across all 29 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 3rd and United States ranks 1st of 64 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.94 international-$ in 2021 prices | 16.29 international-$ in 2021 prices | 3.34 international-$ in 2021 prices | United States |
| 2000s | 15.96 international-$ in 2021 prices | 20.73 international-$ in 2021 prices | 4.77 international-$ in 2021 prices | United States |
| 2010s | 21.3 international-$ in 2021 prices | 25.59 international-$ in 2021 prices | 4.29 international-$ in 2021 prices | United States |
| 2020s | 28.99 international-$ in 2021 prices | 36.97 international-$ in 2021 prices | 7.99 international-$ in 2021 prices | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average hourly earnings of employees, Canada or United States?
- United States, at 43.49 international-$ in 2021 prices against 33.04 international-$ in 2021 prices in Canada as of 2025.
- What is the difference in average hourly earnings of employees between Canada and United States?
- 10.45 international-$ in 2021 prices, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2025.
- How do Canada and United States rank globally for average hourly earnings of employees?
- Canada ranks 3rd and United States ranks 1st of 64 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average hourly earnings of employees. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Gross remuneration for time worked or work done, vacation, and other types of paid leave.