Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainBright has 0.4 jobs for every resident in work, so most commute out
Before tax, the typical household in Bright brought in $76,300 in 2020, and the middle of Canadian towns sits at $85,900. At the 2021 census, 72% of Bright’s 15-to-64s were in work, next to 73% for the middle of Canadian towns. Commutes from Bright average 29.2 minutes, and 4% take an hour or more.
Work in Bright, in a few figures
Work near the middle
At the 2021 census 72% of the 15-to-64s were in work (73% in the middle of Canadian towns); across all ages 15 and over, 52%. In work ↓
Longer trips than most towns
The average trip to work is 29.2 minutes (26 in the middle of Canadian towns), and 4% last an hour or longer. The trip to work ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, its commuting tables, Employment Insurance and the Labour Force Survey.
Bright grades C− for jobs and income
Better than 20% of Canadian towns on three measures together, #55 of 60 in New Brunswick.
Its strongest measure is household income; its weakest, trip times.
Graded against Canadian towns of 2,500 people or more; less unemployment and a shorter commute count in its favour.
How the grade works
Census 2021 measures, weighed equally against every Canadian town and neighbourhood of 2,500 people or more: the share of residents aged 15 to 64 in work, median household income (2020), the unemployment rate and the average commute. Each becomes a percentile; their average sets the letter.
Time on the road to work from Bright
Statistics Canada’s own average, timed exactly rather than by band, is 26.1 minutes. In the middle of New Brunswick’s towns, the average commute is 20.8 minutes. Only 19% get to work within a quarter-hour, against 44% in the middle of New Brunswick’s towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: commuting duration in five bands; our average uses each band’s middle (75 minutes for an hour or more), so it runs about two minutes above Statistics Canada’s own.
Bright is quieter on a working day than at night
Outbound commuters outnumber inbound ones about 4 to 1. Of those who commute, 19% stay within the municipality; the middle of Canadian towns is 70%.
People with no fixed workplace are in neither count.
81% of Bright’s residents in work leave it to work; Fredericton takes the most
- Fredericton600
- Douglas70
- Starlight Village30
- Oromocto20
- Kingsclear20
- Kingsclear 610
- Nackawic10
- Woodstock10
- Wakefield10
In the other direction the biggest source is Fredericton, with 70.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (98-10-0459): commuting flows between municipalities (census subdivisions), rounded to 5; linked names have their own pages.
Work and the working-age population of Bright
None of the 7 other places of 2,500 people or more in the York census division has a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.
Working or looking, 59% of everyone 15 and over was in the labour force. Take in all adults, retirees with them, and only 52% were working. A more recent figure, for the wider area: 62% in work in October 2026, by the Labour Force Survey. Census day was 11 May 2021, in the pandemic’s third wave: unemployment ran high and many worked from home, so these figures describe that spring rather than today.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: people in work of any age over residents aged 15 to 64, and the census unemployment rate (15 and over); the 25-to-54 rate is Statistics Canada’s own (98-10-0485). The Labour Force Survey and business counts are context, not grade inputs.
Household income in Bright
Before tax, 2020: lower than in 52% of Canadian towns.
Of the 7 other places of 2,500 or more in the York census division, 6 have a higher median. Incomes are for 2020, the first pandemic year, so CERB and other emergency payments are part of them.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
3.6% of commuters from Bright go without a car
The car is the way to work for 95% of commuters. Only 13% worked at home on census day, against 21% in the middle of Canadian towns. Hardly anyone takes transit to work, where the middle of Canadian towns has 3.5%.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: main mode of commuting; average durations by mode from table 98-10-0458 (whole municipalities only).
EI claims in the York census division run 24% above their 2019 level
The highest month was February 2021: 6,620 people, 2.5 times the 2019 level. Per 100 residents aged 15 to 64, about 4.7 receive EI. Set against the same month a year before, the count in August 2026 rose by 6%.
Statistics Canada, Employment Insurance beneficiaries by census division (14-10-0323): all income benefits, not seasonally adjusted. EI counts are context, not part of any grade.
People receiving Employment Insurance each month, as a share of the 2019 average (100). Behind EI beneficiaries sits data gathered across the York census division, with Bright one part of it.
Bright on foot: a C− grade
Better than 18% of Canadian towns on two measures together, #38 of 60 in New Brunswick.
OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); active commuting from the 2021 Census.
Bright next to Canadian towns of 2,600 to 4,900: 598th of 750 on jobs and income
| # | Place | People | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Mount Royal Alberta | 2,758 | 83% | 12% | $188K | A+ |
| 2 | Central River Heights Manitoba | 2,736 | 84% | 5.4% | $137K | A+ |
| 3 | Crescentwood Manitoba | 3,060 | 87% | 5% | $123K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 6 | New Maryland New Brunswick | 4,455 | 81% | 6.5% | $118K | A+ |
| … | ||||||
| 67 | New Maryland New Brunswick | 3,198 | 79% | 4.9% | $105K | A |
| … | ||||||
| 91 | Grand Manan New Brunswick | 2,648 | 78% | 12% | $77K | A |
| … | ||||||
| 596 | Sicamous British Columbia | 2,854 | 70% | 11% | $65K | C− |
| 597 | Labelle Quebec | 2,861 | 76% | 8.5% | $62K | C− |
| 598 | Bright New Brunswick | 3,648 | 72% | 11% | $76K | C− |
| 599 | Lauderdale Alberta | 2,954 | 57% | 16% | $78K | C− |
| 600 | Balfour Ontario | 4,171 | 66% | 12% | $80K | C− |
| … | ||||||
| 750 | Division No. 8, Subdivision L Newfoundland and Labrador | 2,724 | 43% | 30% | $51K | D− |
Ordered by Jobs & income Grade: the top three, the places either side of Bright, and others among New Brunswick’s towns.
Jobs and income in the places around Bright
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bright | 72% | 11% | $76K | 29.2 min | C− | C− |
| Queensbury 10.4 km | 64% | 10% | $74K | 33.5 min | D | D− |
| Douglas 12.9 km | 76% | 8.8% | $87K | 25.2 min | B | D |
| Kingsclear 14.9 km | 75% | 6.5% | $106K | 25.4 min | B+ | D |
The people of each place: the share in work, unemployment, household income and the average commute, with both grades once they come.
What this data can and can’t tell you
What each figure measures for Bright, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- Unemployment. Unemployed people over the labour force (in work or looking), aged 15 and over, on census day.
- Household income. The 2020 income of the household at the midpoint, all sources and before tax. Inside a city we rebuild it from the dissemination areas’ income bands, so there it is an estimate.
- Trip times. The census asks how long the trip to work usually takes, in bands; our average uses each band’s middle, so it runs a little above Statistics Canada’s timed average.
- Where people commute. Who travels where, from the census: workers with a regular workplace, sorted by the municipality they live in and the one they work in.
- Employment Insurance. People receiving EI benefits each month, counted for the census division. It follows the local job market; it isn’t an unemployment rate.
- The Labour Force Survey. A monthly household survey by Statistics Canada, reported for metro areas and economic regions only. It supplies a recent rate next to the 2021 census figure.
- In work. Working residents per resident of working age (15 to 64), from the 2021 Census.
- Which towns we compare. Any town of 2,500 or more counts, and so does any city neighbourhood that size; the city as a whole and First Nations reserves don’t. The middle is the median.
Questions about work in Bright
Where do people in Bright work?
19% work in Bright itself. Of those who leave, the most go to Fredericton (600), then Douglas (70).
How many jobs are there in Bright?
Statistics Canada counted 87 businesses with employees in June 2026.
What is the unemployment rate in Bright?
On census day in May 2021, unemployment stood at 11% of the labour force (9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns). For a recent figure, the Labour Force Survey put the Fredericton metro area at 6.5% in October 2026.
What is the average household income in Bright?
The median household in Bright had $76,300 before tax in 2020, against $85,900 in the middle of Canadian towns.
How do people in Bright get to work?
By car: 95% of commuters, 3.6% walk; on census day 13% of those in work worked from home.
How long is the commute from Bright?
29.2 minutes is the average trip, with 19% of commuters there in under 15 minutes and 4% taking an hour or more.
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population (Census Profile) · Statistics Canada, tables 98-10-0458 and 98-10-0459 (commuting) · Statistics Canada, table 14-10-0323 (EI beneficiaries) · Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey (14-10-0459, 14-10-0462) · Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Counts (33-10-1176) · grades: TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).