Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainHousehold incomes in Elgin are lower than in 94% of Canadian towns
Of Elgin’s residents aged 15 to 64, 61% were employed when the 2021 census was taken, against 73% in the middle of Canadian towns. For 15% of commuters in Elgin, the trip to work lasts an hour or more; the average is 37.4 minutes. The 2021 census put unemployment in Elgin at 14%, next to 9.9% for the middle of Canadian towns.
The work figures that set Elgin apart
Fewer people in work than most towns
At the 2021 census 61% of the 15-to-64s were in work (73% in the middle of Canadian towns); across all ages 15 and over, 42%. In work ↓
More unemployment than most towns
Unemployment was 14% at the 2021 census, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns. The Labour Force Survey for the wider area read 7.2% in October 2026. Unemployment ↓
Lower incomes than most towns
Half of households had more than $56,500 before tax in 2020, where the middle of Canadian towns is $85,900. Household income ↓
Longer trips than most towns
Commutes take 37.4 minutes on average, against 26 in the middle of Canadian towns; 15% take an hour or more. 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.
Jobs & income in Elgin: graded D−
Behind almost every Canadian town on three measures together.
Its strongest measure is the share of 15-to-64s in work; 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.
The share of 15-to-64s in work in Elgin: 61%
A smaller share in work than in 92% of Canadian towns.
Many residents are past working age, so among everyone 15 and over the share in work drops to 42%. Add those looking for a job to those with one, and 48% of residents 15 and over were in the labour force. The census was taken on 11 May 2021, mid-pandemic, when lockdowns had pushed unemployment up and sent many to work from home.
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.
Before tax, the median household in Elgin had $56,500
That puts Elgin 23% below the median of New Brunswick’s towns, $73,200. Pandemic benefits paid in 2020 lifted the incomes at the bottom, and they are counted here.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: median total income of households in 2020, before tax (a neighbourhood’s estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups).
How long the commute from Elgin takes
Statistics Canada’s own average, timed exactly rather than by band, is 33 minutes. The middle of New Brunswick’s towns averages 20.8 minutes.
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.
Walking, cycling or transit: 0% of Elgin’s commuters
Transit barely figures here, against 3.5% in the middle of Canadian towns. Nearly everyone drives: 97% of commuters go by car, truck or van. Only 20% worked at home on census day, against 21% in the middle of Canadian towns.
Statistics Canada, 2021 Census: main mode of commuting; average durations by mode from table 98-10-0458 (whole municipalities only).
In the Albert census division, 28% more people receive EI than in 2019
In February 2021 it reached 2,390, the most in the series and 2.5 times the 2019 average. That is about 5.8 people on EI for every 100 aged 15 to 64 in the division. Over the year to August 2026, the count rose by 5%.
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 Albert census division, with Elgin one part of it.
Walkability in Elgin: graded D−
Better than 2% of Canadian towns on two measures together.
OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); active commuting from the 2021 Census.
Work in and around Elgin
Distances here run 14–29 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Elgin.
| Place | In work, 15–64 | Unemployment | Household income | Average trip | Jobs | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin | 61% | 14% | $57K | 37.4 min | D− | D− |
| Petitcodiac 13.7 km | 74% | 11% | $68K | 27.2 min | C− | B+ |
| Cardwell 20.6 km | 71% | 7.3% | $63K | 29.3 min | D | C− |
| Salisbury 20.6 km | 71% | 8.5% | $71K | 25.5 min | C− | D |
| Salisbury 22.6 km | 79% | 11% | $72K | 24.3 min | B− | B+ |
| Coverdale 28.8 km | 74% | 7.6% | $88K | 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 Elgin, where it comes from, and what it leaves out.
- The Labour Force Survey. Sampled each month and released for regions rather than towns, so its rate describes the area around the town.
- In work. Everyone with a job, whatever their age, divided by the residents aged 15 to 64 at the 2021 Census: below the municipality the census doesn’t split work by age, and this is the one rate every town and neighbourhood can be given.
- Unemployment. Unemployed people over the labour force (in work or looking), aged 15 and over, on census day.
- Household income. The census median total income of households in 2020, before tax; a neighbourhood’s is estimated from its dissemination areas’ income groups.
- Trip times. How long getting to work normally takes, averaged from the census’s time bands at their middles; expect it to read slightly high against the timed figure.
- Employment Insurance. Statistics Canada counts EI beneficiaries each month by census division. Seasonal work makes it swing, so read it as a trend, not a jobless rate.
- Which towns we compare. Comparisons are with the median of Canadian towns and city neighbourhoods counting 2,500 people or more, reserves and entire cities excluded.
Questions about work in Elgin
What is the unemployment rate in Elgin?
The 2021 census found 14% unemployed, against 9.9% in the middle of Canadian towns; the Labour Force Survey’s latest, for the Moncton metro area, is 7.2% (October 2026).
What is the average household income in Elgin?
At $56,500 before tax in 2020, the median household in Elgin compares with $85,900 in the middle of Canadian towns.
How do people in Elgin get to work?
By car: 97% of commuters; on census day 20% of those in work worked from home.
How long is the commute from Elgin?
37.4 minutes is the average trip, with 15% of commuters there in under 15 minutes and 15% 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).