The average household income last year in Fort McMurray, Alberta was $177,634, according to Statistics Canada. This is 95 per cent higher than the national average and is expected to be even higher in 2012. Approximately 64 per cent of households in the city have an income above $100,000.
The unemployment rate in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray, is around 4.9 per cent. Wood Buffalo released the figures as it pushes for increased retail development in a city of 105,000 with the highest disposable incomes in the country.
Other economic highlights:
• It is the 10th best entrepreneurial municipality in Canada, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
• It is the fifth best municipality for business in Alberta, according to Alberta Venture Magazine.
• Over $100 billion is scheduled in the area for "major" projects, which represents more than half of all the major projects in Alberta.
