Health Inequities in Manitoba: Is the Socioeconomic Gap

Health Inequities in Manitoba: Is the Socioeconomic Gap in Health Widening or Narrowing Over Time?
Key findings:
Trends in average household income over time, by neighbourhood income quintile
Table 2.4: Table Average 2.4: Average Household Income Income Changes Changes over over Census Census Years Years 1986, 1986, 1996, 1996, 2006 2006
Area Measure
Rural
Urban
Average
Household
Income for
R1 and R5
Disparity Rate
Ratio (R5/R1)
Disparity Rate
Difference
(R5-R1)
Average
Household
Income for
U1 and U5
Disparity Rate
Ratio (U5/U1)
Disparity Rate
Difference
(U5-U1)
Census Date*
T1: 1986 T2: 1996 T3: 2006
R1: $17,647
R5: $39,437
R1: $27,306
R5: $58,645
R1: $34,331
R5: $81,336
Comparison
over time: T3
to T1 (T3/T1)
(2006 to 1986)
R1: 1.95
R5: 2.06
2.23 2.15 2.37 1.06
$21,790 $31,339 $47,005 2.16
U1: $18,724
U5: $55,556
U1: $24,687
U5: $78,249
U1: $34,371
U5: $114,331
U1: 1.84
U5: 2.06
2.97 3.17 3.33 1.12
$36,832 $53,562 $79,960 2.17
*T1=time 1 (1986); T2=time 2 (1996); T3=time 3 (2006) Source: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2010
By both relative and absolute measures, the neighbourhood income inequality is increasing over time
between the lowest and the highest neighbourhood income groups. In the rural neighbourhood
income quintiles, the disparity rate ratio is over 2 for all time periods, meaning that the relative
neighbourhood income of R5 is 2.23 times (1986), 2.15 times (1996), and 2.37 times (2006) that of R1.
Not only is there over twice the neighbourhood income in R5, but the disparity in 2006 is 6% higher
than in 1986 (as indicated by the last column, 1.06, or 6% increase from a DRR of 2.23 in T1 to 2.37 in
T3). As well, the rate difference goes from $21,790 more per household in R5 compared to R1 in 1986 to
$47,005 more in 2006, which is over double (2.16 times).
In urban areas, the rate ratio (DRR) goes from 2.97 in 1986 to 3.33 in 2006, so those in U5 have an
average household income around three times that of U1. This disparity is increasing over time by about
12% from T1 to T3. As well, the rate difference goes from $36,832 in 1986 to $79,960 in 2006, which is
over double (2.17 times).
The disparity at each time period, both in relative and rate differences, is substantially greater in urban
compared to rural areas. Comparing these over time, disparity is also increasing on every measure,
with rate ratios increasing more in urban (12% increase) compared to rural (6% increase) from 1986
to 2006. Interestingly, in both the rural and urban highest neighbourhood income quintile, the actual
dollar amounts increased by similar amounts from 1986 to 2006 (2.06 times), whereas the lowest
neighbourhood income quintile groups in both rural and urban increased by less than two times (1.95
times for R1, and only 1.84 times for U1). So the highest neighbourhood income quintile group appears
Manitoba Centre for Health Policy 21