The Enough for All (E4A) Well-Being Dashboard, developed in partnership with YYC Data, showcases vital data demonstrating Calgary’s progress toward achieving its poverty-reduction goals across several well-being metrics.
Key Takeaways
- 24.9% of Calgarians are food insecure—down from 31.7% the year before[1], representing a 21.5% (or 6.8% point) decrease. Despite these improvements, food insecurity remains well above historical averages, suggesting that many Calgarians still struggle to put food on the table.
- 11.1% of Calgarians are living in poverty, up from 10.8% the year before. People experiencing poverty fell further behind financially. On average, their incomes were 35.2% below the poverty line, up from 31.1% from the year before, meaning the depth of poverty increased.
- At least 3,314 Calgarians are homeless, up from 3,121 the year before. However, because Calgary's population also grew, the rate of homelessness was slightly down in Calgary.
- Confidence in managing debt remained unchanged in early 2026 and was slightly lower than a year earlier, continuing a five-year trend that suggests many Canadians are finding it harder to keep up with their debt.
For more information, read the latest updates to the dashboard below:
Food insecurity in Calgary
Food insecurity means not having reliable access to enough food because of financial constraints. The Well-Being Dashboard tracks Calgary’s food insecurity using data from the Canadian Income Survey, an annual Statistics Canada survey that explores Canadians' incomes and related outcomes.[2]
In 2024, 24.9% of Calgarians were food insecure—down from 31.7% the year before, representing a 21.5% decrease. Though declines were also observed in both Canada (-6.6%) and Alberta overall (-9.3%), the decrease was much larger in Calgary.[3] VCC speculates that a combination of factors contributed to Calgary’s improvement in food security. For instance, between 2022 and 2023, median real income in Calgary fell 7.7%, potentially pushing more people into food insecurity. [Median real income is the midpoint of a population's earnings (half earn more, half earn less), adjusted for inflation.] In 2024, real income recovered slightly (1.3%), which may have helped ease some of the financial pressures households were experiencing.[4] Additionally, the pace of food inflation slowed in Alberta between 2023 and 2024, declining from 7.2% to 3.3%.[5] This reduction may have allowed households to budget more effectively, given increased predictability in food prices. Furthermore, increased output from basic-needs and social-serving organizations was observed in 2024, potentially reducing the share of Calgarians identified as food insecure. Finally, substantially more government income support reached Calgarians living on low income in 2024 than in 2023, potentially putting more money into the hands of people at greatest risk of food insecurity. The inflation-adjusted increase in social assistance payments, including Alberta Income Support and Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), was 65.2% higher in 2024 than in 2023.[6] This potentially speaks to the effectiveness of social programs in mitigating key aspects of poverty.
Despite the improvement in 2024, food insecurity remained well above historical averages, suggesting that many Calgarians still struggle to put food on the table. Additional funding for food and basic needs-providing agencies and continued investment in the social safety net are important steps in mitigating this ongoing concern, however income-based solutions to food insecurity are critical for addressing its root causes.
Calgary's poverty rate
One of the Well-Being Dashboard’s key indicators is the percentage of people living in poverty in Calgary. To measure poverty, the Well-Being Dashboard uses the Market Basket Measure (MBM) over time.
The MBM defines poverty based on a household’s ability to afford a modest standard of living. If a household cannot afford a modest standard of living, it is said to be experiencing poverty. The goods and services associated with a modest standard of living are called the basket. These include things like food, clothing, housing, utilities, transportation, etc. The basket is reviewed approximately every 5 years to ensure it still reflects a modest standard of living.[7] The dashboard also reports the average gap ratio, which describes how far below the MBM the average household experiencing poverty falls. A higher average gap ratio means the average person experiencing poverty is more deeply in poverty.[8]
In 2024, 11.1% of Calgarians were experiencing poverty, up from 10.8% in 2023. Additionally, the average gap ratio increased to 35.2% in 2024, up from 31.1% in 2023.[9]
Homelessness in Calgary
Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada coordinates an annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count for cities across Canada. The PIT count provides valuable information on the demographics and circumstances of people experiencing homelessness. To conduct this survey, teams of volunteers travel throughout Canadian cities and survey those expected to be experiencing homelessness.[10]
In 2025, 3,314 people were identified as experiencing homelessness in Calgary, up from 3,121 in 2024. However, on a per-capita basis, homelessness was slightly down in Calgary, from 2.00 per 1,000 in 2024 to 1.99 per 1,000 in 2025.[11] Importantly, the PIT count is designed to enumerate people staying in shelters or who are sleeping rough. It does not capture people living in precarious or dangerous housing because they are unable to obtain safer accommodations. As a result, the PIT count underestimates the extent of housing need.
Canadian Consumer Debt Index
The MNP Consumer Debt Index is a quarterly statistic that provides insight into Canadians' perceptions of their ability to manage their debt (including paying their bills, handling unexpected expenses, and adjusting to changes in interest rates without falling into unmanageable debt).
MNP is a Canadian financial institution that provides insolvency-related services. The Consumer Debt Index is a composite score collected via survey, where a higher number reflects more confidence in people’s ability to manage their debt.[12 ]
In Q1 of 2026, Canadian consumer debt confidence remained unchanged at 87 compared with Q4 of 2025. Year-over-year, this marked a 1.1% decline from 88 in Q1 of 2025. Over the past half-decade, the value has been trending downward, suggesting that Canadians are finding it increasingly difficult to manage their debt levels.
