Main Street in downtown Whitehorse. Photo Courtesy of Macklen Linke/CKRW.
Whitehorse, YT – Two adults raising two children in Whitehorse each need to earn $29.60 an hour to cover basic household expenses, according to the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition’s 2026 Living Wage Report.
That’s an increase of 13.3 percent from 2025, the coalition says.
The report puts the living wage for a single person at $32.43 an hour. For a single-parent household, the figure is $37.80 an hour.
The living wage estimates the hourly earnings needed to cover expenses such as shelter, food, transportation and child care while maintaining a modest standard of living. It is a calculated benchmark, rather than a legally required minimum wage.
The coalition says the calculation uses a nationally standardized method, drawing on local costs and accounting for taxes and government transfers.
“The cost of living in Whitehorse is rising faster than incomes, and it’s hitting low- and modest-income households the hardest,” ” coalition executive director Kristina Craig said in a news release.
The coalition says the findings also highlight the role of public services and government benefits in household affordability. Investments in affordable child care, housing, health care and public transportation can reduce the income households need to cover basic costs, it says.
Report author Kendall Hammond said those supports do not reach all household types equally.
“This report shows clearly where those supports are working—and where they’re falling short, especially for single households, who receive fewer targeted benefits,” Hammond said.
This is the coalition’s 11th annual living wage report. The full yearly reports can be found on the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition’s website
