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More money, more people in Abbotsford-Mission

Census shows influx of wealthy residents
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There has been a steep rise in the number of wealthy people in the central Fraser Valley over the last decade.

The number of households with income totalling $200,000 and over rose 76 per cent, from 1,850 to 3,265 ,between 2005 and 2015 in the Abbotsford-Mission census area, according to Statistics Canada data released Wednesday.

Households making between $100,000 and $200,000 in inflation-adjusted 2015 dollars totaled 20,645 in 2015, up 41 per cent from 14,610 a decade before.

The number of lower income households saw much less dramatic changes, with the number of families pulling in $20,000 to $70,000 changing only marginally.

The median income in Abbotsford-Mission households, adjusted for inflation, was $73,598, compared to the provincial $69,995 and up 14.1 per cent from $64,521 in 2005.

Income in Mission was higher, and rose faster, than in Abbotsford proper.

In Mission, the median income was $78,159 and rose 16.5 per cent from 2005.

In Abbotsford, median income was $72,511 and rose 13.6 per cent from 2005.

Provincewide, incomes rose by 12.2 per cent between 2005 and 2015 by 12.2 per cent.

Across the Central Fraser Valley, the proportion of people designated as low-income fell slightly, from 13.4 per cent of residents in 2005 to 13 per cent in 2015.

Jumps to median income varied wildly throughout the province. Dawson Creek saw a 31.6-per-cent increase, while Quesnel, Port Alberni and Powell River saw rises of less than two per cent. Median incomes went up 11.2 per cent in Vancouver.