Alberta families had the highest median after-tax income in Canada in 2006 at $70,500, marking the third straight year that the province led the country, Statistics Canada said today.

Alberta was followed by Ontario, with a median after-tax income of $62,400, and British Columbia at $60,300.

Nationally, families had an estimated median income after taxes of $58,300 in 2006, which was up 2.1% from 2005 in constant 2006 dollars.

Statistics Canada said it was the third consecutive annual increase, with the 2006 increase mainly a result of gains in both market income (income from work, retirement and investments) and government transfers.

Senior families, where the main income earner was at least 65 years old, had a median after-tax income of $42,400 in 2006, up 2.9% from the previous year. Working-aged families had a median of $62,000, a 1.8% gain.

Data released last week from the 2006 census showed an 11.1% increase in median pre-tax family income between 1980 and 2005.