Median wage
$21.00 an hour
Cape Breton
Compared with Nova Scotia
12.5% lower
$3.00 below the Nova Scotia median of $24.00
Compared with Canada
20.5% lower
$5.42 below the Canadian median of $26.42
Job outlook
Good
4 of 5, 2025-2027
Job postings
4
on Job Bank in September 2026
Wages in Cape Breton
In Canadian dollars an hour, from 2023-2024 data. Low and high are Job Bank’s 10th and 90th percentiles.
Wage range in Cape Breton and Canada Cape Breton: median $21.00, from $16.50 to $33.00, middle half $19.98 to $26.00. Nova Scotia (province): median $24.00, from $18.00 to $30.00, middle half $20.00 to $26.50. Canada: median $26.42, from $19.45 to $37.00, middle half $22.86 to $32.00. $10 $20 $30 $40 Cape Breton: median $21.00, from $16.50 to $33.00, middle half $19.98 to $26.00 Cape Breton $21.00 Nova Scotia (province): median $24.00, from $18.00 to $30.00, middle half $20.00 to $26.50 Nova Scotia (province) $24.00 Canada: median $26.42, from $19.45 to $37.00, middle half $22.86 to $32.00 Canada $26.42 The line runs from the low to the high wage, the dot is the median and the box is the middle half (lower to upper quartile).
Wages in Cape Breton compared with Canada
Wage Cape Breton Nova Scotia Canada
Low
$16.50
$18.00
$19.45
Lower quartile
$19.98
$20.00
$22.86
Median
$21.00
$24.00
$26.42
Upper quartile
$26.00
$26.50
$32.00
High
$33.00
$30.00
$37.00
Average
$23.07
$24.18
$27.89
Job outlook
Good (4 of 5) for 2025-2027, from Job Bank’s 3-year outlook for Cape Breton.
4 job postings on Job Bank in September 2026.
Education and training
TEER category 3
Usual education A college diploma or an apprenticeship of less than 2 years is usually required.
By region in Nova Scotia
Job Bank’s economic regions, highest median first. A region links to its own page where its figures differ from the province’s.
Wage range by economic region in Nova Scotia Halifax: median $25.00, from $19.00 to $28.05. North Shore: median $25.00, from $18.50 to $38.46. Annapolis Valley: median $24.00, from $17.63 to $30.00. Cape Breton: median $21.00, from $16.50 to $33.00. Southern: median $20.00, from $16.50 to $27.00. $10 $20 $30 $40 Halifax: median $25.00, from $19.00 to $28.05 Halifax $25.00 North Shore: median $25.00, from $18.50 to $38.46 North Shore $25.00 Annapolis Valley: median $24.00, from $17.63 to $30.00 Annapolis Valley $24.00 Cape Breton: median $21.00, from $16.50 to $33.00 Cape Breton $21.00 Southern: median $20.00, from $16.50 to $27.00 Southern $20.00 The line runs from the low to the high wage and the dot is the median.
Wage range by economic region in Nova Scotia (table) Region Low Median High Outlook Halifax $19.00 $25.00 $28.05 Good (4 of 5) North Shore $18.50 $25.00 $38.46 Good (4 of 5) Annapolis Valley $17.63 $24.00 $30.00 Good (4 of 5) Cape Breton $16.50 $21.00 $33.00 Good (4 of 5) Southern $16.50 $20.00 $27.00 Good (4 of 5)
Wages from 2023-2024 data, Job Bank 2025 release. Job outlooks for 2025-2027. Job postings counted for September 2026.
Occupation titles, codes and TEER categories come from the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021, Statistics Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada .