Subhead:Residents continue to struggle as the cost of living soars and mass immigration shows no signs of slowing down.#
A new report from the Fraser Institute says Ontarians now have a lower standard of living than residents in every neighbouring U.S. state and the gap is getting worse.
The study, Measuring Ontario’s Regional Prosperity Gap, 2026 Update, compares economic output per person across the Great Lakes region. It finds Ontario’s GDP per capita sits near the bottom of the pack, ahead of only Quebec.
In 2024, Ontario’s GDP per person was about $74,143, well below the regional average of $94,523 — a difference of roughly 27.5 percent.
Even the poorest-performing U.S. state in the region, Michigan, outperformed Ontario on this measure.
