Steinbach has the lowest annual household income among eight neighbouring municipalities in southeastern Manitoba at just over $61,000.

The 2016 census shows the RM of Hanover is at $75,000, the RM of La Broquerie at $71,000, the RM of Ste. Anne at $72,000 and the Town of Ste. Anne at $68,000. In Niverville, the median household income is $91,000 while the RM of Tache is at $95,000 RM of Ritchot at $96,000.

Ben Dueck, executive director of the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce, says it caught him a little off guard to hear that Steinbach had the lowest household income of the eight 

Ben Dueckmunicipalities.

"It was a little bit surprising when I heard that, but I think that it shows that Steinbach is a place where a lot of people find it a great place to live. A lot of people love living in Steinbach, whether that's someone who makes a high wage or a low wage, there's lots of good things that Steinbach has to offer."

Dueck adds, as the largest centre in the southeast, Steinbach has a lot more services than most of the other municipalities, in terms of things like healthcare and retail outlets, which draws people from a wider spectrum of income levels.

"I think that as a city gets to a certain point, it's able to provide services for a wide variety of needs and I think Steinbach definitely shows that, as it has grown, it has been able to offer those services and that brings people to the community."

Dueck says wages in Steinbach are also competitive, judging by the job market, but notes there's room for improvement.

"We are getting a lot of people who come here to look for work. So I think that people are finding those jobs. We'd obviously still like to see growth, some businesses internally expand and provide more jobs and also bring in some companies from outside as well in order to provide those jobs in order to keep the community growing. In order for the community to grow, we need more jobs and more well-paying jobs, we do."