Nonbinary and Transgender Identities and Earnings: Evidence from a National Census

We provide the first evidence from a large population census on earnings disparities experienced by nonbinary people—individuals who do not exclusively identify as men or women—and transgender people—individuals whose...

We provide the first evidence from a large population census on earnings disparities experienced by nonbinary people—individuals who do not exclusively identify as men or women—and transgender people—individuals whose gender differs from their sex assigned at birth—relative to cisgender people. Using restricted-access 2021 Canadian census data linked to tax records, we find that nonbinary individuals assigned male at birth, transgender men, transgender women, and cisgender women all earn significantly less than comparable cisgender men. Nonbinary individuals assigned female at birth experience an additional earnings penalty. Differences in job sorting explain some of these disparities. (JEL J16, J31, J71)