Output per person is a signal. It needs context.

Read the unit first

In 2025, this source reports $67,946 for the U.S. and $45,418 for Canada. The unit is constant 2015 U.S. dollars per person. It summarizes the value of annual economic output relative to population, with price changes referenced to 2015.

GDP is an economy-wide accounting measure. Dividing it by population produces an average, not a paycheck. It includes output associated with businesses and governments and does not tell you how income is distributed.

Why the currency basis matters

The series uses a fixed price basis for assessing real changes over time. It is not adjusted for the purchasing power of a dollar in each country. A level comparison therefore cannot establish which residents can buy more goods, afford more housing or receive higher disposable income.

A better next question

If you want to understand household well-being, use a compatible income or consumption measure, a distribution, and a price basis suited to that question. Those measures are outside this initial catalog. The available output series can still describe economic change when its limitations stay visible.