View source for Census geographic units of Canada

{{Use Canadian English|date=November 2022}}
{{Short description|none}}
{{Canada provinces map|align=right |AB =Census divisions of Alberta|BC =Regional districts of British Columbia|SK = Census divisions of Saskatchewan|MB = Census divisions of Manitoba|ON = Census divisions of Ontario|QC = Census divisions of Quebec|NB = Counties of New Brunswick|PE = Counties of Prince Edward Island|NS = Counties of Nova Scotia|NL = Census divisions of Newfoundland and Labrador|NT=Regions of the Northwest Territories|NU=Regions of Nunavut|YT=Demographics of Yukon|Map=Canada-census layout.png|caption=Census divisions by province and territory}}
The '''census geographic units of Canada''' are the [[Census division|census subdivisions]] defined and used by [[Canada]]'s federal government statistics bureau [[Statistics Canada]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Statistics Canada|author-link=Statistics Canada|title=Illustrated Glossary: Census Geography|url=http://geodepot.statcan.ca/Diss/Reference/COGG/Index_e.cfm|access-date=2006-10-11|archive-date=2011-05-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514114205/http://geodepot.statcan.ca/Diss/Reference/COGG/Index_e.cfm|url-status=dead}}</ref> to conduct [[Census in Canada|the country's quinquennial census]]. These areas exist solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government of their own. They exist on four levels: the top-level (first-level) divisions are Canada's [[Provinces and territories of Canada|provinces and territories]]; these are divided into second-level '''census divisions''', which in turn are divided into third-level '''census subdivisions''' (often corresponding to [[List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population|municipalities]]) and fourth-level '''dissemination areas'''.

In some provinces, census divisions correspond to the province's '''second-level administrative divisions''' such as a [[county]] or another similar unit of political organization. In the [[Canadian Prairies|prairie provinces]], census divisions do not correspond to the province's administrative divisions, but rather group multiple administrative divisions together. In [[Newfoundland and Labrador]], the boundaries are set by Statistics Canada as no such level of government exists. Two of Canada's three territories are also divided into census divisions.

== Census divisions ==
{{See also|List of census divisions of Canada by population}}

According to Statistics Canada, Census divisions "are intermediate geographic areas between the province/territory level and the municipality (census subdivision)."<ref name=CD1>{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/ref/dict/az/Definition-eng.cfm?ID=geo008 | title= Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021 – Census division (CD) | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=July 7, 2023 | accessdate=May 30, 2025}}</ref> In six provinces, they are legislated groupings of adjacent census subdivisions (municipalities or municipal equivalents) that share in regional planning and management of certain services such as emergency response.<ref name=CD1/> In four provinces and all three territories, legislation for equivalent intermediate geographic areas do not exist.<ref name=CD1/> Statistics Canada therefore collaborates with the four provinces and three territories in the creation of statistical equivalents.<ref name=CD1/> Classifications of census divisions includes county, district, district municipality, region, regional county municipality, regional district, regional municipality, territory, territory equivalent, united counties, and simply census divisions.<ref name=CD2>{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/ref/dict/tab/index-eng.cfm?ID=t1_4 | title= Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021 – Table 1.4: Census division types by province and territory, 2021 Census | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=November 22, 2022 | accessdate=May 30, 2025}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Canada's census divisions by province or territory
! Province/territory<ref name=CD2/>
! Census division types<ref name=CD2/>
! Quantity<ref name=CD2/>
|-
| [[Alberta]]
| [[List of census divisions of Alberta|Census divisions]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|19}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[British Columbia]]
| Region
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|1}}
|-
| [[Regional districts of British Columbia|Regional districts]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|28}}
|-
| [[Manitoba]]
| [[Census divisions of Manitoba|Census divisions]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|23}}
|-
| [[New Brunswick]]
| [[Counties of New Brunswick|Counties]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|18}}
|-
| [[Newfoundland and Labrador]]
| [[Census divisions of Newfoundland and Labrador|Census divisions]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|11}}
|-
| [[Northwest Territories]]
| [[List of regions of the Northwest Territories#Administrative regions|Regions]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|6}}
|-
| [[Nova Scotia]]
| [[List of counties of Nova Scotia|Counties]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|18}}
|-
| [[Nunavut]]
| [[List of regions of Nunavut|Regions]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|3}}
|-
|rowspan=6| [[Ontario]]
| [[Census divisions of Ontario|Census divisions]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|9}}
|-
| [[List of counties in Ontario|Counties]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|20}}
|-
| [[List of districts in Ontario|Districts]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|10}}
|-
| District municipality
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|1}}
|-
| [[List of regional municipalities in Ontario|Regional municipalities]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|6}}
|-
| United counties
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|3}}
|-
| [[Prince Edward Island]]
| [[Counties of Prince Edward Island|Counties]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|3}}
|-
|rowspan=3| [[Quebec]]
| [[List of census divisions of Quebec|Census divisions]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|5}}
|-
| [[List of regional county municipalities and equivalent territories in Quebec|Regional county municipalities]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|81}}
|-
| [[List of regional county municipalities and equivalent territories in Quebec|Territory equivalents]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|12}}
|-
| [[Saskatchewan]]
| [[Census divisions of Saskatchewan|Census divisions]]
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|18}}
|-
| [[Yukon]]
| Territory
|style="text-align:right"| {{nts|1}}
|}

== Census consolidated subdivisions ==
A census consolidated subdivision is a geographic unit between census division and census subdivision. It is a combination of adjacent census subdivisions typically consisting of larger, more rural census subdivisions and smaller, more densely populated census subdivisions.<ref name=StatCanCCSs>{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/ref/dict/geo007-eng.cfm | title=Census consolidated subdivision (CCS) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=2012-01-31 | access-date=2012-02-18 | archive-date=2013-02-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207100209/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/ref/dict/geo007-eng.cfm | url-status=live }}</ref>

== Census subdivisions ==
Census subdivisions generally correspond to the [[Municipal government in Canada|municipalities]] of Canada, as determined by provincial and territorial legislation.<ref name=StatCanCSDs>{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/dict/geo012-eng.cfm | title=Census subdivision (CSD) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=2010-06-14 | access-date=2011-08-29 | archive-date=2012-07-29 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729174540/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/dict/geo012-eng.cfm | url-status=live }}</ref> They can also correspond to area which are deemed to be equivalents to municipalities for statistical reporting purposes, such as [[Indian reserve]]s, [[Indian settlement]]s, and [[Unorganized area (Canada)|unorganized territories]] where municipal level government may not exist.<ref name=StatCanCSDs/> Statistics Canada has created census subdivisions in cooperation with the provinces of British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia as equivalents for municipalities.<ref name=StatCanInterim>{{cite web | url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/92f0009x/92f0009x2011000-eng.pdf | title=Interim List of Changes to Municipal Boundaries, Status, and Names | page=7&8 | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=April 2011 | access-date=2011-08-29 | archive-date=2011-12-11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211062752/http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/92f0009x/92f0009x2011000-eng.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref> The Indian reserve and Indian settlement census subdivisions are determined according to criteria established by [[Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada]].<ref name=StatCanCSDsmore>{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/dict/geo012a-eng.cfm | title=More information on Census subdivision (CSD) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=2011-04-04 | access-date=2011-08-29 | archive-date=2012-01-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124032219/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/dict/geo012a-eng.cfm | url-status=live }}</ref>

== Dissemination areas ==
Dissemination areas are the smallest standard geographic unit in Canada and cover the entire country.<ref name=2006DA>{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ref/dict/geo021-eng.cfm | title=2016 Census Dictionary: Dissemination area (DA) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=2016-11-16 | access-date=2019-07-10 | archive-date=2019-07-10 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710221308/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ref/dict/geo021-eng.cfm | url-status=live }}</ref> As small areas, they comprise one or more dissemination blocks and have a population between 400 and 700 people.<ref name=2006DA/>

== Specially-defined geographic units ==

=== Census metropolitan areas ===
{{See also|List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada}}
A "census metropolitan area" (CMA) is a grouping of census subdivisions comprising a large urban area (the "urban core") and those surrounding "urban fringes" with which it is closely integrated. To become a CMA, an area must register an urban core population of at least 100,000 at the previous census. CMA status is retained even if this core population later drops below 100,000.

CMAs may cross census division and therefore provincial boundaries, although the [[Ottawa]]-[[Gatineau]] metropolitan area in [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]] is the only one that currently crosses a provincial border.

The methodology used by Statistics Canada does not allow for CMA-CMA mergers into larger statistical areas; consequently, there is no Canadian equivalent to the [[Combined statistical area|combined statistical areas]] of the United States.  Statistics Canada has stated that [[Toronto]], [[Oshawa]] and [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]] could be merged into a single CSA were such an approach utilized.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/92f0138m/2008002/5002030-eng.htm|title=Defining and Measuring Metropolitan Areas: A Comparison between Canada and the United States|date=2008-11-17|access-date=2014-05-19|publisher=[[Statistics Canada]]|quote=...application of the American combination criteria could result in the consolidation (combining) of the CMAs of Oshawa and Hamilton with the Toronto CMA.|archive-date=2014-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520220150/http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/92f0138m/2008002/5002030-eng.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>  Statistics Canada has described the [[Greater Golden Horseshoe]] as the country's largest [[urban area]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-550/p14-eng.cfm|title=2006 Census: Portrait of the Canadian Population in 2006: Subprovincial population dynamics|access-date=2014-07-11|publisher=[[Statistics Canada]]|quote=In 2006, nearly half of all Canadians, 13.9 million people, were living in the country's three largest urban areas: the Montréal census metropolitan area, the Vancouver census metropolitan area, and the Greater Golden Horseshoe in southern Ontario.|archive-date=2015-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610182230/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-550/p14-eng.cfm|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Census agglomerations ===
{{See also|List of Canadian census agglomerations by province or territory|List of metropolitan areas in Canada}}
A "census agglomeration" (CA) is a smaller version of a CMA in which the urban core population at the previous census was greater than 10,000 but less than 100,000. If the population of an urban core is less than 50,000, it is the starting point for the construction of a 'census agglomeration'.<ref>Sancton, Andrew. "Canadian Local Government: An Urban Perspective" Pp. 74. Oxford University Press, 2011.</ref>

=== Census tracts ===
CMAs and CAs with a population greater than 50,000 are subdivided into census tracts which have populations ranging from 2,500 to 8,000.

=== Population centres ===
{{See also|List of the largest population centres in Canada}}
A population centre (PC), formerly known as an [[urban area]] (UA), is any grouping of contiguous dissemination areas that has a minimum population of 1,000 and an average population density of 400 persons per square kilometre or greater.<ref name=UAtoPC>{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/ref/dict/geo049a-eng.cfm | title=Population centre (POPCTR) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=2011-05-05 | access-date=2011-09-21 | archive-date=2013-05-22 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522193417/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/ref/dict/geo049a-eng.cfm | url-status=live }}</ref> For the 2011 census, urban area was renamed "population centre".<ref name=UAtoPC/><ref name=2011preview>{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/ref/preview-avantgout/data-donnees/hl-fs-eng.cfm | title=Preview of Census Products and Services: Highlight tables | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=2012-04-12 | access-date=2013-08-08 | archive-date=2013-07-30 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730174233/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/ref/preview-avantgout/data-donnees/hl-fs-eng.cfm | url-status=live }}</ref> In 2011, Statistics Canada identified 942 population centres in Canada. Some population centres cross municipal boundaries and not all municipalities contain a population centre while others have more than one.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sancton|first=Andrew|title=Canadian Local Government: An Urban Perspective|year=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Canada|isbn=978-0-19-542756-1|page=73}}</ref>

The population centre level of geography is further divided into the following three groupings based on population:<ref name=UAtoPC/>

*"small population centre" – 1,000 to 29,999
*"medium population centre" – 30,000 to 99,999
*"large urban population centre" – 100,000 and greater

=== Designated places ===
{{main|Designated place}}
A "designated place" (DPL) is usually a small community that does not meet the criteria used to define incorporated municipalities or urban areas (areas with a population of at least 1,000 and no fewer than 400 persons per square kilometre), but for which Statistics Canada or a provincial government has requested that similar demographic data be compiled.<ref name=DPLdefined>{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/dict/geo018-eng.cfm | title=2006 Census Dictionary: Designated place (DPL) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=2009-11-20 | access-date=2011-12-22 | archive-date=2012-05-11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511032435/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/dict/geo018-eng.cfm | url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Localities === <!--[[Locality]] links here-->
A "[[locality (settlement)|locality]]" (LOC) is a historical named location or place. The named location may be a former census subdivision, a former urban area, or a former designated place. It may also refer to neighbourhoods, post offices, communities and unincorporated places among other entities.<ref name=LOCdefined>{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/dict/geo030-eng.cfm | title=2006 Census Dictionary: Locality (LOC) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=2009-11-20 | access-date=2011-12-23 | archive-date=2012-06-16 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616174100/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/ref/dict/geo030-eng.cfm | url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Electoral districts ===

Statistics Canada also aggregates data by federal [[electoral district (Canada)|electoral districts]], one purpose for which is the [[Electoral district (Canada)#Boundary adjustment for federal electoral districts|redrawing of district boundaries]] every ten years.  Federal electoral districts are numerically indexed; each district receives a unique five-digit code, with the first two digits being the [[Standard Geographical Classification code (Canada)|Standard Geographical Classification code]] for the province or territory in which the district is located.

== See also ==

* [[Census division statistics of Canada]]
* Census divisions of [[Census divisions of Alberta|Alberta]], [[Census divisions of Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland and Labrador]], [[Census divisions of Ontario|Ontario]], [[Census divisions of Saskatchewan|Saskatchewan]]
* Counties of [[Counties of New Brunswick|New Brunswick]], [[Counties of Nova Scotia|Nova Scotia]], [[Counties of Prince Edward Island|Prince Edward Island]]
* Regions of [[Regions of Manitoba|Manitoba]], [[Regions of the Northwest Territories|Northwest Territories]], [[Regions of Nunavut|Nunavut]]
* [[Regional county municipalities of Quebec]]
* [[Regional districts of British Columbia]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140602033305/http://geodepot.statcan.ca/diss/maps/referencemaps/n_cd_e.cfm ''Reference maps''] for census divisions at Statistics Canada.
* [https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ref/dict/geoint-eng.cfm Hierarchy of census geography]
* [https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ref/dict/tab/t1_1-eng.cfm Table of geographic areas by province and territory]

<br/>{{Census metropolitan areas by size}}
{{Canada topic|Census divisions of}}
{{Census-ca}}
{{Articles on second-level administrative divisions of North American countries}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Census Geographic Units Of Canada}}
[[Category:Census divisions of Canada| ]]
[[Category:Administrative divisions in North America|Canada 2]]
[[Category:Second-level administrative divisions by country|Census geographic units, Canada]]
[[Category:Censuses in Canada|*]]