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Data and Statistics: Canadian Census Resources

Census Statistical Tables
  • Statistics Canada Census Portal
    • Statistics from the current census back to 1996 is available Includes:
      • Census Profiles (i.e., information about a place; search by postal code)
      • Data Tables (i.e, search by a topic)
  • Canadian Census Analyzer
    • Webtool to help you identify key variables and data in a census profile and then compare one region to another
    • Geographies from Province to Disessemination Area (DA)
Census Microdata

Census microdata can be accessed through odesi.ca, our microdata repository.  ODESI holds census microdata and accompanying documentation produced by Statistics Canada.  Microdata is normally stored in SPSS, Stata, and SAS formats, and sometimes in .CSV

Microdata is organized in ODESI's Census section by year, and are called PUMFs, public-use microdata files.  StatCan usually produces two kinds of PUMFs:

  • Individuals File
    • A Census Individuals File PUMF represents a sample of the Canadian population and provides access to individual records which have been anonymized. It is a comprehensive social, demographic and economic database about Canada and its people and includes a wealth of information on population characteristics.
    • Most users are interested in the Individuals File.
  • Hierarchical File
    • A Census Hierarchical File PUMF provides access to non-aggregated data covering a sample of 1% of the Canadian households. It is a comprehensive social, demographic and economic database about Canada and its people and contains a wealth of characteristics on the population.
    • A Hierarchical File enables the study of individuals in relation to their census families, economic families and households.

Quick Links: Census Microdata: Individuals File Microdata and Documentation

The following links bring you directly to Individuals File PUMFs for our recent census. Users should first log in to ODESI and then choose their census year on this page.  Choose your year, then choose "Explore and Download." Once in ODESI, click on the disk icon in the grey bar to download.

How to access and download microdata on odesi.ca

 

Enumeration Area (EA) and Dissemination Area (DA) data

  • Some census EA/DA data are available for scholarly, non-commercial research purposes on the Canadian Census Analyzer and from Laurier's Government Information Librarian.
  • Researchers are to read and abide by Statistics Canada Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) Conditions of use.