Using Statistics Canada Census Data in Institutional

Research

Karen Menard and James MacLean

Presentation to CUPA – June 23, 2009

Presentation Format

• Census data

• Practical application using census data

Census Data

• The Data Liberation Initiative– Offers Canadian universities and colleges

affordable access to data for the purposes of academic teaching and research.

Census Data

• How to access the data?– Through OCULA using Odesi software.– Through IDLS – but must have subscription

service to download files.– Both services allow you to select standard

datasets produced by Statistics Canada.– Files can usually be downloaded in either

Beyond 20/20 or ASCII format.– Customized datasets available through

Statistics Canada for a fee.

Census Data

• What data is available?– Information on population, families,

households, dwellings, income, education, employment, housing, ethnicity, marital status, gender, etc.

Census Data

• Geographical levels for dissemination– Canada– Ontario– Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA)– Census SubDivisions (CSD)– Forward Sortation Area (FSA)– Census Tracts (CT)– Dissemination Area (DA)

Census Data

• Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA)– Formed by one or more adjacent

municipalities centered around a large urban area. Smaller centers must have a high degree of integration with the central urban area as measured by commuting flows from the census place of work data.

Census Data

• Census Subdivisions (CSD)– Area that is a municipality or deemed to be

equivalent for reporting purposes. – As an example, the London CMA includes

nearby towns such as St. Thomas, Port Stanley, Strathroy. The London CSA will include only the city of London.

Census Data

• Forward Sortation Areas (FSA)– A Canada Post code which is based on the

first 3 characters of a postal code. Limited census data is available at this level.

Census Data

• Census Tract (CT)– Small, relatively stable areas that usually

have a population of 2500 to 8000 with a preferred average of 4000 - - equivalent to about 1650 households.

– CT area is reasonably homogenous in economic status and social living conditions.

Census Data

• Dissemination Area (DA)– Smallest standard geographic area for which

all census data are disseminated, with a population between 400 – 700 persons - - equivalent to about 250 households.

– Respect the boundaries of census tracts.

Census Data

• City of London

Population 350,000

Households 145,000

No. of FSAs 17

No. of Census Tracts 85

No. of Dissemination Areas 615

No. of Postal Codes 9,860

London Neighborhood near University showing Census Tracts and Dissemination Areas

Hierarchy of standard geographic units (from Statistics Canada)

Census Data

• Using Dissemination Area Data– Statistics Canada makes available a Postal

Code Conversion File that provides a ‘best-fit’ match between a six-character postal code and standard geographical areas such as census tracts and dissemination area.

– This file is your link between the census data and your internal data using postal code as the common variable.

Postal Code Conversion File showing 6-character postal code and ‘best-fit’ dissemination area

Extract from Beyond 20/20 census file showing Dissemination Area (col 1-4 and col 8-11) and selected census variables