Community and Neighbourhood demographics
 

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All variables from the 2006 Census have now been released.   In total a full profile now includes 38 pages of detailed demographic data. 

Click here to view a list of all 2006 Census variables.

You can access all these variables for free at a national, provincial and metropolitan area level by visiting the main Stats Can 2006 Census highlight pages.

Full Census Profiles for Local  Markets

If you are interested in full census profiles for a local market, you will need to request a custom retrieval.  Prices vary depending on the nature of the local market you are interested in.  Tell us the boundaries of your local market and we will provide you with a quote.

If a summary report will meet your purposes the following free resources provide summary Census profiles:

Detailed Profiles for Census Metropolitan Areas & Census Agglomerations

These profiles provide comprehensive census detail for metropolitan areas of both small and larger cities in Canada. They can be accessed free of charge at the Stats Canada web site

View CMA & CA Profiles

Community Data - 2006 Community Profiles

These profiles present community-level information from the 2006 Census of Population. You can search for your town, municipality or region by keyword search or by selecting it from a geographic hierarchy.

View Community Profiles

Neighbourhood Data - GeoSearch 2006

This  interactive mapping application is primarily designed to help you navigate through the Census geography structure but it also allows you to easily locate and access Census Tract profiles.  Census Tracts (CTs) are geographical areas that are small and relatively stable from Census to Census. They usually have a population of 2,500 to 8,000.  CT profiles allow you to examine the demographics of a local neighbourhood. 

You can also use this data for market size estimates at a small neighbourhood level.  For example you can combine the dwelling data with expenditure data from the Survey of Household Spending to estimate the number of households and market value for your product or service.

GeoSearch 2006 also has a collection of premade Thematic Maps to help you visually plot various aspect of your local market.

Click here to access GeoSearch 2006
 

Guide to Using GeoSearch 2006 to Profile a Census Tract

Overall GeoSearch 2006 works well although it is not particularly intuitive. The following steps together with screen shots should simplify the process of locating a Census Tract for you.

1. Go to the GeoSearch main page.

 Click here to open GeoSearch in a new window.

 

2. Search for your local market.

Click on the "Search Tab"  below the main map for search options.  We find that the postal code search is the easiest method of locating an individual Census Tract.

Below is a screen shot after a successful postal code search:

3. Identify the Census Boundaries you are interested in.

The most detailed local information accessible via GeoSearch 2006 is at a Census Tract level.  (For more information on Census geographies see our Research Guide on Census Geography.)

To identify the relevant Census Tracts to your local market click on the "Layers (1) Tab" and select "Census Tracts".

4. Locate the Census Tract you want to profile.

After your initial search you will not be able to see the full boundaries of the Census Tracts in your local market. Click on the "Magnification Scale" to the left of the map to "zoom" out one level.

You will now be able to see complete Census Tract boundaries:

5. Identify the Census Tract you want to profile.

Click on the "Identify Button"  on the far right of the page and then click on the map inside the boundaries of your chosen Census Tract.  The selected Census Tract will turn green.

6. Retrieve Census Tract Profile data

Click on the "Additional Data Tab" below the main map and click on the link "Census Tract Profiles".

Screen shot of final profile:

View GeoSearch 2006

© John White, GDSourcing - Research & Retrieval 2009