More information on Statistical Area Classification (SAC)

Censuses:

2006, 2001

Remarks:

In using the Statistical Area Classification for census data tabulations, it is possible to sum census data automatically for census subdivisions (CSDs) as follows:

• all CSDs in census metropolitan areas (CMAs)
• all CSDs in census agglomerations (CAs)
• all CSDs in the provinces in the strong MIZ category
• all CSDs in the provinces in the moderate MIZ category
• all CSDs in the provinces in the weak MIZ category
• all CSDs in the provinces in the no MIZ category
• CSDs in the three territories (Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories and Nunavut), except those that are components of a CMA or CA located in these territories (currently the CAs of Whitehorse and Yellowknife).

Care should be exercised when applying the MIZ concept in the three territories. As many CSDs in the territories are very large and sparsely populated, the place of work–population relationship upon which the MIZ is constructed is unstable.

Figure 22 shows the hierarchical relationship represented by the SAC.

Table 2 shows the population distribution of Canada from the 2001 Census using the SAC, and Table 3 shows the number of census subdivisions in each category of the SAC for the 2006 Census.

Refer to the related definitions of census metropolitan area (CMA) and census agglomeration (CA); census metropolitan area and census agglomeration influenced zones (MIZ); and census subdivision (CSD).

Changes prior to the current census:

Not applicable