Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021
Household type

Definition

Household type refers to the differentiation of households on the basis of whether they are census family households or non‑census‑family households. Census family households are those that contain at least one census family. Non‑census‑family households are either one person living alone or a group of two or more persons who live together but do not constitute a census family. Census family households may be differentiated based on the presence of additional persons (that is, persons not in a census family).

Statistical unit(s)

• Private household

Classification(s)

• Household type
• Household type, multigenerational variant

Reported in

2021, 2016 and 2011; 2006, 2001 and 1996 (20% sample); 1991, 1986 and 1981. For availability prior to 1981, refer to Appendix 2.1.

Reported for

Private households

Question number(s)

Derived variable: Questions 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7

Responses

Not applicable

Remarks

Historically, in the census and in the Statistics Canada standard concept for household type, "census family households" are broken down by whether they contain one census family or multiple census families. One‑census‑family households are then optionally broken down by whether there are any other persons present in the household (without additional persons; with additional persons). Since the 2001 Census, an alternative breakdown has often been used in published tables to focus on households that are composed entirely of one census family and contrast them with all other households containing at least one census family. The first type of household corresponds to "one‑census‑family households without additional persons" in the Statistics Canada standard, although this category was called "one‑family‑only households" in tables from 2001 to 2011. The second type, "other census family households," combines both "one‑census‑family households with additional persons" and "multiple‑census‑family households" from the Statistics Canada standard.

Related 2021 data products

• Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population (98-316-X2021001)
• Focus on Geography Series, 2021 Census of Population (98-404-X2021001)
• Acceptable housing by tenure: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (98-10-0246-01)
• Acceptable housing by tenure: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations (98-10-0249-01)
• Age of primary household maintainer by tenure: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (98-10-0232-01)
• Age of primary household maintainer by tenure: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations (98-10-0231-01)
• Census family status and household living arrangements, household type of person, age group and gender: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations (98-10-0134-01)
• Core housing need by tenure including presence of mortgage payments and subsidized housing: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations (98-10-0248-01)
• Household after-tax income group by household characteristics: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts (98-10-0056-01)
• Household income statistics by dwelling and household characteristics: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (98-10-0060-01)
• Household income statistics by dwelling and household characteristics: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts (98-10-0061-01)
• Household income statistics by household type: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (98-10-0057-01)
• Household income statistics by household type: Census metropolitan areas, tracted census agglomerations and census tracts (98-10-0058-01)
• Household low-income status by household type including multigenerational status of the household and census family structure: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts (98-10-0105-01)
• Household low-income status by household type: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (98-10-0106-01)
• Household low-income status by household type: Census metropolitan areas, tracted census agglomerations and census tracts (98-10-0107-01)
• Household total income group by household characteristics: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts (98-10-0055-01)
• Household type including multigenerational households and structural type of dwelling: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations (98-10-0138-01)
• Housing suitability by tenure, with household type including census family structure: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (98-10-0238-01)
• Housing suitability with bedroom shortfall by tenure: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations (98-10-0236-01)
• Shelter cost by tenure including presence of mortgage payments and subsidized housing: Canada, provinces and territories and census subdivisions affiliated with First Nations or Indian bands (98-10-0254-01)
• Shelter cost by tenure including presence of mortgage payments and subsidized housing: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations (98-10-0253-01)
• Shelter-cost-to-income ratio by tenure including presence of mortgage payments and subsidized housing : Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (98-10-0255-01)
• Shelter-cost-to-income ratio by tenure: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations (98-10-0252-01)