The Statistics Canada website has made standard Census products easy to find and download at any given geographic scale and file format. Because these products are now free and open, we won't worry about bringing them into the Community Data Catalogue -- at least not for now. For this reason, this blog post explains how to find standard Census products on the Statistics Canada website.
To date, two products have become available:
What's the difference between Census Profiles and Topic-Based Tabulations?
Census Profiles are simply tables with each Census variable shown as a column, and each Census geography shown as a row. They're what most people think of when we talk about "the Census". On the other hand, Topic-Based Tabulations are crosstabulated tables based on Census data. That means they reveal information about subsets of the population.
Since this description is about as clear as mud, let me use an example to illustrate what I mean. Take dwelling types and age groups. Using a Census Profile, we can find out the number of single-detached dwellings within any Census geography -- say for example the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) of Montréal -- as well as the number of people aged 20 to 24 in that same geographic area. Take a look for yourself. I see 525,830 single-detached houses, and 250,890 people aged 20 to 24.
What we can't find out with this Profile is how many people aged 20 to 24 live in single-detached houses. Here, a Topic-Based Tabulation can help. Specifically, Topic-Based Tabulation number 98-313-XCB2011027, or:
Structural Type of Dwelling (10), Age Groups (21) and Sex (3) for the Population in Occupied Private Dwellings of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 Census
In this Topic-Based Tabulation, the Structural Type of Dwelling, Age Group, and Sex variables have been crosstabulated, which means that we can target any one of: ten dwelling types, 21 age groups, and three sexes. (That's Female, Male, and Total, in case you were wondering). As such, we can answer the question above.
So, how many people aged 20 to 24 do live in single-detached houses?
By my count, precisely 88,440 people between 20- and 24-years-old live in single-detached houses in the CMA of Montréal. (Note that you'll have to change the "Geography" drop-down to Montréal to get that number.) You simply couldn't have answered the question using a Census Profile.
How to find Census Profiles online
There are two options when it comes to Census Profiles on the Statistics Canada website. You can either download Canada-wide tables at any available Census geography, or look up the data for one Census geography at a time.
To download the nationwide Census Profile tables, you can find them in .ivt format (remember, Beyond 20/20 format?) or .xml format here:
Or in .csv or .tab here:
That said, I have to warn you that the .csv and .tab datasets are arranged unusually. You'll see what I mean if you try to open them. I would instead recommend opening the .ivt files and exporting them from Beyond 20/20 into .xls. And, if none of this is making sense, don't hesitate to just ask.
To look up Census data for individual Census geographies, you can search for place names, Census geographies, or Postal Codes at this URL:
http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E&MM
Try it out with your Postal Code to see what I mean.
How to find Topic-Based Tabulations online
Then there are Topic-Based Tabulations. These latter are located at this URL, and arranged thematically:
http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/tbt-tt/Index-eng.cfm
With Topic-Based Tabulations, you can either download an .ivt file, or manipulate the data on the Statistics Canada website. Take the Topic-Based Tabulation mentioned above, 98-313-XCB2011027. Again, that table is called:
Structural Type of Dwelling (10), Age Groups (21) and Sex (3) for the Population in Occupied Private Dwellings of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 Census
At this URL, notice that you can select "HTML" or "B20/20" next to each dataset. "B20/20" downloads the .ivt table, but "HTML" allows you to play around with the table online. I'd recommend trying it out -- it's not too difficult to do, and if you're searching for specific geographic areas, it will often be easier to find without downloading a nationwide dataset.
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Hope this post helps with finding standard Census products, and of course: Happy data!