2011 Census Population and Dwelling Counts

 The 2011 Census Dissemination Project is pleased to announce the official release of the 2011 Census population and dwelling counts.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012,  sees the official release, via the Internet, of the first data from the 2011 Census, covering the population and dwelling counts. All standard products are available free of charge.

This release presents the population counts, counts for total private dwellings and counts for private dwellings occupied by usual residents. The levels of geography vary amongst the expansive list of products being released. Coverage ranges from Canada, provinces and territories down to the dissemination block. Information is also available for land area, population density; population rank and percentage change from 2006.

These data can be accessed through a variety of gateways:

Users can enter through The Daily.

• Users can click on the Census button at the top of the right-hand navigation bar of the Statistics Canada website home page (enter through the various rotating postings within 'Census news') or directly from the variety of links and feature buttons on the 2011 Census web module home page.

Information within the web module is organized into broad display/product categories, featuring: by topic, data products, analytical products, reference materials and geography.

By topic offers links to the comprehensive suite of 2011 Census standard products associated with each of the 2011 Census releases beginning with the 2011 Census population and dwelling counts.

Data products offer population and dwelling counts for a wide range of standard geographic areas, available either in the Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2011 Census or in the Census Profile. The Visual Census facilitates the analysis and comparison of the changing demographic and socio composition of selected geographic areas across Canada through graphs and charts. The new Census Data Navigator allows the user to navigate through Canada, provinces, territories, census divisions and census subdivisions to obtain population and dwelling counts from the 2011 Census.

Analytical products offer links to the analytical document (The Canadian Population in 2011: Population Counts and Growth) and the three Census in Brief articles (Population growth in Canada: From 1851 to 2061, Canada's rural population since 1851 and The census: A tool for planning at the local level). A new analytical product called Focus on Geography Series also provides data and highlights on key topics found in the 2011 Census analytical document and Census in Brief articles for various levels of geography.

Reference materials cover various aspects of the census and are intended to support the use of census data. Specifically, Reference products include: Census Dictionary (geography portion for now), Overview of the Census, Preview of Census Products and Services, along with additional reference information. The link to the Results of the 92-year question provides the results from the 2011 Census where Canadians were provided with the opportunity to make an informed decision about the release of their name-identified census information. The Statistics Act permits name-identified census information to be transferred to Library and Archives Canada and made publicly available after 92 years, in other words, in the year 2103.

Geography offers links to the 2011 Census geographic products: Maps (reference maps, thematic maps, GeoSearch); reference documents (Catalogue, Illustrated Glossary, Reference guides, Interim List of Changes, Working papers); Spatial information products (Road Network File, Boundary files) and Attribute information products (GeoSuite, Geographic Attribute File, Correspondence files).

The 2011 Census web module home page also promotes/presents:

Direct access to the Census Profile for major cities in each province and territory.

• 'Did you know...' highlights for the release (based on the analytical document).


• Summary table of the 2011 Census population and dwelling counts for Canada, provinces and territories (right-hand side bar).


• Feature buttons for direct links to some key products and to the 'Chat with an expert' module announcing the live chat session with a demography expert on February 13, 2012, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST.


• Video centre – contains the 'Population and Dwelling Counts – Highlights' video presentation.


• Stay connected – links to Statistics Canada's social media initiatives including the mobile version of the Census Profile.