University of Toronto. Data Library Service


Census of Canada, 1986: Standard Census Geographic Units


Abbreviations Standard Census
Geographic Units
Capsule Description SGC Code Coverage
No. of Units
in Canada
Size based on
1981 Population
CA Census Agglomerations Labour market areas with an urbanized core of at least 10,000 population, based on the prevoius census. CA(3) 114 From 10,000 to over 115,000 persons
CCS Census Consolidated
Subdivisions
Grouping of contiguous subdivisions PR(2) + CD(2) + CCS(3) 2628 Less than 100 to around 2,000,000 persons
CD Census Divisions General terms applying to census divisions, counties, regional districts, regional municipalities and five other types of areas made up of census subdivisions PR(2) + CD(2) 266 5,000 to over 2,000,000 persons
CMA Census Metropolitan
Areas
Main labour market areas of urban areas (urbanized cores) of at least 100,000 population, based on previous census CMA(3) 25 From 100,000 to over 3,000,000 persons
CMA/CA
Parts
Census Metropolitan
Areas and Census
Agglomeration Parts
Three types of areas- urbanized core, urban fringe and rural fringe within CMAs and CAs CMA/CA(3) + Part(1) 359 From around 1,000 to almost 3,000,000 persons
CSD Census Subdivisions General term applying to cities, towns, villages, Indian Reserves and settlements and unorganized territories PR(2) + CD(2) + CSD(3) 6009 Less than 100 to around 1,000,000 persons
CT Census Tracts Permanently defined areas within large urban communities CMA(3) + CTname(7.2)
or
CMA(3) + CTcode(4)
3776 About 4,000 persons
EA Enumeration Areas The basic area for which data are collected and the building block of all standard census geographic areas PR(2) + FED(3) + EA(3) 44,080 () About 600 persons
FED Federal Electoral
District
Areas that return a member to House of Commons PR(2) + FED(2) 282 About 85,000 persons
PCA Primary Census
Agglomerations
Labour market sub-region within a larger consolidated census metropolitan area (CMA) or consolidated census agglomeration (CA) PCA(3) 21 * From 10,000 to about 115,000
PCMA Primary Census
Metropolitan Areas
Labour market sub-region within a larger consolidated census metropolitan area (CMA) PCMA(3) 12 * From 100,000 to almost 3,000,000 persons
PCT Provincial Census
Tracts
Permanently defined areas outside large urban communities PR(2) + PCTname(7.2)
or
PR(2) + PCTcode(4)
1837 About 5,000 persons
PR Province/Territory The major political division of the country PR(2) 13 From almost 22,000 to over 9,000,000 persons
UA Urban Areas An area with a population of 1,000 or more and a poulation density of 400 or more per square km. UA(4) 940 About 5,000 persons

() Counts are as of November 14, 1986.
* PCMAs and PCAs have been introduced for the first time as part of the 1986 Census.


By Sushil Kumar, Data Library Service, University of Toronto
Last updated: 02/05/2002