Canadian Social Environment Typology: A Geographic Classification Tool to Classify Canadian Neighbourhoods
Canadian Social Environment Typology: Data File

The Canadian Social Environment Typology (CanSET) is a geographic classification tool to compare neighbourhoods across Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations. The CanSET was developed by the Centre for Health data Integration and Direct Measures (CHDIDM). It provides three levels of neighbourhood classifications based on combinations of 30 socioeconomic, demographic,ethnocultural and housing variables from the Census of population. Each social environment cluster is a group of similar dissemination areas and represents a unique neighbourhood type. The CanSET data comes with definitions of each neighbourhood type so that users can compare health and social outcomes by neighbourhood characteristics. The CanSET classification includes data and user guide for the 2016 and 2021 versions. Select the version closest to the year of the outcome data. The 2016 CanSET classification is not directly comparable to the 2021 CanSET classification.

The CanSET classification includes the following associated products:

2021 Version
2021 Canadian Social Environment Typology Data
2021 Canadian Social Environment Typology User Guide