Number and Size of Communities in Rural and Small Town Canada: Interactive Dashboard

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Note to readers

Rural and small town communities and regions of Canada can be defined in several ways, each with implications for resource allocation, economic development and community dynamics. This interactive dashboard is designed for users to explore the number and size of communities by rural and small town based on the delineation of communities outside census metropolitan areas or census agglomerations or by rural areas (non-population centre) according to the Census of Population Program. Use the tabs below to examine the different definitions of rural areas.

Rural and small town (non-CMA/CA): Census subdivisions outside of census metropolitan areas (CMAs) or census agglomerations (CAs). This definition adopts a labour market perspective to rural areas, focusing on populations residing outside the main commuting zone of large urban centres of 10,000 people or more.

Rural area (non-population centre): A definition of rural used by Statistics Canada’s Census of Population Program, referring to areas outside population centres. This definition adopts a demographic perspective of rural areas, focusing on populations residing outside settlements of 1,000 or more inhabitants and a density of fewer than 400 inhabitants per square kilometre.

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Data

The data used to create this interactive web application is from the following listed data tables:

Table 98-10-0002-01: Population and dwelling counts: Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities).

Table 98-10-0011-01 (SDMX format): Population and dwelling counts: Canada and population centres.

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Additional information

Data used to develop this dashboard are sourced from the 2021 Census of Population, presented in Table 98-10-0002-01 and Table 98-10-0011-01. Counts on population and private dwellings, change in population, land area in square kilometres, and population density per square kilometre are summarized based on definition type.

Table 98-10-0011-01 has been standardized in the Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX) format and their metadata have been organized to allow for efficient data linkage. Download the data in CSV format above. Data will be regularly updated and expanded where possible.

Definitions

Rural and small town (non-CMA/CA): Census subdivisions outside census metropolitan areas (CMAs) or census agglomerations (CAs), according to Statistics Canada's Standard Geographical Classification (SGC). For more information see: Variant of Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 for Statistical area classification.
Functional urban area (CMA/CA): Census subdivisions within CMAs or CAs, according to Statistics Canada's SGC. For more information see: Variant of Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021 for Statistical area classification.
Census subdivision (CSD): A general term for municipalities (as determined by provincial and territorial legislation) or areas treated as municipal equivalents for statistical purposes (e.g., Indian reserves, Indian settlements and unorganized territories). Municipal status is defined by laws in effect in each province and territory in Canada.
Census metropolitan area (CMA): Formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a population centre (known as the core). A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the core, based on adjusted data from the Census of Population Program.
Census agglomeration (CA): Formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a population centre (known as the core). A CA must have a core population of at least 10,000, based on adjusted data from the Census of Population Program.
Rural area (non-population centre): Areas outside population centres of settlements of 1,000 or more inhabitants and a population density of fewer than 400 inhabitants per square kilometre.
Population centre (urban): Areas with a population of at least 1,000 and a population density of 400 persons or more per square kilometre.

Summary statistics
Table summary
This table displays the results of . The information is grouped by Geography tpe (appearing as row headers), , calculated using (appearing as column headers).
Geography type	Total number (2021)	Classification
Note ... not applicable Note 1 Non-population centres of Canada are the area that remains after the delineation of population centres using census population data. For more information see: Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021 – Rural area (RA). Return to note 1 referrer Source: Statistics Canada. 2022. Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021 - Table 1.1 Geographic areas by province and territory, 2021 Census.
Population centres	1,026	Population centre (urban)
Non-population centres ^{Summary statistics Note 1}	... not applicable	Rural area (non-population centre)
Census subdivisions (within CMA/CA)	1,007	Functional urban area (CMA/CA)
Census subdivisions (outside CMA/CA)	4,154	Rural and small town (non-CMA/CMA)

Methodology

Values for population count, change and density, as well as private dwelling counts, by rural area (non-population centres) were derived as follows:

Population of rural areas (non-population centre): Subtracting the combined population counts of small and medium population centres, as well as large urban population centres of a province or territory, from the total population of that province or territory.

Population change in rural areas (non-population centre): Subtracting the rural population in the 2016 Census of Population from the rural population in the 2021 Census of Population of a province or territory. This difference was then divided by the rural population of that province or territory, according to the 2016 Census of population. The resulting value was multiplied by 100 to express the change as a percentage.

Population density of rural areas (non-population centre): Dividing the rural population of a province or territory by its respective rural area.

Private dwellings in rural areas (non-population centre): Subtracting the combined private dwelling counts of small and medium population centres, as well as large urban population centres of a province or territory, from the total dwelling counts of that province or territory.

CSDs outside CMAs or CAs were classified as rural and small town (non-CMA/CA), while CSDs within CMAs or CAs were classified as functional urban areas. Values for population count, change and density, as well as private dwelling counts, by rural and small town (non-CMA/CA) were derived as follows:

Population of rural and small towns (non-CMAs/CAs): Combining population counts of CSDs outside CMAs/CAs within a province or territory.

Population change in rural and small towns (non-CMAs/CAs): Subtracting the rural and small town (RST) population in the 2016 Census of Population from the RST population in the 2021 Census of Population of a province or territory. This difference was then divided by the RST population of that province or territory, according to the 2016 Census of population. The resulting value was multiplied by 100 to express the change as a percentage.

Population density of rural and small towns (non-CMAs/CAs): Dividing the RST population of a province or territory by its respective RST area.

Private dwellings in rural and small towns (non-CMAs/CAs): Combining private dwelling counts of CSDs outside CMAs/CAs within a province or territory.