Household living arrangements of person not in census family

Status: This standard was approved as a departmental standard on July 31, 2026.

Definition

Household living arrangements refers to whether the person lives with other persons and, if so, whether they are related.

Person not in census family refers to persons who are not members of a census family.

Derivation

'Household living arrangements of person not in a census family' is derived from the responses to questions about the relationships among the people who live in the household.

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards

This standard is broadly compatible with the recommendations for censuses contained in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Conference of European Statisticians (UNECE-CES) "Recommendations for the 2030 Round of Population and Housing Censuses", 2025. The UNECE-CES recommendations include a classification (section 16.4.3.3) of family nucleus status and household living arrangement of person, which distinguishes persons not in a family nucleus: living with other relatives (non-relatives may also be present), living with non-relatives only (includes foster children), and living alone. However, unlike the UNECE-CES recommended classification, this standard categorizes foster children as "living with relatives."

Classifications

Relation to previous version

  • Household living arrangements of person not in census family July 31, 2026 to current

    In French, the name of the concept "situation des particuliers du ménage" was renamed "caractéristiques du ménage." Minor revisions to wording were made to the definition of the concept and classification definitions, as well as to the name and definition of the statistical unit.

  • Household living arrangements of person not in a census family November 16, 2015 to July 30, 2026

    This is an update to 'Household living arrangements of person'. The statistical unit has been changed to "person not in a census family."

  • Household living arrangements of person October 22, 2007 to November 15, 2015

    'Household living arrangements of person' is incorporated within the classification of the previous standard, Household status. The current standards take a more simplified approach, presenting each classification dimension as a separate concept. This approach provides greater conceptual and definitional clarity while simultaneously allowing users more flexibility in constructing whatever more complex, multidimensional classifications meet their needs for data presentation.

  • Household Status July 15, 1998 to October 21, 2007
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