Census family

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

Definition

Census family refers to a married or common-law couple (with or without children) or a one-parent family. All members of a particular census family share a usual place of residence. Persons living with at least one of their biological or adopted parents are children in census families, regardless of their age or marital status, provided they do not live in a couple or with their children. Grandchildren living with at least one of their grandparents and with no parents present also constitute a census family.

Conformity to relevant internationally recognized standards

This standard is compatible with the definition of family nucleus presented 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 definition (section 16.3.1) of family nucleus as two or more persons living in the same private household who together form a couple (with or without children) or a one-parent family.

Relation to previous version

• Census family July 31, 2026 to current

  The definition of the statistical unit has been modified.

• Census family May 26, 2021 to July 30, 2026

  The definition of the statistical unit has been modified.

• Census family November 16, 2015 to May 25, 2021

  The previous standard made no reference to children being children by common-law unions. In this standard, common law unions have been added to the ways in which children can be associated to the census family. In addition, a child having a married spouse or a common-law partner living in the dwelling have been added to the ways in which children are excluded from this statistical unit.

• Census family February 20, 2006 to November 15, 2015

  In the previous standard, children were defined as "under the age of 25". In this standard, the age limit has been removed. However, only the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics ever used an age-limited definition of "child" in identifying families.
  
  The previous standard made no reference to same-sex couples. The addition of the words "a couple may be of opposite or same sex" reflects the established practice of including same-sex common-law couples and recognizes that same-sex couples can also be married.
  
  This standard includes families made up of grandchildren living with their grandparent(s) with no parents present. Such families were not included in the previous standard.

• Census family July 15, 1998 to February 19, 2006

  This was the departmental standard from July 15, 1998 to February 19, 2006.