February 21, 2017 (Previous notice)
This is an information notice.
The Population Centre and Rural Area Classification 2016 was approved as a departmental standard on January 16, 2017.
The classification provides standard names and codes for Canada's population centres and rural area. Population centres are classified into three groups, depending on the size of their population: small population centres (population between 1,000 and 29,999), medium population centres (population between 30,000 and 99,999) and large urban population centres (population of 100,000 or more). The first use of the Population Centre and Rural Area Classification 2016 and its variant was in the 2016 Census. Starting in 2011, the term 'population centre' replaced the term 'urban area'.
The classification variant, the Population Centre and Rural Area Classification 2016 by Province and Territory, consists of the addition of two additional levels in the hierarchy of the classification: geographical regions of Canada, and provinces and territories. This allows for the classification of the population centre size class categories and rural area by provincial and territorial parts.
Contact information
For more information, please contact Standards Division.