Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021
Core housing need

Definition

Core housing need refers to whether a private household's housing falls below at least one of the indicator thresholds for housing adequacy, affordability or suitability, and would have to spend 30% or more of its total before‑tax income to pay the median rent of alternative local housing that is acceptable (attains all three housing indicator thresholds).

Housing indicator thresholds are defined as follows:

Adequate housing is reported by their residents as not requiring any major repairs.

Affordable housing has shelter costs equal to less than 30% of total before‑tax household income.

Suitable housing has enough bedrooms for the size and composition of resident households according to the National Occupancy Standard (NOS), conceived by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and provincial and territorial representatives.

Only private, non‑farm, non‑reserve and owner‑ or renter‑households with incomes greater than zero and shelter‑cost‑to‑income ratios less than 100% are assessed for 'core housing need.'

Non‑family households with at least one maintainer aged 15 to 29 attending school are considered not to be in 'core housing need' regardless of their housing circumstances. Attending school is considered a transitional phase, and low incomes earned by student households are viewed as being a temporary condition.

Statistical unit(s)

• Private household

Classification(s)

• Core housing need

Reported in

2021 and 2016^{Footnote 1} (25% sample).

Reported for

Private households in non‑farm dwellings

Question number(s)

Responses

In core housing need; Not in core housing need; Not applicable

Remarks

Not applicable

Note(s)

Related 2021 data products

• Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population (98-316-X2021001)
• Focus on Geography Series, 2021 Census of Population (98-404-X2021001)
• Census Program Data Viewer (CPDV) (98-507-X2021001)
• Acceptable housing by tenure: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (98-10-0246-01)
• Acceptable housing by tenure: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations (98-10-0249-01)
• Core housing need by tenure including presence of mortgage payments and subsidized housing: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (98-10-0247-01)
• Core housing need by tenure including presence of mortgage payments and subsidized housing: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations (98-10-0248-01)
• Shelter-cost-to-income ratio by visible minority and immigrant status and period of immigration: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts (98-10-0328-01)