Acceptable housing

• Proportion of the population living in acceptable housing.

This indicator is measured using statistics derived in the Canadian Housing Survey (CHS) and the Census of Population. This indicator is derived based on information respondents provide about their household's composition, the number of bedrooms in their household's dwelling and whether the dwelling needs repairs, their household's shelter costs as well as income information based on a combination of administrative and survey data.

Acceptable housing refers to whether a household meets each of the three indicator thresholds established by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation for housing adequacy, suitability and affordability.

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.

Acceptable housing identifies which thresholds the household falls below, if any. Housing that is adequate in condition, suitable in size and affordable is considered to be acceptable.

Households below and above the thresholds are based on the indicators for which individual households can be assessed. Farm and on-reserve households whose housing does not meet either or both of the suitability and adequacy thresholds are counted in the total of households below the thresholds. Farm and on-reserve households who live in housing that meets both the suitability and adequacy thresholds are counted in the total of households above the thresholds (even though it is not possible to assess housing affordability for these households). Farm households and on-reserve households cannot be assessed for housing affordability because the concept is not applicable.

This indicator is measured through more than one Statistics Canada survey. Estimates can vary between data sources due to differences in reference periods, targeted or sampled populations, data collection and other methodology.

• Canadian Housing Survey (CHS)
  • Table 46-10-0071-01 – Persons living in acceptable housing, by tenure including first-time homebuyer and social and affordable housing status, by province
  • Table 46-10-0072-01 – Persons living in acceptable housing, by tenure and other selected sociodemographic characteristics
• Census of Population
  • Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population

• Selected indicators of quality of life in Canada (Statistics Canada – Data Visualization Products)
• Municipal Quality of Life Dashboard (Statistics Canada – Data Visualization Products)

• Almost one-quarter of a million Canadian households are on a wait list for social and affordable housing (StatsCan Plus, October 1, 2024)
• Housing affordability in Canada, 2022 (The Daily, September 10, 2024)
• Housing international students: Housing suitability across municipalities (Economic and Social Reports, May 22, 2024)
• Navigating Socioeconomic Obstacles: Impact on the Well-being of Canadian Youth (The Daily, September 20, 2023)
• Women living in subsidized housing in Canada (Insights on Canadian Society, April 11, 2023)
• Childhood factors associated with the completion of a high school diploma or equivalency certificate or higher among First Nations children living off reserve, Métis and Inuit children (Indigenous Peoples Thematic Series, April 6, 2023)
• Housing Experiences in Canada: West Asian people in 2016 (Housing Statistics in Canada, October 21, 2022)
• Housing Experiences in Canada: Southeast Asian people in 2016 (Housing Statistics in Canada, October 12, 2022)
• Housing experiences in Canada: Filipino people in 2016 (Housing Statistics in Canada, October 12, 2022)
• Housing Experiences in Canada: Japanese people in 2016 (Housing Statistics in Canada, October 12, 2022)
• Housing Experiences in Canada fact sheets (new fact sheets are released continuously)
• A first look at shelter costs for households living on reserve using new data from the 2021 Census (Housing Statistics in Canada, September 21, 2022)
• The Canadian Housing Survey, 2018: Core housing need of renter households living in social and affordable housing (Income Research Paper Series, October 2, 2020)

Acceptable housing can be measured at the household level or person level. The household-level indicator measures the proportion of households living in acceptable housing, whereas the person-level indicator measures the proportion of people living in acceptable housing. For the purposes of the Quality of Life Framework, the focus of this indicator is to assess the living situation of people, so the person-level measurement is used.

Statistics Canada's Housing statistics

For additional information on housing indicators from the Census of Population, including acceptable housing, please refer to:

• 2021 Census Topic: Housing (Topics, 2021 Census, September 21, 2022)
• Housing Characteristics Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021 (Reference materials, 2021 Census, March 30, 2022)
• Acceptable housing (Dictionary, 2021 Census of Population, September 21, 2021)