2006 Census of Population [Canada] Public Use Microdata File (PUMF): Hierarchical File

The Hierarchical File, 2006 Census (Public Use Microdata Files) is a collection of records depicting individuals' responses to the 2006 Census. The Hierarchical File (PUMF) provides important information about the composition and structure of Canadian families and households. The file allows users to explore the demographic, socio-cultural, ethno-cultural, housing and economic characteristics of census families, economic families and private households, as well as the individuals that define these units. The Hierarchical File (PUMF) contains 124,358 private households with a total of 309,841 individual records, representing approximately 1% of the population in private households in private occupied dwellings in Canada. Each individual record contains 99 variables and was drawn from a sample of one-fifth of the Canadian population (sample data from the census 2B questionnaire). Rigorous steps were taken to preserve and maintain the confidentiality and anonymity of the identity of the persons found in the file. Since the 1971 Census, Statistics Canada has traditionally produced three public use microdata files: the Individuals File, the Families File and the Households and Housing File. To meet users' needs and allow international comparison of PUMFs, Statistics Canada produced two files for the 2006 Census: the Individuals File (released March 2010) and the present Hierarchical File.