Poverty Vulnerability Map: Research Notes
The intent of this map is to facilitate greater accessibility of publicly available data, rendering visible key indicators that show which areas across Canada are vulnerable to poverty and hunger.
It is also hoped that this map will enable and facilitate conversations between civil society, government and other interested parties about how best to address poverty and hunger in their communities.
Data sources
All census key indicator variables for Canadian provinces, territories, federal electoral districts, aggregate dissemination areas and census metropolitan areas (CMAs)/census agglomerations (CAs) were sourced from the Statistics Canada 2021 Census Program.
Source of food insecurity data at the CMA/CA level from Statistics Canada, custom tabulation from 2021 Canadian Income Survey. Table: 13-10-0835-01, Release date: 2024-04-26. Reproduced and distributed on an “as is” basis with the permission of Statistics Canada. Statistics Canada Open License agreement
Statistics Canada does not provide access to data from sparsely populated areas due to privacy concerns as the data could potentially be used to identify households. Access to data from the territories is limited.
Food insecurity data on this map is limited to the census metropolitan area/census agglomeration level due to data availability. For rates of food insecurity at the national and provincial level, as well as territorial estimates, visit https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240426/dq240426a-eng.htm and https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240619/dq240619d-eng.htm
This map is for informational purposes only.
Key Indicators
Variables were chosen based on their availability at the federal electoral district and aggregate dissemination area geographic levels, as well as their relevance and impact on experiences of poverty and food insecurity.
Level of geography: The map is divided by federal electoral districts (FEDs; also referred to as ridings), census aggregate dissemination areas (ADAs) and census metropolitan areas (CMAs).
Both FEDs and ADAs cover the entire country and respect provincial and territorial boundaries. ADAs are geographic regions delineated by Statistics Canada for the purposes of the national census. They have a population between 5,000 and 15,000 where possible. FEDs are areas represented by members of the House of Commons and are based on the 2023 Representation Order. (Considering the official release of the 2023 Representation Order in 2026, we employed a concordance file to connect the 2021 district boundaries with the 2023 FED Representation Order, offering the best-fit concordance.)
Population: 2021 Census population
Median household income: Median total income of households in 2020 (in Canadian dollars)
Housing affordability: Prevalence of tenant households spending 30 per cent or more of their income on shelter costs. Housing is considered affordable when a household spends less than 30 per cent of its pre-tax income on shelter.
Low-income measure: Prevalence of units whose income falls below a specified low-income line, after tax (LIM-AT). The specified low-income line refers to households whose income falls below 50 per cent of the median-adjusted after-tax income of private households where low-income concepts are applicable.
Unemployment rate: Number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force. Refers to whether a person aged 15 years and over was unemployed during the week of Sunday, May 2 to Saturday, May 8, 2021. For Census Metropolitan Areas, more recent unemployment data from September 2024 is now available at Statistics Canada.
Indigenous identity: Indigenous identity includes persons who are First Nations, Métis or Inuk and/or those who are Registered or Treaty Indians and/or those who have membership in a First Nation or Indian band.
Visible minority: Visible minority refers to whether a person belongs to a racialized group as defined by the Employment Equity Act. The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese. It does not include Indigenous identity.
Recent immigration: Those who have immigrated to Canada in the last five years at the time of the census (2016–2021). ‘Immigrants’ includes persons who are landed immigrants or permanent residents.
Food insecurity: Food insecurity is the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints. Food insecurity on this map refers to people living in households that experienced marginal, moderate or severe food insecurity.
FBC affiliates: The organizations listed on the map are those food banks and other programs that are affiliate organizations of Food Banks Canada. Of the organizations and food banks listed on the map, some are “hubs” that distribute food to community agencies like food pantries, shelters, and after-school programs that rely on food to deliver their support. Others are food banks that serve people directly, and some food banks do both.
On the map, in many cases only the locations of the “hubs” are provided, even though their membership includes many food banks and other programs in their areas. This is the case for larger cities like Vancouver and Toronto. When those organizations that are not listed on the map are included, there are over 5,500 in total. Points were approximated based on food-bank postal codes and are not intended for navigational purposes.
Northern food basket costs 2021: March 2021 values for the Revised Northern Food Basket (RNFB) in communities eligible for the Nutrition North Canada program. The amounts are estimates of what it cost to feed a family of four a healthy diet for one week and were acquired from Nutrition North Canada’s “Cost of the Revised Northern Food Basket 2020/2021” report. Monthly estimates of food costs were calculated by Food Banks Canada. The monthly cost of the Ottawa food basket is for a reference family of four in 2022, and was provided by Ottawa Public Health.
This map was created by Esri Canada and funded by the Walmart Foundation.