The Data Hub is an online platform that highlights data trends about youth in Ontario. Users can drill down on disaggregated data from Statistics Canada across various youth characteristics and visualize changes over several census years. The Data Hub includes Data Stories with narratives on how Ontario youth are doing on different dimensions, disaggregated through socio-demographic variables, and an interactive Data Dashboard that allows users to select and customize local level data.

The Data Hub was developed specifically for the Ontario youth sector but anyone who is interested in youth and youth wellbeing in Ontario will find it relevant. Data can be powerful tools that inform practices, programs, services, and policies that are responsive to the diversity of youth in Ontario. The Data Hub is designed to be accessible regardless of experience with data analysis or data-based research.

You cannot upload your dataset directly to the Data Hub, but you can contact us to explore this at info@youthrex.com.

Please cite as follows (add the year of the census data, i.e. 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021):

Statistics Canada. (YEAR). Census of Canada. Data Hub by YouthREX. http://youthrex.com/data-hub/dashboard

We would love to hear from you. You can reach us by email at info@youthrex.com.

Please contact us at info@youthrex.com. Thank you!

Users do not need any software to access and interact with the Data Stories and/or Data Dashboard. You can filter, drill down, and interact with the data on the Data Dashboard without any special software.

The Data Hub has been especially developed for the Ontario youth sector and is designed with an intuitive interface, featuring visualizations, notes, and easy navigation to make sure that users, regardless of their data literacy level, can understand the information.

Although the Data Hub has been designed to look and feel great across devices (e.g., phones, tablets, and desktop monitors), it is best viewed on laptops and desktops as we keep working to make it more mobile-responsive.

Users can download customized data tables and visualizations from the Data Stories or Data Dashboard.

• Data Dashboard: Click "Download Table" to download the data in .csv or .xlsx format. For visualizations (charts, graphs, etc.), select the desired visualization (plot) and click the "Download Plot" button to save it as a PDF.
• Data Stories: Click "Download Table” to view or download the data in .xlsx format, or click "Download Plot" to download the plot.

The interactive Data Dashboard provides a platform through which users can customize their data searches by selecting 1 of 49 census divisions in Ontario, 1 of 4 themes (Demographics, Economic Wellbeing, Education or Family), and 1 indicator under the theme selected. You can use a navigation tab to view the data by Age Group, Gender, Visible Minority Status, Place of Birth, or Immigration Status. In this way, users can select and filter data relevant to their questions about youth and youth wellbeing in Ontario. You can also choose the plot type you want for the data visualization.

The Data Hub relies on census data collected by Statistics Canada, which provide valuable insights. However, like all data, they have limitations, such as undercounting, response errors, and shifts in geographic boundaries over time. It’s crucial to interpret this data alongside lived experiences to ensure equity and a fuller understanding of youth perspectives.

The Data Hub only examines data on youth identified as ‘male’ or ‘female’ because of the way data is collected by Statistics Canada in the Canadian census. YouthREX acknowledges that this does not capture the full spectrum of gender identity among youth in Ontario. The 2021 census introduced the concept of gender for the first time and makes the distinction between sex at birth and gender.

Statistics Canada explains the Canadian census approach to gender:

Gender refers to an individual's personal and social identity as a man, woman or non-binary person (a person who is not exclusively a man or a woman). A person’s gender may differ from their sex at birth, and from what is indicated on their current identification or legal documents such as their birth certificate, passport or driver’s licence. A person's gender may change over time. Some people may not identify with a specific gender.

Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is sometimes necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided. In these cases, individuals in the category ‘non-binary persons’ are distributed into the other two gender categories and are denoted by the ‘＋’ symbol.”

Men＋ includes men (and/or boys), as well as some non-binary persons. Women＋ includes women (and/or girls), as well as some non-binary persons.

The data in the Data Hub come from the Canadian census, a national survey conducted every five years by Statistics Canada. This survey collects comprehensive data on the demographic, social, and economic conditions of the Canadian population.

The Data Hub includes demographic data, economic wellbeing indicators, and data on family dynamics, housing tenure, and educational attainment in Ontario from 2006 to 2021. Data focus on youth, defined by Statistics Canada as individuals aged 15 to 29 for the purposes of demographic and economic analysis. The data include population counts and growth rates, and proportions of youth and non-youth in Ontario. Providing relevant and reliable data across a 15-year timespan allows for the analysis of significant changes and patterns.

The census includes all individuals living in Canada at the time the census is conducted, including Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and non-permanent residents.

The survey excludes individuals who are not usual residents of Canada, such as tourists and foreign diplomats.

The Data Hub only includes data on young people in Ontario aged 15-29. However, certain populations of youth might be undercounted or excluded in the census, such as homeless youth, youth in remote or difficult-to-access areas, and some transient youth.

Census divisions are geographical areas defined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of organizing and presenting statistical data. In Ontario, there are 49 census divisions. You can customize data in the Data Dashboard by census division. If you’re not sure what census division the community you are looking for data on is in, search here by your location name or postal code.

The 49 Census Divisions in Ontario:

• Algoma District
• Brant County
• Bruce County
• Chatham-Kent Municipality
• Cochrane District
• Dufferin County
• Durham Regional Municipality
• Elgin County
• Essex County
• Frontenac County
• Greater Sudbury
• Grey County
• Haldimand County
• Haliburton County
• Halton Regional Municipality
• Hamilton
• Hastings County
• Huron County
• Kawartha Lakes City
• Kenora District
• Lambton County
• Lanark County
• Leeds and Grenville United Counties
• Lennox and Addington County
• Manitoulin District
• Middlesex County
• Muskoka District Municipality
• Niagara Regional Municipality
• Nipissing District
• Northumberland County
• Ottawa
• Oxford County
• Parry Sound District
• Peel Regional Municipality
• Perth County
• Peterborough County
• Prescott and Russell United Counties
• Prince Edward County
• Rainy River District
• Renfrew County
• Simcoe County
• Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties
• Sudbury District
• Thunder Bay District
• Timiskaming District
• Toronto
• Waterloo Regional Municipality
• Wellington County
• York Regional Municipality