Refers to the classification of the population according to whether or not the persons are members of an economic family.

Economic family persons refer to two or more household members who are related to each other by blood, marriage, common-law or adoption, and thereby constitute an economic family.

They can be further classified as follows:

Economic family reference persons

In each economic family, one person is designated as the reference person. For purposes of presentation of historically comparable low-income statistics, the following designations have been made. The male spouse or partner is designated as the reference person in opposite-sex couple families. In lone-parent families, the male or female lone parent is the reference person. In same-sex couple families, the first person in the couple listed on the questionnaire is the economic family reference person. In all other economic families, the reference person can be either a male or female person not in a census family.

Economic family members

Persons in the economic family other than the economic family reference person are classified as spouses or common-law partners of the reference person, children of the reference person, or other economic family members. Children of the reference person may be of any age or marital status.

Persons not in economic families

Household members who do not belong to an economic family. Persons living alone are included in this category.