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The education index is a measure of the proportion of the population 15 years of age and over who have post-secondary qualifications compared to the Canadian proportion meeting the same criteria. The index values are generally lower than the Canadian average. The median value is 0.78, and 88% of the communities have a value of less than 1.00 which is the Canadian norm. The values tend to be higher in Western Canada, especially in the southern part of British Columbia, and also in the larger communities with a population of 5000 or greater.

This map indicates the degree of reliance of each of the 298 communities on forest-related industries. The index range spans the complete range from 50% up to 100% with most communities having values in the lower half of this range. Even though there are two widely-separated zones of these communities in Eastern Canada and Western Canada, there is little difference between the two zones in the overall degree of reliance. Many of these places depend on local forestry activity such as logging and on manufacturing industries such as pulp and paper production for their economic sustainability.

The 5-year mobility measures the percentage of the population aged five years or older who moved (changed address) in the five years preceding Census Day, 1996. The values are generally low. Three-quarters of the places have a figure below the Canadian average and the median for the entire set of 298 places is 29%, well below the Canadian average of 40%. The higher values for these places are largely found in Western Canada; where almost all of the values of 50.0% or more are found.

Poverty, usually measured using income, and poor health are closely related. Income is one of the non-medical determinants of health. For most of the 1990’s, the proportion of Canadians living below the low-income cut-off value increased significantly. The highest incidence values are found in the Atlantic Provinces, southern Quebec, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

The commercial activity index is a summary measure of the attraction of urban places as locations for commercial activity. The index compares the actual commercial employment to the employment predicted on the basis of population. Thus it captures both the variation in income per capita (the attractiveness of the local market), and the centrality, as the ability to reach service areas outside the city. In combination, the variation in income per capita favours the industrial towns of Ontario, while the measure of centrality favours the smaller centres of western Canada.

The Index of Ability compares the number of people who report being able to speak the language with the number who have that Aboriginal language as a mother tongue. The index has been compiled and mapped for each of the Aboriginal communities shown in the map Aboriginal Languages by Community, 1996. Relatively higher values of this index may suggest some degree of language revival.

While the size of the market determines the amount of service activity within a city, it may have more service activity than indicated by the size of the market, and this surplus of facilities is called "centrality". A high index value of centrality implies that the city is serving an extensive region outside the city, as well as the urban market itself. Conversely, a deficiency of service facilities suggests that the city's external role is quite limited, or that it may even import goods and service from nearby centres. In general the agricultural centres of western Canada have the highest values of centrality, while the lower values are found in industrial cities of central Canada (Ontario and Quebec) or isolated resource towns.

Small farms are defined here as those with product sales of $40 000 or less before expenses are deducted, based on the value of a dollar in 1995. Small farms accounted for half (or 139 000) of all Canadian census farms in 1996. Many small farms are not making money, after subtracting operating expanses from the gross farm revenue; the result is a financial loss. A great number of small-farm operators, 64% reported income from non-farm wages or employment income in 1996.

This map shows the difference between the actual employment in leisure services and the expected level, based on the city's population and income. Leisure services are a complex group. They are a combination of food services, typically found close to markets, with no strong preference for city size or income; accommodation (hotels and motels), oriented to smaller centres and resort areas but especially in high-income areas; and recreation activities, found in both big-city and high-income locations. These activities are oriented to high-income consumers and are often found in high-amenity rural locations, as well as in many big cities.

This map uses age-standardized ratios to further aid in regional comparisons. A value of 1.0 would indicate that the region rate is identical to the overall Canadian rate; a value greater than 1.0 would indicate that the rate for that region is higher than the Canadian rate; and, in turn, a ratio value less than 1.0 would indicate that the rate for the specific region is lower than the Canadian rate. Statistically low incidences of breast cancer are found in Newfoundland and Labrador, the territories, and northern areas of most provinces. Otherwise, each province has one or more pockets of significantly high breast cancer incidence.