• Higher equity scores reflect greater inequities and needs: Areas with higher scores face more systemic barriers and overlapping equity challenges, such as high unemployment, poverty, lower educational attainment, elevated crime rates, and health disparities.
• Lower equity scores reflect fewer inequities and needs: Areas with lower scores experience fewer barriers to equity and better social outcomes. Residents in these census tracts tend to have higher incomes, higher levels of education, better access to services, stronger community connections, and fewer households relying on government support. 

It is important to consult the total equity score, the domain scores and individual indicator values to form a comprehensive understanding of how areas in the city experience equity/inequity. This multi-level approach gives a more complete picture of equity across Calgary, allowing for more targeted and effective interventions.

The CEI uses a five-colour scheme based on quintiles (20th percentiles) to visualize different levels of equity across the city. This colour coding applies to total equity scores, domain scores, and individual indicator values. For the total equity and domain level scores, the colours highlight areas with higher or lower inequity. For indicator values, the colours show the relative distribution or magnitude of each measure. 

• The darkest colour represents the top 20% (highest quintile) of equity scores or indicator values. For equity scores, darker colours reflect higher inequity and greater overall need. For indicators, darker colours reflect the highest distribution or concentration of raw values for each measure.
• The lightest colour represents the bottom 20% (lowest quintile) of equity scores or indicator values. For equity scores, lighter colours reflect lower inequity and less overall need. For indicators, lighter colours reflect the lowest distribution or concentration of raw values for each measure.

To provide additional context, the CEI application includes overlay data not part of the index calculations. The overlay data can be mapped alongside CEI scores and includes sociodemographic characteristics from the 2021 Federal Census, results from the latest Fall Survey of Calgarians, and other administrative sources. For example, overlaying the distribution of seniors (aged 65+) with the Accessibility and Amenities domain score could reveal disparities in access to services in areas with higher concentrations of seniors.

The overlay data are grouped by quartiles when values are arranged from smallest to largest and presented as dot density on the maps.

• Lowest quartile: The lowest 25% of values.
• The interquartile range (IQR): The middle range of the values (between the 25th and 75th percentile).
• Highest quartile: The top 25% of values.

Sociodemographic overlay data are available at the census tract level, while data from the Fall Survey of Calgarians (2023) are presented at the ward level. It’s important to note that data mapped at larger geographic levels, such as wards, provide broader trends and insights. However, applying findings from these larger areas to smaller areas like census tracts has limitations. The relationships and patterns observed between the overlay data and CEI scores may not accurately reflect conditions at the more detailed census tract level.

While the CEI offers robust insights into equity across Calgary, several limitations should be considered when interpreting the data:

• Not directly comparable with previous CEI versions: Due to changes in the level of geography (moving from CSAs to CTs), additional indicator data (expanding the index from 20 to 61 indicators), and updates to how the total equity scores are reported (inverted), results from the 2024 CEI are not directly comparable to the results from the previous CEI. The updated CEI includes data that captures a broader range of equity dimensions, altering the way the total equity scores are calculated and interpreted. As a result, a score from the earlier CEI may not reflect the same underlying factors of equity as a score in 2024. 
  
• Simplification of complex realities: The CEI aggregates data from multiple sources into a single score, which may oversimplify the complex social conditions within communities. The scores reflect average experiences and may not capture the nuances of specific groups or emerging challenges. The CEI is not intended to be used alone, and users should supplement it with additional data and information relevant to any decisions being made.
• Not intended to measure outcomes: Any changes in the indicators that make up the total equity score, domain scores, and the rankings of census tracts are more likely to be affected by large economic factors or community changes than interventions from any one program. Therefore, the CEI should not be used as a benchmark to measure the progress or performance of a program or intervention.
• Relative and arbitrary quintile assignments: The CEI uses quintiles to categorize the equity scores and indicator values for each census tract and then assigns a colour to each by quintile. This assignment is arbitrary and relative. For example, a census tract in the top quintile (20th percentile), shown by the darkest colour, may have characteristics similar to those of a census tract in the 22nd percentile (dark colour). While both may indicate high need, the difference between the two areas might be small, and they will be represented by different colours. We encourage users to explore domain scores and specific indicators to gain a deeper understanding of the factors influencing equity scores.
• Data gaps: Some important equity indicators are not included in the CEI due to the limited availability of data, such as child and youth education outcomes (Early Development Instrument, Early Years Assessment, or high school graduation rates) or vacancy rates to measure the demand of housing. These exclusions limit the ability to capture all relevant dimensions of equity. 

• Point-in-time data: The CEI relies heavily on the federal census and other historical data, which may not reflect current conditions, especially in fast-growing communities. This can make it difficult to capture emerging equity concerns in real-time.  

Please refer to the CEI Methodology Documentation for more detailed information on limitations.

• The conceptual framework guiding the Calgary Equity Index (CEI) continues to be based on the World Health Organization’s Urban HEART framework.
• The statistical method for calculating the total equity score remains Principal Component Factor Analysis, which assigns weights to each indicator to combine them into a single score.
• The updated version retains most of the 20 indicators from the previous CEI iteration.

• Geographic scope and detail
  1. The CEI now evaluates equity at the census tract level, providing more detailed results than the previous Community Service Areas (CSA).
  2. All areas of The City are now included in the assessment (the prior geographies did not align with city boundaries).
• Expanded indicators and data sources
  • The number of indicators has increased from 20 to 61, and the number of domains has increased from 5 to 6.
• Scoring and thresholds
  • Higher scores now indicate greater equity concerns (inequity) or overlapping needs, and lower scores indicate fewer equity concerns. In the earlier version, higher scores represented greater equity.
  • Individual indicator scores are interpreted based on higher and lower values.
  • Results are now classified into five quintiles, ranging from highest to lowest need. This change replaces the previous three-category system (above target, below benchmark, between target and benchmark).

The Calgary Equity Index (CEI) was developed to support City planning and programming by identifying communities that may require additional resources and support. It serves as an initial screening tool to help inform decisions and prioritize actions based on varying levels of need across geographic areas. Notably, the CEI was not designed to measure the outcomes of specific programs or policies.  

The 2024 update introduces significant changes to the CEI that limit the comparability across versions. These changes include:

• Broader indicator data: The updated index now includes 61 indicators, up from the previous 20, thus enabling a wider range of equity dimensions.
• Granular geography: Scores are now reported at the census tract level, providing a more detailed understanding of inequities at a smaller geography than the previous Community Service Area (CSA) level.
• Score interpretation: Higher scores in the 2024 CEI now represent greater inequity, a reversal from earlier versions.

These updates fundamentally change how the total equity scores are calculated and interpreted. As a result, scores from earlier CEI versions may not reflect the same underlying factors as scores in 2024, making direct comparisons between versions invalid.

The methodology and data must remain consistent between versions to compare indices meaningfully over time. In the case of the Calgary Equity Index (CEI), the 2024 version incorporated substantial changes to the data included in the index and the level of geography with which it is reported. This updated version may serve as a baseline for future equity assessments, depending on how the methodology and data evolve.  

Comparisons at the indicator level are possible for any indicators that remain consistent across CEI versions, provided the level of geography remains the same (census tracts). For example, unemployment rates reported at the census tract level can be compared across CEI versions and in future iterations as long as unemployment continues to be included as an indicator.  

Barring any substantial changes to data availability, feedback, and methodological understanding, the Calgary Equity Index will be updated every five years, in alignment with the federal census schedule.

While the Calgary Equity Index scores and indicator data are reported at the census tract (CT) level, users can view the boundaries for communities, wards, and quadrants in Calgary in the CEI tool map. Additionally, the tool provides detailed reporting that links a census tract to the corresponding communities and quadrants, making it easy to identify these relationships without solely relying on map boundaries.  

Calgary has 290 census tracts, 206 communities, 14 wards, and four quadrants (N.W., N.E., S.E., S.W.).

Equity and indicator scores are reported at the census tract (CT) level but have been matched to Calgary communities and quadrants. The process of matching CTs to community boundaries is not perfect, as boundaries do not align identically. Therefore, a CT is assigned to a community if more than 20% of the CT’s area falls within the community, and more than one community can be assigned to a CT, and more than one CT to a community. Similarly, a CT is assigned to a quadrant if more than 50% of a CT falls within that quadrant.  

You can explore the data for communities, quadrants and corresponding CTs in the CEI tool or through Open Data.  

Unlike communities and quadrants, wards are not directly matched to CTs, but ward boundaries are displayed as a mapping layer in the CEI tool. You can visually determine which CTs correspond to each ward.