Across Canada, over 2,100 non-profit housing co‑ops are home to about a quarter of a million people in over 90,000 households. There are housing co‑operatives in every province and territory.

Region	Number of Co-ops	Number of Units
British Columbia	264	14,698
Prairies	127	6,892
Ontario	557	44,287
Quebec	1,129	22,445
Atlantic Provinces	138	3,362
Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut	5	162
	2,220	91,846

Housing co‑ops cost less to operate – about 14 percent less than municipal or private non-profit housing, according to a CMHC study of co‑op housing programs published in September 2003.

About half of all co‑op households pay a monthly charge geared to their income. Government funds cover the difference between this payment and the co‑op’s full charge.

Here are some statistics from the Co‑operative Housing Programs Evaluation conducted by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in 2003:

58% of members are women

Half of co‑op households are female single person households or female single parents

11% are members of visible minorities

20% are immigrants

4% are of Aboriginal ancestry

12% of households include a person with long-term physical disability requiring special features such as wheelchair access