A designated place is a type of geographic unit used by Statistics Canada to disseminate census data. It is usually "a small community that does not meet the criteria used to define incorporated municipalities or Statistics Canada population centres (areas with a population of at least 1,000 and no fewer than 400 persons per square kilometre)." Provincial and territorial authorities collaborate with Statistics Canada in the creation of designated places so that data can be published for sub-areas within municipalities. Starting in 2016, Statistics Canada allowed the overlapping of designated places with population centres.
In the 2021 Census of Population, Newfoundland and Labrador had 207 designated places, an increase from 199 in 2016. Among these designated places are 5 retired population centres. In 2021, the 207 designated places had a cumulative population of 44,012 and an average population of . Newfoundland and Labrador's largest designated place is Goulds with a population of 4,441.