Standing Firm: Rural Business Enterprises in Canada

By Neil Rothwell, Statistics Canada

Highlights

• In 2007, rural and small town Canada had slightly more firms per capita compared to Canada’s larger urban centres.

• In 2007, rural and small town Canada had a higher share of firms with 1 to 4 employees compared to Canada as a whole.

• Rural and small town Canada may have relatively more firms and a higher share of firms with 1 to 4 employees due to the dispersed nature and smaller size of its communities. This pattern tends to encourage the establishment of more but smaller firms.

• Communities in weak metropolitan influenced zones (Weak MIZ) appear to be classified as weakly influenced by larger urban centres because they often serve as regional service centres. Among the MIZs, Weak MIZ has relatively more producer service firms (albeit still well under the Canadian average) and more firms with over 200 employees (again, still well under the Canadian average).