Rural and small town Canada, 2023 to 2024
Description: Rural and small town Canada, 2023 to 2024
Statistics Canada’s Rural Data Lab regularly publishes information on demographics, housing, business, trade, services, and more in Canada's rural and small towns.
Population
From 2021 to 2024, the population of Canada’s rural and small towns increased in 10 of the 13 provinces and territories.
Estimated rural and small town population, 2021 to 2024
| Province or territory | Estimated rural and small town population, 2021 | Estimated rural and small town population, 2024 | Percentage change (2021 to 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| percent | |||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 248,066 | 245,885 | -0.9 |
| Prince Edward Island | 59,978 | 64,284 | +6.9 |
| Nova Scotia | 305,812 | 317,496 | +3.7 |
| New Brunswick | 290,590 | 301,212 | +3.6 |
| Quebec | 1,561,639 | 1,620,647 | +3.7 |
| Ontario | 1,489,276 | 1,536,301 | +3.1 |
| Manitoba | 396,616 | 406,445 | +2.4 |
| Saskatchewan | 396,526 | 400,221 | +0.9 |
| Alberta | 787,104 | 807,285 | +2.5 |
| British Columbia | 542,869 | 558,531 | +2.8 |
| Yukon | 8,728 | 8,704 | -0.3 |
| Northwest Territories | 22,675 | 21,996 | -3.0 |
| Nunavut | 40,086 | 41,159 | +2.6 |
From mid-2023 to mid-2024, Ontario and Quebec had the highest net number of people who moved from cities to rural and small towns within the province, while Alberta had the highest net gains from people moving from other parts of Canada to its rural and small towns.
Housing
In 2023, most residential building permits for new constructions in rural and small town Canada were for single homes, with permits valued at over $6.6 billion.
| Residential building type | Number of residential building permits issued for new constructions | Value of residential building permits |
|---|---|---|
| Single houses | 14,694 | $6.6 billion |
| Multiple apartments | 1,701 | $2.0 billion |
| Cottages (single-family dwellings)Table 2 Note 1 | 1,430 | $427 million |
Business
In December 2024, over 98% of businesses in rural and small towns were small businesses (i.e., with 1 to 99 employees).
Top industries of businesses in rural and small town Canada
| Percent | |
|---|---|
| Construction | 14.7 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 14.4 |
| Retail trade | 10.6 |
Access to services
2 in 5 households in rural and small town Canada had access to basic services (e.g., employment, grocery stores, health care facilities) within 15 km of their home.
Among the different types of services, they were least likely to have access to libraries, pharmacies and high schools within this radius.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Business Counts in Rural and Small Town Canada: Interactive Dashboard, 2024, Annual demographic estimates, rural and small town and functional urban areas: Interactive dashboard, 2024, Rural Canada Housing Profiles: Interactive Dashboard, 2023, and Rural Data Viewer, 2023.
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