Fact Sheet:
Calgary Small Business
C A LG A R Y C E N S U S M E T R O P O L I TA N A R E A ( C M A )
2017 E D I T I O N
R E S E A R C H & S T R AT E G Y
P U B L I S H E D : M AY 1 7 , 20 1 7
Highlights
enjoy the advantage of customer focus, sets them
apart from larger corporations.
Calgary small businesses account for 95 per
cent of all businesses – they are a driving force
within the city’s business community. Small
businesses provide jobs for local residents and
are important for the vitality of inner cities.
Small business owners have the advantage
over larger corporations in that their size gives
them the flexibility to adapt quickly in terms of
aligning resources. They are able to be innovative
with products and implement processes and
efficiencies. These advantages, married with their
general passion for their business and ability to
Business Counts
Of Calgary’s total businesses (58,870) in 2016,
small business (businesses with less than 50
employees) accounted for 95.2 per cent (or
55,972).
A breakdown of Calgary’s small businesses by
employee size demonstrates that the smallest
segment (1 to 4 employees) is, in fact, the
largest, at 37,077 businesses or 66.2 per cent.
Calgary CMA Small Business by Number of
Employees
Total
55,972
5-9 Employees
8,817
16%
10-19 Employees
5,940
11%
1-4 Employees
37,077
66%
20-49 Employees
4,138
7%
Source: Statistics Canada, December 2016
calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com | 1
Fact Sheet: Calgary Small Business, 2017 Edition
Published: May 17, 2017
Small Business by Industry and
Employee Size
The dominant industries that made up Calgary’s
small business sector in 2016 were:
• Construction - 6,846 businesses (12.2 per
cent of total share)
• Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- 12,087 businesses (21.6 per cent of total
share)
• Retail Trade - 4,559 businesses (8.1 per cent
of total share)
Small Business by Industry and Employee Size
Calgary CMA, 2016
1-4
5-9
10-19
20-49
Employees Employees Employees Employees
Industry
Total
%
Distribution
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
215
38
18
7
278
0.5%
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
685
152
147
124
1,108
2.0%
43
15
6
14
78
0.1%
4,727
1,073
616
430
6,846
12.2%
Utilities
Construction
607
307
259
255
1,428
2.6%
Wholesale trade
1,053
568
441
323
2,385
4.3%
Retail trade
1,737
1,399
931
492
4,559
8.1%
Transportation and warehousing
1,743
242
146
123
2,254
4.0%
235
76
48
57
416
0.7%
1,156
277
188
193
1,814
3.2%
Manufacturing
Information and cultural industries
Finance and insurance
Real estate and rental and leasing
Professional, scientific and technical services
Management of companies and enterprises
Administrative and support, waste management
and remediation services
Educational services
1,909
246
158
139
2,452
4.4%
10,274
900
561
352
12,087
21.6%
138
44
65
67
314
0.6%
1,536
511
287
241
2,575
4.6%
376
103
90
74
643
1.1%
2,669
755
498
280
4,202
7.5%
Arts, entertainment and recreation
236
87
70
65
458
0.8%
Accommodation and food services
691
808
823
640
2,962
5.3%
2,519
927
448
195
4,089
7.3%
20
6
8
11
45
0.1%
4,508
283
132
56
4,979
8.9%
37,077
8,817
5,940
4,138 55,972
100.0%
Health care and social assistance
Other services (except public administration)
Public administration
Unclassified
Total
Note: Data for Small Businesses by industry omits those which are deemed unclassified by Statistics Canada.
Source: Canadian Business Counts, Statistics Canada, 2016
calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com | 2
Fact Sheet: Calgary Small Business, 2017 Edition
Published: May 17, 2017
Small Business Per Capita
Relative to its population, Calgary had the second
highest number of small businesses per capita
of the major cities in Canada in 2016 at a rate of
38.1 per 1,000 population.
Exceptional quality of life.
Calgary has ranked among the Top 5 most livable cities in the
world every year since 2009 because of our economy, safety,
infrastructure, social programs and a healthy lifestyle.
Economist Intelligence Unit, 2016
Small Businesses per Capita Across Canada
45.0
40.0
38.9
38.1
35.5
35.1
35.0
33.3
29.2
30.0
27.9
Footnotes
25.0
24.7
1For the purposes of this publication, a small business is
one that has between 1 and 49 employees.
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
Vancouver
Edmonton
Calgary
Saskatoon
Toronto
Ottawa
Montreal
Canada
Source: Statistics Canada, CMA Population, 2016 and Canadian Business Counts, December 2016,
Less Than 50 Employees (Per 1,000 Population)
Self-Employment
Highly educated, globally
connected workforce.
Calgary has the highest level of educational attainment of any
city in Canada after only Ottawa.
Calgary is a global city and one of the most ethnically diverse
cities in Canada with a significant francophone population.
More than 89,000 Calgarians are bilingual.
NHS, Statistics Canada, 2011
In 2016, there were 127,300 self-employed Calgarians. On a per capita basis, Calgary had the
third highest number of self-employed people of
major cities in Canada at 86.6 per 1,000 population.
During the past 10 years (2007-2016), Calgary
experienced self-employment growth of 11.1 per
cent.
In 2016, the largest group of Calgary entrepreneurs were in the 45 to 54 age group (28.2 per
cent share), followed by the 35 to 44 age bracket
(24.2 per cent share).
calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com | 3
Fact Sheet: Calgary Small Business, 2017 Edition
Published: May 17, 2017
Self-Employed per Capita and 10-Year Growth
40%
88.2
90
37.8%
80
87.9
86.6
87.6
35%
76.3
73.9
70
30%
69.7
66.1
25%
60
50
20%
20.7%
40
15%
11.1%
30
10.6%
8.7%
10%
20
10
0
6.6%
3.9%
5%
2.1%
Vancouver
Edmonton
Calgary
Toronto
Ottawa
Montreal
Alberta
10-Year Growth in Total Number of Self-Employed
Number of Self-Employed per Capita (per 1,000 population)
100
0%
Canada
Source: Statistics Canada, 2016, per 1,000 Population
Number of Self-Employed by Age Group
0
Ages: 15-24
Edmonton
Ages: 25-34
Calgary
Ages: 35-44
Toronto
Ages: 45-54
Ottawa
Ages 55-64
27,500 (10.3%)
74,500 (26.8%)
62,700 (23.0%)
67,400 (22.9%)
46,500 (14.4%)
9,200 (9.7%)
6,700 (2.5%)
24,000 (29.0%)
22,100 (21.0%)
17,200 (22.8%)
3,000 (4.1%)
10,900 (2.1%)
10,900 (8.7%)
32,500 (28.2%)
27,900 (21.9%)
32,500 (24.2%)
19,800 (14.8%)
3,600 (2.2%)
19,000 (21.5%)
9,200 (9.6%)
27,900 (25.0%)
24,600 (24.0%)
20,100 (17.6%)
60,100 (30.9%)
Vancouver
2,100 (2.3%)
20,000
24,000 (10.3%)
40,000
4,800 (2.7%)
60,000
54,100 (18.0%)
80,000
31,200 (14.4%)
100,000
50,700 (23.6%)
120,000
13,700 (13.3%)
82,000 (14.2%)
140,000
51,400 (10.1%)
160,000
141,300 (27.6%)
180,000
125,300 (24.8%)
137,900 (21.2%)
200,000
Montreal
Ages 65+
Source: Statistics Canada, 2016
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Fact Sheet: Calgary Small Business, 2017 Edition
Published: May 17, 2017
Bankruptcies
Calgary has experienced a steady decline in business bankruptcies historically, from a high of 419
in 2005 to 53 in 2016.
Since 95 per cent of Calgary CMA’s businesses are
small business, it is assumed that the majority of
business bankruptcies involve small businesses.
Calgary business bankruptcy rates are low compared to the Canadian average and other major
cities in Canada.
Of Alberta’s 121 business bankruptcies in 2016,
44 per cent were from the Calgary CMA.
Calgary CMA Number of Business Bankruptcies
450
419
400
350
300
267
250
190
200
176
147
150
116
95
100
86
74
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
53
41
38
2014
2015
50
2016
Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, Q4 2016
Business Bankruptcy Rates Across Canada
3.5
3.2
3.0
2.5
1.92
2.0
1.86
1.6
1.5
1.26
1.0
0.5
0.0
0.8
0.5
0.22
0.24
Vancouver
0.3
0.25
0.21
0.3
0.28
0.21
Edmonton
Calgary
Saskatoon
2014
0.85
0.7
0.41 0.43
2015
1.2
0.82
0.74
0.54
0.41
Toronto
Ottawa
Montreal
Canada
2016
Source: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, 2016, (Per 1,000 Businesses)
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