Camrose County in Alberta is now home to 1,439 active businesses, a record high that shows a strong and steady recovery for the rural economy. The new 2025 numbers, released by the county based on Statistics Canada data, represent an 8.4 percent increase from last year and a 22.2 percent jump over five years.
The rebound is even more dramatic when you look back just a few years. In 2022, the county’s business base had dropped to only 867 establishments, its lowest point in the recent data series. Since then, the count climbed to 1,020 in 2023, then surged by 30.2 percent to 1,328 in 2024, and has now reached the current high of 1,439.
What is driving the recovery? The numbers point overwhelmingly to very small, often home-based businesses. In 2025, 78.3 percent of all businesses in the county operate without any employees, and another 16.7 percent have just one to four workers. That means roughly 95 percent of all establishments have fewer than five employees. This micro-business makeup is even more pronounced in key local industries. Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting are 97.5 percent micro-businesses. Real estate and rental operations clock in at 98.1 percent, and professional, scientific, and technical services sit at 96.0 percent.
The data lines up with earlier figures from the Alberta Regional Dashboard, which found that 95.2 percent of businesses in Camrose were small businesses in 2024 (using a broader definition of 1-49 employees). For residents, that means the local economy is largely shaped by independent farmers, tradespeople, consultants, and operators who work from home or small workshops.
Camrose County’s growth in 2025 outpaced the rest of the province. Alberta recorded 609,531 business establishments last year, up 4.8 percent from 2024. While the province’s five-year growth was higher at 35.9 percent, the county’s faster single-year climb suggests it is catching up after a deeper dip. The county’s recovery is grounded in agriculture and services rather than oil and gas, a distinction that makes it one of the more unique rural economies in Alberta.
