Cornwall, Ontario

What Cornwall is made of: the communities whose institutions are here, the sectors its 1,912 businesses sit in, the franchises already on the ground, and the services a newcomer could start.

1,912 businesses on file · 126 trades · 33 sectors · census population 47,845 · built from geonet.ottawa on 2026-10-07

Businesses1,912
97% carry coordinates
Specialised in12
trades above the national pattern
Best suited toSeniors
on the census signals below
Franchise brands84
already operating here

Visiting rather than moving? The free guidebook for Cornwall → — the free guidebook for this region: why go, what to see, what is open when it rains.

1

The local economy

What the business base is made of, what it is specialised in against the national pattern, and what that mix implies. This is the part a development office would read first.

Composition, not health. geonet records what trades exist and where; it does not record formation, closure, employment or revenue, so none of those appear here. What makes this economics rather than a directory is the NAICS coding: it lets the local mix be read against the BLS survival curves and against the 323 industry groups this research has screened.

The two biggest markets here

Every industry group on this page links through to its NAICS page, and to the screened market report where this research has one — that is what the trait-to-NAICS coding buys.

Business density40
businesses per 1,000 residents, against the 2021 census count of 47,845
Breadth of the base293
broad — 88 industry groups, top three 18%
Survival the mix implies56.8%
at five years, against 51.4% for all private establishments
Coded to NAICS64.7%
of which 70.4% unambiguous

What this city is specialised in

Location quotient is this city's share of a trade divided by the same share across 10 CA metro tables. Above 1.25 is the conventional threshold for a local specialisation.

Thin against the national pattern

Common trades that are under-represented here. For someone deciding what to open, this is the more useful half of the table — though a gap can mean unmet demand or a market that does not work here, and this does not tell you which.

The base against the entry screen

Businesses by the entry signal of the industry group they sit in, from the /markets screen. A large "structure decides" share means most local trades are ones where being better than the incumbent does not by itself win. A trade is matched to the screened record at whatever level the research wrote it — the same code, a broader one, or a narrower one. Where a group holds several screened sub-markets the count is shown, because no single one of them speaks for the whole group.

Enter
24.7%
306 businesses
Caution
55.2%
683 businesses
Structure decides
20.1%
249 businesses
Not screened
0%
0 businesses

How to read the survival figure

Each sector's five-year establishment survival rate, weighted by how many of this city's businesses sit in that sector. It is a property of the MIX, not of these businesses — it says what survival this composition would imply at US private-sector rates, because no Canadian equivalent series exists.

Weighted over 95.7% of the coded base — public administration carries no curve. Source: Business Employment Dynamics — Table 7, Survival of private sector establishments by opening year, US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And what it does not measure

A "mixed" trait is one that genuinely spans codes — "computers" covers systems design, repair and supply. The clear share is how much of this reading rests on unambiguous coding. Business density also reflects how completely the directory covers a place, not only how many businesses are in it — so it compares poorly between a city the register knows well and one it does not.

2

Who lives here, and who the city is for

The census: the only figures on this page that count people rather than businesses, and the three cohort readings they make possible.

The register says what trades exist. The census says who lives here — and it is the only thing on this page that counts people. Figures are Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population for Cornwall, City (CY), the municipality proper, and every comparison is against the population-weighted average of all 5,161 census subdivisions in Canada.

Population47,845
census 2021
Median age46.4
against 42.1 nationally
Immigrants8.4%
against 23.2% nationally
Median rent$880
against $1,175 nationally

Who the city is for

Three readings, each built from real numbers against real benchmarks. This is not an index. Every signal is shown with its own value, its benchmark and which way it points, and the band simply counts how many point the same way — so a reader who disagrees with one signal can drop it and still use the rest.

Seniors

strong

Is this a place to grow old, and is the care here?

Residents 65 and over 25.4% ▲19%
Residents 85 and overthe group that needs care rather than the group that is merely retired 3.8% ▲2.3%
Median age 46.4 years ▲42.1 years
Low income among 65+against a 15% reference, not a national figure 18.9% ▼15%
Medical clinics per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register 0.19 –
Pharmacies per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register 0.42 –
Nursing and elderly care operatorscounted in the register, which lists few of them 0 –
Median rent 880 $/mo ▲1175 $/mo

A high share of over-65s says other people made this choice; it does not by itself say the care exists. The register lists clinics and pharmacies but has no category for a hospital at all, so the one thing a family would most want — distance to an emergency department — is still missing.

Students and young adults

thin

Is there a reason to be here between 19 and 25, and can they afford it?

Residents 20 to 24 5.1% ▼6%
Residents 15 to 19the cohort arriving next 4.9% ▼6%
Renter householdsa rental market is what makes a place possible to move to 46.4% ▲33.2%
Median rent 880 $/mo ▲1175 $/mo
Unemployment rateMay 2021, mid-pandemic — high everywhere in this census 12.4% ▼10.4%
Degree holders in the adult populationagainst a 32% reference 11.4% ▼32%
Drinking places and recreationfrom the register 15 –

Post-secondary institutions in the city are listed further down this page; where there are none, a high 20-to-24 share usually means work rather than study.

Newcomers and other-language speakers

thin

Is there already a community here, and has anyone built anything for it?

Immigrants in the population 8.4% ▼23.2%
Arrived 2016 to 2021a recent arrival means the route here is current, not historical 1.4% ▼3.7%
Speak a non-official language at home 4.2% ▼12.7%
Languages spoken at home above the reporting floor 5 –
Community institutions in the register 5 –
Non-permanent residentsstudents and work-permit holders 1.2% ▼3.7%

The census counts speakers; the business register shows whether a community has built anything — a church, a society, a credit union, a grocer. Both columns appear in the language table below, and the interesting rows are the ones where they disagree.

What is spoken at home, and whether anyone built for it

Where the census and the business register disagree. A language spoken by hundreds with no institution behind it is a gap in local provision — or a gap in the register. An institution with no matching language usually means an older community that has shifted to English at home.

Spoken most often at homeSpeakers ShareCommunity in the register Institutions
Urdu 520 1.1% South Asian 0
Tamil 300 0.6% South Asian 0
Punjabi (Panjabi) 180 0.4% South Asian 0
Arabic 125 0.3% Arabic-speaking 0
Spanish 110 0.2% Spanish-speaking 0

Spoken, but nothing built

Urdu 520

Hundreds of speakers with no institution carrying the name. For someone opening a business, this is the most actionable line on the page — though it may equally be a gap in the register.

Built, but no longer spoken

Islamic 2 institutions · Indigenous 2 institutions

An established community that has shifted to English at home. The institutions remain; the language is no longer the one used in the kitchen.

The rest of the profile

CharacteristicHereCanada
Residents 65 and over 25.4% 19%
Residents 85 and over 3.8% 2.3%
Residents 20 to 24 5.1% 6%
Arrived 2016 to 2021 1.4% 3.7%
Non-permanent residents 1.2% —
Speak a non-official language at home 4.2% 12.7%
Renter households 46.4% 33.2%
Spending 30% or more on shelter 22% 20.6%
Participation rate 52.3% 63.7%
Unemployment rate 12.4% 10.4%
Median household income, 2020 60000 $ —
Median after-tax household income, 2020 55200 $ —
Prevalence of low income (LIM-AT) 18.1% —
Bachelor degree or higher 11.4% —

The one thing to keep in mind

Census day was 11 May 2021, so income is for 2020 and the labour figures were taken during the pandemic — Toronto's 13.9% unemployment rate is a May 2021 reading, not a current one. Census 2021 count for the census subdivision, which is the municipality proper. It will differ from the figure in wander.regions, which is sometimes a metropolitan population.

Source: Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population — 98-401-X2021005 — Canada, provinces, territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, Statistics Canada, under the Open Government Licence – Canada. National comparison: Population-weighted across all 5,161 census subdivisions in the 2021 Census Profile. Median rent and median age are weighted means of local medians, which is an approximation, not a national median.

3

The communities the register shows

A community appears in the business register before it appears in prose — a national church, a society, a credit union, a newspaper. Those are counted as institutions, and they are what suggests residents. A restaurant serving a cuisine is counted separately as trade, because every city has those and they say nothing about who lives nearby. The ranking is by institutions.

CommunityInstitutions WorshipTrade Where it shows
Islamic 2 2 —
alrashid islamic institute · Dar Ul Ihsan Centre for Islamic Education
Indigenous 2 — —
Assembly of First Nations · Aboriginal Sport Circle
French 1 — —
Conseil DE Vie Francaise
Italian — — 2
Chinese — — 1
Dutch — — 1
4

Where the communities are

Streets, not neighbourhood names. The data knows that Greek institutions sit on one street and Greek restaurants on another; it does not know the word "Greektown", so it does not use it.

5

What the city is made of

Every business on file, grouped by the sector it trades in. This is the economic-development view: where the 1,912 businesses actually are, and the specific trades inside each sector.

SectorBusinesses ShareWhat is in it
Health 147 7.7% physician (65) · pharmacy (14) · medical clinic (9) · home healthcare (7) · chiro (7) · fitness club (6) · optical (6) · health foods (2)
Business 129 6.7% government (52) · association (43) · accounting (20) · consulting (3) · cemetary (2) · auction (1)
Construction 126 6.6% general contractor (23) · electrician (18) · plumbing (16) · painting (13) · carpet (13) · concrete (12) · excavating (8) · roofing (8)
Automotive 114 6% autos (62) · auto repair (24) · auto parts (10) · tires (2) · scooter (1)
Living 113 5.9% place of worship (40) · furniture (20) · cleaning (11) · apartment (10) · janitor (7) · daycare (7) · appliances (6) · fire safety (4)
Dining 97 5.1% restaurant (68) · fast food (11) · pizza (9) · pubs (4) · diner (4) · steakhouse (1)
Beauty 95 5% hair stylist (60) · dentist (22) · barber (2)
Retail 88 4.6% convenience (23) · department store (17) · gifts (15) · jeweler (9) · photography (6) · flowers (6) · office equipment (4) · discount store (4)
Finance 72 3.8% insurance (33) · bank (13) · bankruptcy (5) · real estate (4) · credit union (4) · loans (3)
Education 66 3.5% school (58) · library (4)
Living & Home 59 3.1% scooter (1)
Retail Goods 43 2.2%
Manufacturing 41 2.1% industrial supplier (25) · fabrication (7) · machinery (6) · chemical (2) · salvage (1)
Construction & Realty 33 1.7%
Food & Beverage 31 1.6% orchard (1) · fruit (1)
Travel 31 1.6% motel (16) · travel agent (10) · hotel (2) · bnb (1) · parking (1)
Law 31 1.6% mediator (1) · paralegal (1)
Logistics 30 1.6% truck transportation (14) · storage (7) · towing (1)
Food 27 1.4% grocer (11) · baker (8) · catering (4) · seafood (2) · ice cream (2)
Tech 25 1.3% computers (18) · telecom (4) · wireless (2)
6

The franchises already here

Brands from a register of 2,024 franchise systems, matched into this city by name. A high count is a signal in both directions: the territory works, and it may be taken.

24 of these brands are a single common word — Metro, Avenue, Budget — so their counts include businesses that merely share the word. They are marked rather than dropped.

BrandCategory HereWorldwide
Tim Hortons coffee 7 2,890
Burger King fastfood 4 11,000
Buck or Two retail 2 139
Canadian Tire retail 2 455
Dairy Queen fastfood 2 5,900
Herbal Magic health 2 315
Liberty Tax Service tax 2 —
Royal Bank bank 2 —
Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy 2 927
U-Haul car 2 13,700
Wine Rack liquor 2 160
Apple Auto Glass specialty 1 110
Bata Shoes retail 1 —
Bell World retail 1 —
Best Western businesshotel 1 4,200
Blockbuster Video video 1 5,900
Buns Master Bakery coffee 1 29
Canada Post locations post 1 23,000
Color Your World retail 1 98
Comfort Inn familyhotel 1 —
Cotton Ginny retail 1 —
Curves For Women fitness 1 10,000
Days Inn economyhotel 1 —
East Side Marios food 1 100
Econo Lodge budgethotel 1 —
Food Basics supermarket 1 114
Holiday Inn businesshotel 1 —
Holiday Inn Express familyhotel 1 —
Home Hardware home 1 1,000
Jumbo Video video 1 55
La Senza lingerie 1 —
Laura Secord dessert 1 —
Lions Club club 1 —
Mappins Jewellers retail 1 —
Medicine Shoppe pharmacy 1 1,030
Mexicali Rosas food 1 29
NAPA Auto Parts auto 1 18,000
No Frills supermarket 1 130
Northern Reflections retail 1 150
Peoples Jewellers retail 1 —
Pet Valu pet 1 300
Pizza Hut pizza 1 10,000
Pizza Pizza pizza 1 313
Quickie Convenience convenience 1 47
Ramada Inn familyhotel 1 740
Royal Canadian Legion club 1 160
Salvation Army retail 1 —
Service Experts specialty 1 —
Shell Canada fuel 1 2,100
St. Hubert fastfood 1 —
St. John retail 1 —
Super 8 economyhotel 1 —
Things Engraved retail 1 —
Thomas Cook travel 1 700
Tip Top Tailors retail 1 100
TSC Stores home 1 31
Value Village retail 1 190
Wal-Mart retail 1 6,500
Wine Kitz liquor 1 —
Young Drivers of Canada specialty 1 —
Limited name only retail 15 —
Manor name only retail 7 —
Brunet name only pharmacy 3 112
Reitmans name only retail 3 343
Zellers name only retail 3 —
AllState name only insurance 2 —
Champion name only supermarket 2 1,000
CIBC name only bank 2 —
LCBO name only spirits 2 600
OLCO name only fuel 2 319
Sears name only inc 2 2,300
Ardene name only retail 1 —
Burton name only retail 1 —
CarStar name only auto 1 120
Cartier name only retail 1 —
Honda name only car 1 —
Intersport name only retail 1 60
Jeep name only suv 1 —
Midas name only auto 1 1,800
Nissan name only auto 1 —
Pantorama name only retail 1 —
ScotiaBank name only bank 1 —
Starbucks name only coffee 1 3,500
Toyota name only car 1 —
7

Real estate as a local trade

Four unrelated jobs share the name: selling existing homes, owning and letting them, managing them for someone else, and building new ones. For anyone weighing a move or a licence these are the counts — and the ownership question goes to /property, which answers it building by building.

Real estate is a local job market in its own right, and four unrelated trades get the same name. Counts are businesses filed under each trade in the register, which lists a brokerage once however many agents work there — so this measures firms, not licensees.

Selling homes

5312
14 firms · LQ 0.49

Offices of agents and brokers — the resale market, and the biggest single trade in most Canadian cities.

Named in the register
  • 132 Second Street East — 1345 Rosemount Ave
  • Ace Property Management — 431 6th St E
  • Brookfield Lepage Johnson — 111 Water St E
  • Carleton Real Estate — 328 2nd St W
  • Century 21 Shield Realty — 465 Pitt St
  • Citifinancial — 1170 Pitt St
  • Enns Mac Eachern Pace Maloney — 132 2nd St E
  • Enns Maceachern and Pace Apprsls — 132 2nd St E
  • Exit Realty Seaway — 506 Pitt St
  • Menard Structures — 1100 Marleau Ave
  • Mortgage Intelligence — 338 2nd St W
  • RE Max Cornwall Realty — 649 2nd Street East
  • Tarle and Mc Allister Appraisals — 219 Adolphus St
  • Upper Canada Mortgage and Invst — 702 2nd St E

Owning and letting

5311
10 firms · LQ 1.03

Lessors of real estate: the buildings themselves, filed under the building rather than the owner.

Named in the register
  • Brookdale — 1421 Brookdale Ave
  • Capital Cornwall Developments — 625 Glengarry Boulevard
  • Logement Marguerite Youville — 176 Marguerite D'Youville St
  • Lorneville Apartments — 1450 1st St E
  • Lorneville Apartments — 1430 1 Street East
  • Marie De La Ferre — 211 Water Street West
  • Marlborough Laundromat — 13 Marlborough St N
  • Royal Oaks Housing Co Operative — 708 Twelfth E
  • Ultra Vista Towers — 323 2nd St E
  • Windmill Apartments — 404 Easton Ave

Managing for owners

5313
1 firms · LQ 1.39

Property managers, who run buildings the landlord does not.

Named in the register
  • Cornwall Environmental Service — 313 4th St W

Building new homes

2361
27 firms · LQ 1.15

Residential builders and the general contractors who work for them.

Named in the register
  • Co Steel Recycling — 3000 Copeland Street
  • Couture Marcel General Construction — 140 Gardner Avenue
  • D and D Construction — 2380 South Branch Rd
  • John Gordon Construction — 830 Campbell St
  • Menard Brothers and Association — 1100 Marleau Ave
  • Mike Fontaine Renovation — 18850 Paragon Rd
  • Moonlight Cabins Confectionery — 19062 Hwy 2
  • Raymond Dostie Construction — RR 1 Lcd 1
  • Richard Bernier Constr — 18452 Tyotown Rd
  • Robert Boileau Construction — 201 Balmoral Avenue
  • Robert J Bourgon and Association — 600 Glengarry Blvd
  • Tony Van Riel Construction — 916 Osborne Ave
  • Visions — RR 1 Lcd 1
  • Wild Cats Construction — 1015 Tollgate Rd W

Financing it

5222
3 firms · LQ 1.51

Mortgage brokers and non-bank lenders.

Named in the register
  • Cashier — 29A 2nd St E
  • Cashier — 46 2nd St W
  • S D and G Community Dev — 26 Pitt St

On "how many doors"

How many doors a landlord holds is not in any of this. The register files an apartment building under the building, not its owner, and carries no unit count; there is no open dataset of Canadian landlords by portfolio. Where this research has established ownership it is in the /property record for the city, building by building, which is a different and much slower exercise.

8

Work where you go to them

The Ultimate 411 half of local: everything where the customer does not have to come to you.

A shop needs the customer to walk in. These 157 services do the opposite — the mobile mechanic, the mobile groomer, the bookkeeper, the junk haul — and they are the ones a person can start without a lease. 0 of them already match a trait filed in this city's register.

The 157 Service=1 rows in search.local: work where the provider travels to the customer. "present" counts businesses already filed under that exact trait name; a blank is a coverage gap, not proof of absence, because the two vocabularies were built separately.

home services

Short-Term Rental TurnoverAppliance InstallationBabyproofing & Safety InstallsCarpet & Upholstery CleaningDeep CleaningDrywall RepairErrand RunningExterior PaintingFence & Deck StainingFurniture AssemblyGarden Weeding & MaintenanceGrocery Pickup & DeliveryGutter CleaningHandyman (General Repairs)Hedge & Shrub TrimmingHouse CleaningHouse SittingInterior PaintingJunk Removal & Dump RunsLandscape Design & PlantingLawn MowingFall Leaf CleanupMove-In / Move-Out CleaningMoving Help (Labour Only)Moving with TruckOffice CleaningPersonal ShopperPressure WashingMove Things Around the HouseSnow Shovelling & RemovalPacking & UnpackingTV & Picture MountingWardrobe StylingWindow Cleaning

events

BartenderDesignated Driver (Your Car)CateringTents, Tables & ChairsFloristFuneral & Celebration of Life ArrangementsGame-Day Bus or VanBook a Pub for Your GroupKaraoke Machine RentalParty Bus & Group ShuttlePub Crawl HostTaxi to the PubSports & Game PhotographyStag & Doe / Jack & Jill PlanningTailgate Party SetupTrivia Night HostVenue SourcingBig-Game Watch Party SetupWedding OfficiantWedding Planner / Coordinator

pets

Aquarium & Terrarium CleaningCatio (Cat Patio) BuildChicken Coop BuildDog House BuildDog TrainingDog WalkingHome Pet BoardingLost Pet SearchMobile Dog GroomingOvernight Pet SittingBuild & Install a Pet DoorPet Cages & EnclosuresPet Fencing & Dog RunsPet PhotographyPet-Proofing Your HomePet Sitting & Dog WalkingPet TaxiYard Poop Scooping

luxury

Chauffeur & Luxury CarDJ & Sound Gear RentalDJEvent PhotographerEvent PlannerLive MusiciansHair & Makeup ArtistMatchmakerPersonal ConciergePortrait & Headshot PhotographerPrivate ChefVideographerVIP / Social Club MembershipWedding PhotographerYacht & Boat Charter

healthcare

Wheelchair-Accessible TransportGrab Bars, Ramps & Home AccessibilityLight Housekeeping for SeniorsCooking & Meal Prep for SeniorsMedical Appointment EscortMedication & Appointment RemindersMobility Equipment RentalRespite Care for Family CaregiversSenior CompanionshipTech Help for SeniorsWalking Companion

sporting goods

Bike Tune-UpBorrow a Bike or E-BikeBorrow Camping GearBorrow Golf ClubsBorrow Hockey GearBorrow Ice SkatesBorrow a Kayak, Canoe or PaddleboardBorrow Skis, Poles & Ski BootsBorrow a Snowboard & Snow BootsSkate SharpeningSki & Snowboard Tuning

sports

Backyard Rink BuildLocal Fishing GuideGolf CaddieFind Players for a Pickup GamePrivate Sports LessonJoin or Build a Rec League TeamBook Ice, Courts & FieldsWorkout & Sports BuddyRoommates Who Also Like Sports

business

BookkeepingStart a Local BusinessCareer Coaching & RésumésFind a Local ManufacturerFind Local Work / Contract GigsLocal Advertising PlacementPrototype & Small-Batch ProductionTranslation & InterpretationWebsite & Online Presence

outdoors

Brush & Land ClearingChainsaw Rental (from a local owner)Firewood (Cut, Split & Delivered)Log Bucking & Cutting (Chainsaw)Portable SawmillingSmall-Lot Logging & Land ClearingStump GrindingTree FellingWood Splitting

construction

CarpenterElectricianHeating & Cooling (HVAC)Mobile MechanicPlumberRoof RepairSmall Engine RepairWelder / Metal Fabrication

travel

Airport Transfer & Car ServiceCorporate & Business TravelCruise BookingFamily Travel for a WeddingBereavement / Funeral TravelLeisure Travel PlanningLocal Tour Guide

tools

Camera & Lens RentalGenerator RentalLog Splitter RentalParty Equipment RentalPower Tool RentalTrailer & Truck Rental
9

Schools and colleges

wander.schools is a post-secondary table — universities and colleges. K-12 public and private schools are not in it, and only 7 of its 1,686 rows carry coordinates, so these are listed and not mapped.

In the business register

Where schooling shows up as a business rather than an institution — which is where K-12, tutoring and childcare appear.

school 58daycare 7
10

Health and care

What a person moving a parent here would ask first. The register files clinics and pharmacies; it has no category for a hospital at all, so hospitals are matched by name and the limit is stated rather than hidden.

Medical clinics9
Pharmacies14
Dental practices22

Matched on the name "hospital"

  • Cornwall General Hospital — 510 2nd St W
  • Millennium Health Centre — 120 2nd Street West
  • hoteldieu hospital — 840 Mcconnell Ave

geonet carries no 'hospital' trait, so these are matched on the business name. A distance-to-hospital figure needs a source that states hospital locations.

11

Mayor & politics

Who holds office here and who is asking to, from the official lists on /politics: the council, the riding’s Member of Parliament and the provincial member. Each name opens its row there.

Mayor
11 on council
Member of Parliament
Eric Duncan ✉️ · Conservative
Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry
Member of Provincial Parliament
Nolan Quinn · Conservative
Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry
On the ballot
30 candidates
votes 2026-10-26

Everyone who represents Cornwall, and everyone running →

12

What this record cannot tell you

Named in full, because the gaps are the part most likely to be misread as an answer.

  • Census figures are 2021, taken on 11 May 2021: income is for 2020 and the labour figures were measured mid-pandemic, so the unemployment rate on this page is a 2021 reading rather than a current one.
  • wander.schools is now readable, but it holds universities and colleges only and 1,679 of its 1,686 rows have no coordinates. K-12 public and private schools need a separate source — in Ontario the Ministry of Education school finder, in British Columbia the provincial school list. wander.citytowns, hotels and territories remain denied to the ru user.
  • No 'hospital' trait exists in geonet; distance to a hospital needs an external source such as StatCan's Open Database of Healthcare Facilities.
  • 2.8% of businesses here carry no coordinates, so a map or address lookup would miss them. Postal codes reach 96.8%.

Built from

  • geonet.ottawa — the local business register
  • wander.regions — city name, population, metro
  • search.local — trait vocabulary and the come-to-you services
  • search.cozfranchises — 2,024 franchise brands