Fredericton, New Brunswick
What Fredericton is made of: the communities whose institutions are here, the sectors its 3,018 businesses sit in, the franchises already on the ground, and the services a newcomer could start.
3,018 businesses on file · 118 trades · 33 sectors · census population 63,115 · registry population 79,000 · built from geonet.moncton on 2026-10-07
The two disagree: the registry says 79,000 and the 2021 census counted 63,115 for the municipality. The registry figure is often a metropolitan population. Both are shown; neither is corrected into the other.
Visiting rather than moving? The free guidebook for Fredericton → — the free guidebook for this region: why go, what to see, what is open when it rains.
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.
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.
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.
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 98.7% 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.
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 Fredericton, City (C), the municipality proper, and every comparison is against the population-weighted average of all 5,161 census subdivisions in Canada.
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
strongIs this a place to grow old, and is the care here?
| Residents 65 and over | 19.9% | –19% |
| Residents 85 and overthe group that needs care rather than the group that is merely retired | 2.6% | ▲2.3% |
| Median age | 40 years | –42.1 years |
| Low income among 65+against a 15% reference, not a national figure | 13.1% | ▲15% |
| Medical clinics per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register | 0.62 | – |
| Pharmacies per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register | 0.57 | – |
| Nursing and elderly care operatorscounted in the register, which lists few of them | 0 | – |
| Median rent | 1030 $/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
strongIs there a reason to be here between 19 and 25, and can they afford it?
| Residents 20 to 24 | 8.9% | ▲6% |
| Residents 15 to 19the cohort arriving next | 5.3% | ▼6% |
| Renter householdsa rental market is what makes a place possible to move to | 43.4% | ▲33.2% |
| Median rent | 1030 $/mo | ▲1175 $/mo |
| Unemployment rateMay 2021, mid-pandemic — high everywhere in this census | 8.6% | ▲10.4% |
| Degree holders in the adult populationagainst a 32% reference | 38.3% | ▲32% |
| Drinking places and recreationfrom the register | 30 | – |
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
thinIs there already a community here, and has anyone built anything for it?
| Immigrants in the population | 12.6% | ▼23.2% |
| Arrived 2016 to 2021a recent arrival means the route here is current, not historical | 5.6% | ▲3.7% |
| Speak a non-official language at home | 6.5% | ▼12.7% |
| Languages spoken at home above the reporting floor | 12 | – |
| Community institutions in the register | 3 | – |
| Non-permanent residentsstudents and work-permit holders | 2.8% | ▼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 home | Speakers | Share | Community in the register | Institutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic | 920 | 1.5% | Arabic-speaking | 0 |
| Mandarin | 565 | 0.9% | Chinese | 0 |
| Russian | 275 | 0.4% | Russian | 0 |
| Spanish | 235 | 0.4% | Spanish-speaking | 0 |
| Iranian Persian | 200 | 0.3% | Persian | 0 |
| Korean | 170 | 0.3% | Korean | 0 |
| Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) | 160 | 0.3% | Filipino | 0 |
| Punjabi (Panjabi) | 155 | 0.2% | South Asian | 0 |
| Hindi | 135 | 0.2% | South Asian | 0 |
| Portuguese | 130 | 0.2% | Portuguese | 0 |
| Vietnamese | 125 | 0.2% | Vietnamese | 0 |
| Bengali | 100 | 0.2% | South Asian | 0 |
Spoken, but nothing built
Arabic 920 · Mandarin 565
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.
The rest of the profile
| Characteristic | Here | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Residents 65 and over | 19.9% | 19% |
| Residents 85 and over | 2.6% | 2.3% |
| Residents 20 to 24 | 8.9% | 6% |
| Arrived 2016 to 2021 | 5.6% | 3.7% |
| Non-permanent residents | 2.8% | — |
| Speak a non-official language at home | 6.5% | 12.7% |
| Renter households | 43.4% | 33.2% |
| Spending 30% or more on shelter | 19.6% | 20.6% |
| Participation rate | 66.2% | 63.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| Median household income, 2020 | 73000 $ | — |
| Median after-tax household income, 2020 | 64000 $ | — |
| Prevalence of low income (LIM-AT) | 13.5% | — |
| Bachelor degree or higher | 38.3% | — |
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.
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.
| Community | Institutions | Worship | Trade | Where it shows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indigenous | 1 | — | 1 |
Fredericton Native Friendship |
| Islamic | 1 | 1 | — |
Fredericton Islamic Association |
| Jewish | 1 | 1 | — |
Sgoolai Israel Synagogue |
| Chinese | — | — | 4 | |
| French | — | — | 3 | |
| Italian | — | — | 1 | |
| Dutch | — | — | 1 | |
| Swiss | — | — | 1 |
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.
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 3,018 businesses actually are, and the specific trades inside each sector.
| Sector | Businesses | Share | What is in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business | 282 | 9.3% | association (153) · consulting (57) · accounting (28) · government (23) · cemetary (4) · foundation (2) · vending (2) · auction (1) |
| Living | 210 | 7% | place of worship (90) · apartment (38) · cleaning (22) · daycare (20) · furniture (15) · appliances (8) · veterinary (6) · fire safety (4) |
| Health | 209 | 6.9% | physician (95) · medical clinic (39) · optical (18) · pharmacy (18) · fitness club (6) · chiro (5) · health foods (3) · home healthcare (1) |
| Retail | 154 | 5.1% | gifts (36) · convenience (30) · department store (29) · jeweler (18) · photography (15) · flowers (11) · antiques (5) · toys (4) |
| Finance | 153 | 5.1% | insurance (41) · bank (16) · loans (2) · mortgage (1) |
| Beauty | 131 | 4.3% | hair stylist (82) · dentist (29) · barber (19) |
| Automotive | 127 | 4.2% | autos (59) · auto repair (32) · auto parts (8) · tires (3) |
| Dining | 126 | 4.2% | restaurant (84) · pizza (20) · pubs (12) · diner (6) · steakhouse (3) · fast food (1) |
| Education | 119 | 3.9% | school (103) · library (11) · writing (2) · garden (2) |
| Construction | 111 | 3.7% | general contractor (26) · plumbing (19) · carpet (14) · electrician (11) · concrete (8) · painting (8) · tiny home (6) · roofing (6) |
| Living & Home | 80 | 2.7% | |
| Travel | 56 | 1.9% | motel (15) · travel agent (11) · bnb (9) · hotel (2) |
| Fashion | 55 | 1.8% | clothing (55) |
| Tech | 50 | 1.7% | computers (39) · telecom (5) · wireless (4) |
| Food & Beverage | 48 | 1.6% | fruit (3) · vegetable (1) |
| Retail Goods | 46 | 1.5% | fruit (1) |
| Realty | 43 | 1.4% | real estate (42) · realtor (1) |
| Law | 37 | 1.2% | mediator (9) · paralegal (1) |
| Construction & Realty | 36 | 1.2% | |
| Logistics | 35 | 1.2% | storage (8) · truck transportation (7) · packaging (3) |
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.
31 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.
| Brand | Category | Here | Worldwide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Hortons | coffee | 11 | 2,890 |
| U-Haul | car | 5 | 13,700 |
| Canadian Tire | retail | 4 | 455 |
| Royal Bank | bank | 4 | — |
| Salvation Army | retail | 4 | — |
| Shoppers Drug Mart | pharmacy | 4 | 927 |
| Wal-Mart | retail | 4 | 6,500 |
| Co-operators | insurance | 3 | — |
| Enterprise Rent A Car | car | 3 | 5,400 |
| TD Canada Trust | bank | 3 | — |
| A&W Restaurants | fastfood | 2 | 694 |
| Blockbuster Video | video | 2 | 5,900 |
| Buck or Two | retail | 2 | 139 |
| Dairy Queen | fastfood | 2 | 5,900 |
| Discount Tire | auto | 2 | — |
| Great Canadian Bagel | deli | 2 | 48 |
| Greco Pizza | pizza | 2 | 160 |
| H&R Block | tax | 2 | 12,165 |
| Home Hardware | home | 2 | 1,000 |
| Jumbo Video | video | 2 | 55 |
| Lions Club | club | 2 | — |
| Northern Reflections | retail | 2 | 150 |
| Petro Canada | fuel | 2 | 1,512 |
| Pizza Delight | pizza | 2 | 108 |
| Pizza Hut | pizza | 2 | 10,000 |
| Royal Canadian Legion | club | 2 | 160 |
| 7-Eleven | convenience | 1 | 30,000 |
| American Eagle Outfitters | retail | 1 | 827 |
| Apple Auto Glass | specialty | 1 | 110 |
| Athletes World | retail | 1 | — |
| Benjamin Moore Paints | home | 1 | 4,000 |
| Bulk Barn | retail | 1 | 100 |
| Burger King | fastfood | 1 | 11,000 |
| Canada Post locations | post | 1 | 23,000 |
| Carlson Wagonlit Travel | travel | 1 | 4,300 |
| Cash Store | cash | 1 | — |
| Color Your World | retail | 1 | 98 |
| Comfort Inn | familyhotel | 1 | — |
| Cotton Ginny | retail | 1 | — |
| Delta Hotels | accommodation | 1 | 40 |
| Extreme Pita | deli | 1 | 174 |
| Foto Source | retail | 1 | — |
| GoodLife Fitness | fitness | 1 | 144 |
| Hakim Optical | specialty | 1 | 124 |
| Herbal Magic | health | 1 | 315 |
| IKON Office Solutions | retail | 1 | 400 |
| Island Ink-Jet | retail | 1 | 200 |
| Jani-King | cleaner | 1 | 115 |
| KEG Steakhouse & Bar | food | 1 | 90 |
| Kent Home Improvement | home | 1 | 29 |
| La Senza | lingerie | 1 | — |
| Laura Secord | dessert | 1 | — |
| Liberty Tax Service | tax | 1 | — |
| Manchu WOK | fastfood | 1 | 200 |
| Medicine Shoppe | pharmacy | 1 | 1,030 |
| Merle Norman Cosmetics | retail | 1 | 2,000 |
| Merry Maids | cleaner | 1 | 970 |
| Mexicali Rosas | food | 1 | 29 |
| New York Fries | fastfood | 1 | 185 |
| Peoples Jewellers | retail | 1 | — |
| Pita Pit | deli | 1 | 220 |
| Randy River | retail | 1 | 65 |
| Rogers Video | video | 1 | 300 |
| Rogers Wireless | wireless | 1 | — |
| Second Cup | coffee | 1 | — |
| Sir Speedy Printing | specialty | 1 | — |
| Sony Store | retail | 1 | — |
| Source For Sports | retail | 1 | 150 |
| St. John | retail | 1 | — |
| Stitch It | retail | 1 | 98 |
| Sunglass Hut | retail | 1 | — |
| Superior Propane | fuel | 1 | — |
| Swiss Chalet | fastfood | 1 | 190 |
| Sylvan Learning | school | 1 | 710 |
| Toys "R" Us | retail | 1 | 1,400 |
| Trade Secrets | health | 1 | 70 |
| Travel CUTS | travel | 1 | — |
| Wine Kitz | liquor | 1 | — |
| Limited name only | retail | 13 | — |
| Sears name only | inc | 6 | 2,300 |
| AllState name only | insurance | 4 | — |
| CIBC name only | bank | 4 | — |
| ScotiaBank name only | bank | 4 | — |
| Sobeys name only | supermarket | 4 | 224 |
| Cartier name only | retail | 3 | — |
| Zellers name only | retail | 3 | — |
| Progressive name only | supermarket | 2 | 150 |
| Reitmans name only | retail | 2 | 343 |
| Renaissance name only | upscalehotel | 2 | — |
| Aldo name only | retail | 1 | — |
| Ardene name only | retail | 1 | — |
| Blackwell name only | book | 1 | 6 |
| Bootlegger name only | retail | 1 | — |
| Burton name only | retail | 1 | — |
| CARQUEST name only | auto | 1 | 3,400 |
| CarStar name only | auto | 1 | 120 |
| Hallmark name only | greetingcards | 1 | 5,600 |
| Ledgers name only | specialty | 1 | — |
| Manor name only | retail | 1 | — |
| Marriott name only | upscalehotel | 1 | 2,800 |
| Microplay name only | video | 1 | 130 |
| Midas name only | auto | 1 | 1,800 |
| MMMuffins name only | coffee | 1 | — |
| Nissan name only | auto | 1 | — |
| Roots name only | retail | 1 | 145 |
| Spinneys name only | supermarket | 1 | 2 |
| Toyota name only | car | 1 | — |
| Volkswagen name only | — | 1 | — |
| YMCA name only | fitness | 1 | — |
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
5312Offices of agents and brokers — the resale market, and the biggest single trade in most Canadian cities.
Named in the register
- Altus Group Fredericton Real — 520 King St
- Andal — 225 King Street 400
- Capital River Valley Realty — 285 Restigouche Rd
- Central New Brunswick Surveys — 139 Gibson Street
- Greenarm Management — 527 Queen St
- Hillbros Realty and Investments — 1050 Douglas Ave
- Kileel Developments — 77 Westmorland Street
- McFadzen Holdings — 416 York Street
- New Brunswick Association Rl Est Appr — 403 Regent St
- Plazacorp Retail Properties — 527 Queen St
- Prudential River Realty — 155 Smythe St
- Re Max Group Four Realty — 273 Queen Street
- Royal LePage First Class Realty — 516 Smythe Street
- Terratech Consultants — 115 Prospect Street West
Owning and letting
5311Lessors of real estate: the buildings themselves, filed under the building rather than the owner.
Named in the register
- A and R Rentals — 441 King St
- Accomodations Central Rentwork — 204 Charlotte St
- Berlin Management — 1115 Regent Street 101
- Castleton Apartments and Suites — 700 Forest Hill Rd
- Colpitts Developments — 830 Hanwell Road
- Cowperthwaite Apartment Rental — 185 Claremont Dr
- Eastern Development — 4 Anderson Street
- Frogmore Estates — 530 Dundonald
- Greenarm Management — 527 Queen Street
- Hillside Estates — 19 Forest Hill Road
- Preferred Properties — 951 Regent
- Salamanca Landing — 9 Forest Hill Road
- Sunshine Terrace — 158 Hanwell Rd
- Venus Apartments — 500 Lisgar Street
Building new homes
2361Residential builders and the general contractors who work for them.
Named in the register
- Atlantic Post and Beam Constr — 1245 Hanwell Rd
- Champlain Construction — Hanwell Rd
- Crown Mini and Mobile Home Park — 1944 Lincoln Rd
- Dawcoelectric — 23 Avonlea Court 104
- Elm City Paving — 349 King St
- Fabro Construction — 89 Glasier Rd
- H R Civil Contractors — 484 Broad St
- Hogan Paving Ltd Asphalt Plant — Killarney Crescent
- Mecca — 390 King St
- Mitten Vinyl — 1327 Stn A
- Restoration Renovations — 360 Gibson Street
- Simpson Building Cont — 155 Doak Rd
- Spencers Plumbing Heating — 715 Clements Drive
- York Renovation — 16 Page Street
Financing it
5222Mortgage brokers and non-bank lenders.
Named in the register
- Canada Mortgage and Housing — 440 King St 3rd Flr
- Home Loans Canada — 364 Victoria Street
- Home Loans Canada — 364 Victoria Street
Who actually owns it
The full property record →From the /property research for this city, which asks a different question: not who trades in property here, but who owns it. An owner is named there only where a document says so. Assessments and sale prices open in bulk; owner via Real Property Online, $17.50.
Homebuilders
- Killam Apartment REIT — 1,643 apartment units across 26 properties in Fredericton
- Owner of 151 Queen Street — apartment building, $47,800,820 (April 2023)
- Owner of 25 Patience Lane — assessed $38,657,300
- Owner of 51, 71 and 91 Angelview Court — three 25-unit apartment buildings, $11,250,000 (December 2025)
- Owner of 7–15 Manhattan Drive and 49–55 Forest Hill Road — assessed $30,767,200 and $30,491,100
Commercial landlords
- Plaza Retail REIT — 189 properties and approximately 8.8M sq ft nationally; 44 New Brunswick properties and 1,967,840 sq ft
- Ravelin Properties REIT (Clarke Inc.) — 428,847 sq ft across three Fredericton buildings
- Primaris REIT — 504,987 sq ft (Regent Mall)
- Crombie REIT — 2 Fredericton properties
- Owner of the Trinity Avenue power centre — assessed $44,704,200
9 marquee buildings examined, 4 with an owner established.
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.
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
events
pets
luxury
healthcare
sporting goods
sports
business
outdoors
construction
travel
tools
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.
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.
Matched on the name "hospital"
- Main Street Veterinary Hospital — 329 Main Street
- Dr Everett Chalmers Hospital — 700 Priestman St
- Islandview Veterinary Hospital — Silverwood Court
- McGregors Veterinary Hospital — 389 York Street
- Blue Gables Dolls and Hospital — 728 Churchill Row
- Sangsters Health Centre — 440 King Street
- Douglas Animal Hospital — 651 Clements Drive
- City Animal Hospital — 598 Union Street
- Restorative Health Centre — 494 Queen Street 200
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.
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.
Realtors in Fredericton — the brokerages and licensed agents to call →
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.
- 10.9% of businesses here carry no coordinates, so a map or address lookup would miss them. Postal codes reach 95.9%.
Built from
geonet.moncton— the local business registerwander.regions— city name, population, metrosearch.local— trait vocabulary and the come-to-you servicessearch.cozfranchises— 2,024 franchise brands