TAILLE DU TEXTE : A A A A
ville.riviere-du-loup.qc.ca | English | Economic development | Social-Economic Profile

Social-Economic Profile 

Riviere-du-Loup has a population of 18,973 and constitutes the leading town in the region. Its commercial and economical influences spread far beyond the territorial limits of the MRC.

 

Situated in the heart of Bas-Saint-Laurent, the town is considered as a veritable crossroad of both service and development in the region. Halfway between Montreal and Gaspé, it is situated nearby New Brunswick, the State of Maine (U.S.A.), and on the northern seashore, Charlevoix, Saguenay-Lake-Saint-John and the North Shore.


Riviere-du-Loup is easily accessible, thanks to the well-developed road, railway, air and maritime networks. Furthermore, the meeting point of the primary Eastern Canadian roads is located in Riviere-du-Loup.


Even though the exploitation and transformation of natural resources are the main bases of the local economy, the industrial, commercial, and service sectors, as well as tourism and culture, take an important part in the town's economy, nonetheless.

Riviere-du-Loup: for the proximity to jobs

Living in Riviere-du-Loup is living near the greatest well of employers in the region. There are 443 businesses, 29 entertainment and free time firms, 47 manufacturing firms, 91 accommodation and restoration firms, 37 financial intermediaries, 84 professional services firms, 64 construction companies, 18 professionals of communication and mass media, 21 houses of education, 30 governmental offices, 40 transport firms and 87 various associations.

The employment sectors of the region

Primary Sector

The primary sector assembles approximately 7.5% of the jobs in the MRC. Agriculture dominates the primary sector; the forestry industry also creates many jobs. The extraction of peat moss colours the landscape of the MRC, and gives the mining sector as much importance as that of the forest.

 

Secondary Sector

The secondary sector assembles, for its part, more than 20% of all employment within the economic structure of the MRC. The construction industry (4.5%) and the manufacturing sector (18.1%) constitute the largest part of the sector of activity. The pulp and paper industry is a significant element for our region, and this has an influential effect on the industrial dynamics. The industrial group working in fields other than wood transformation, non-metallic mineral products (peat moss and glass), machinery, textiles, and food and beverage, are also well anchored in the region.

 

Tertiary Sector

The tertiary sector assembles around 69.9% of all employment in the MRC, which has also favoured the expansion of the tourist industry. Other sectors, such as technology and niche industries oriented towards research and development, have expanded greatly.

 

Another interesting element to note is Riviere-du-Loup's assemblage of an important group of organizations and associations that come to support the economical dynamics and stimulate the entrepreneurship.

 

Source : Emploi Québec, MAMROT and CLD de la région de Rivière-du-Loup

Photograph : François Provost