Information on the number of businesses in an industry can be found in various sources, including Statistics Canada. Check what business databases your library subscribes to. Example in IBISWorld: IBISWorld provides reports on Canadian and Ontario industries. Each report includes a Key Statistics section, which includes counts of enterprises and establishments.

1. Search for an industry topic, or browse to find a relevant industry report.
2. Within a report, click on Key Statistics in the navigation menu.

Example in Statistics Canada:

• The Canadian Business Counts data product identifies active businesses from Statistics Canada’s listing of Canadian businesses. Canadian Business Counts are produced in June and December, and the data is published in August and February of each year.
• Search for Canadian Business Counts on the Statistics Canada Data website to find the data table.

Within the Canadian Business Counts table, data is often available for a specific geography, NAICS, or business size. To refine the table, follow these steps:

1. On Canadian Business Counts data table, click the Add/Remove data button
2. Select specific criteria of interest to refine the table. For example, businesses operating in a specific NAICS industry, or within a specific province.
3. Click Apply to reload the table. Additional Search Tools Company directories, such as Scott's Directories or Nexis Uni, allow users to build lists of companies that meet certain criteria - for example, companies within an industry, city, or other criteria.