Penticton is growing. The city's population reached 36,885 at the 2021 Census, up 9.3% from 2016, and that growth is showing up in a local economy that spans far more than tourism. From the vineyards of the Naramata Bench to the workshops of the Penticton Industrial Area, this is a city with a diversified base of construction firms, wineries, manufacturers, health care providers and retailers — and a growing number of them are looking for software, web and automation partners who understand what running a business here actually looks like.
The local economy is anchored by a mix of major employers and industries. Interior Health operates Penticton Regional Hospital, Okanagan College employs more than 1,200 people and serves over 15,900 students across its campuses, and FortisBC, School District 67 (Okanagan Skaha) and the City of Penticton round out the list of the area's largest institutional employers. Alongside them sit around 15 manufacturers in the Penticton Industrial Area generating an estimated $800 million to $1 billion in total economic impact each year and supporting more than 1,000 local jobs — a reminder that Penticton's economy runs on more than tourism alone, with total local employment reaching 22,920 and an employment rate of 52.6% as of May 2026.
Business here doesn't cluster in one place. Downtown Penticton, managed by the Downtown Penticton Business Improvement Association, remains the retail and hospitality core. Cherry Lane Shopping Centre serves as a major retail hub outside the core. Just outside city limits, the Naramata Bench is home to more than 40 wineries that shape the region's identity. And along Eckhardt Ave, Industrial Ave and Warren Ave, the Penticton Industrial Area houses the manufacturers, trades and industrial suppliers that keep the wider Okanagan economy moving. Each of these districts has different software, web and workflow needs, and a generic template rarely fits any of them well.
Running a business in Penticton also means navigating some real constraints. Employers across trades, tech and service roles report a chronic shortage of skilled and qualified labour, made worse by a shortage of long-term rental housing that makes it harder to hire and retain staff. Tourism and hospitality businesses face extreme seasonal swings in demand that force rapid staffing changes throughout the year, downtown businesses are contending with safety and loitering concerns that the BIA has responded to by funding private security patrols, and industrial and manufacturing operators say the city under-invests in the kind of economic development support that helps with business attraction and retention. EduWeb Consulting builds the software, websites and automation that let Penticton businesses respond to these pressures directly — doing more with the team they have, instead of waiting for conditions to change.