About 60 percent of Manitoba's nearly 1.15 million people live in metropolitan Winnipeg, the provincial capital. The second-largest city is Brandon, in southwestern Manitoba. The early provincial economy was based on agriculture, with manufacturing and transportation later becoming vital sectors. Manitoba now has a very diversified economy, but the services sector is the most important. The central location of the province makes Manitoba an attractive base for a wide variety of services, notably in transportation and wholesale distribution.
Manufacturing is the largest goods-producing economic sector.
Food and transportation equipment have long been the leading manufacturing industries. Other important industries are primary and fabricated metals, electrical goods, clothing and textiles, and printing and publishing. Agriculture is the backbone of rural Manitoba, as well as supporting thousands of jobs in towns and cities. The strong balance in the Manitoba economy is reflected in agriculture, where both crops and livestock are important sectors. Wheat is the most important crop, accounting for 40 percent of crop production value, followed by canola and flaxseed.