Alajärvi is a centre for entrepreneurs and commerce. The traditional textile industry is still an important one. The set of municipal textiles, Lehtimetsä (”BroadleafForest”), is made of linen in Alajärvi. Excellent gift articles are also wooden shawls, tapestries and the representative pret-a-porte national dresses. A vineyard at Koskenvarsi is a new attraction.

Alajärvi is well-known for its log house industry. The largest manufacturer in Finland, Honkarakenne Oy, makes houses of laminated logs.

The largest companies in the metal industry are Nordautomation, a manufacturer of machinery for sawmills and the most modern European manufacturer of aluminium profiles, Mäkelä Alu Oy. Rannila Alajärvi, a company specializing in facades and renovation in the Rautaruukki construction materials group and Niskakankaan Teräs-tuote Oy, a manufacturer of scoops for excavators, are highly regarded experts in their respective fields. Manufacturing is a thriving industry at Alajärvi.