The town serves as wereda administration, industry and tourist center. There are 80 manufacturing, nine wholesale trades, 845 retail trades, 949 service trades, five fuel stations and 50 garages in the town. There are ten banks and ten micro financial institutions giving services in the town. Economic rate activity for both sexes was 56.7% while unemployment rate was 18.4%.

The average annual revenue of the municipality within the 2009-2011 years was 40,044,666.67 Birr and the major sources of revenue were land lease, different rent, tax and service charge. The major investment opportunities in the town are: Agro–industry processing, hotel and tourism development.

Bishoftu has economic linkages with the surrounding areas, towns, region and Addis Ababa. The town gets grain products, livestock supply and surplus labor from surrounding areas; natural resources (fuel wood, charcoal) from Methara and surrounding areas. Agricultural inputs, manufacturing and commercial products supplied to the town from Addis Ababa. Adama, Addis Ababa and the town itself are the main source of construction materials.

4.2 Social and Municipal Services

Social services

Education

There are 42 kindergartens; 11 government and 15 private primary schools; seven private and two government junior secondary schools; seven high schools including preparatory; one government and four private TVETs; two government and four private colleges, two government and two private University College in Bishoftu town.

Health

Regarding health services, there are two government hospital, three health centers and sixteen private clinics in the town.

Municipal services

Bishoftu town has meeting hall, an abattoir giving slaughtering service for Christians and Muslims; a general and cattle markets meeting twice times a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays and one daily market. In addition; there is ambulance, public library and municipal cemetery in the town. Solid waste in the town is collected using dump truck, tractor and eighteen horse-drawn carts and disposed in open dump. There are fifty solid waste containers while micro and small enterprises with hundred twenty members are engaged in solid waste collection. Liquid waste is collected using vacuum truck rented from Addis Ababa while there are eight public toilets in the town.

There is a greenery covering 15% of the total area of the town and forest covering 25 hectares while street trees are planted along 20Km of roads in the town. Recreation and related functions including a park, hotel with one-five stars, one stadium, eighteen play grounds, museum and seven creator lakes exist in the town. Regarding religious services there are seven churches for orthodox Christians, 200 churches for Protestants, one Catholic Church and five mosques for Muslims in the town.