Sirmaur district is endowed with two economic resources viz-agricultural land and rich dense forest.
The district is well known for its quarries and huge deposits of natural wealth.
There are various industrial units like Nahan Foundry, Resin and Turpentine factory, Cement factory, and allied serviceable industries.
The district exports ginger, apple, potato, sugarcane, and vegetables, etc. to the other districts of the state and other states.
The district has the great potentiality of hydro energy.
With a view to create employment in the rural sector, various industrial, tailoring, craft, and weaving centres have been established in the rural sectors.
Milk production is another characteristic of the district.
The farmers had started a co-operative milk dairy and milk is supplied to the urban centers and other trading places.
The excess milk produced is converted into butter and ghee during the slack season.
Sirmauri is the principal dialect and is the mother tongue of about eighty percent of the population. Apart from Sirmauri, Gorkhali, Punjabi, Pahari, and Jaunsari languages/dialects are also spoken.
Among the Hindus, Khash Rajputs form the biggest group.
A large number of rural dwellings have hardly any touch of architectural beauty or interior decoration. As opposed to these, houses in urban areas offer better sight.
They have got better architectural designs and are built with bricks or stones with cement or lime.
Broadly speaking, the pattern of food is the same in all the tehsil/sub-tehsils of Sirmaur district.
The staple foods of the people generally consist of wheat, rice, maize, pulses, and vegetables. Special dishes are prepared on the festive and ceremonial occasions.
Most of the people of the district are meat eaters and relish meat.
They are addicted to consume locally made alcohol and country liquor and Indian made foreign liquor is also consumed by them in the fairs, festivals and at the arrivals of guests and relatives.
Diwali, Dushehra, Holi, Budi Diwali, etc. are the main fairs and festivals in the district besides the locally organized fairs like Renuka fair etc.
Contribution of the district
- The district has given many saints, freedom fighters and heroes to the nation.
- Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar, the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh belongs to Bagthan village of Nahan tehsil of Sirmaur district.
- Tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh stayed at Paonta Sahib for more than 4 years and established the famous Paonta Sahib Gurudwara at the bank of river Yamuna.
- Renuka is the birthplace of Lord Parshurama and the sacred grove of his father Saga Jamdagni.
- The only lake Renuka named after the name of the mother of Lord Parshurama is also situated in the district.
- The history of the popular uprising Pajota Andolan of 1942 was started under the aegis of the Kisan Sabha in which Shri Laxmi Singh and Vaid Surat Singh played prominent parts. It was so well organized that Martial Law had to be declared in the Pajota area.
- The dwellers of the Trans Giri and Cis Giri claim their descent from the Pandavas and Kauravas of Mahabharta.
- In winter, they organize thoda game in which they compete by the name of Pasha and Satha team, symbolizing the Pandavas and Kauravas team.
- The district has so many tals like Sirmuri Tal, Rani Tal, etc.