After Sweden lost the war to Russia in 1809, all of Finland, as a Grand Duchy, came under Russia. In general, the era was favourable for Kuusamo. Population growth was relatively steady, interrupted by a few lean years and epidemics. The harshest of them was probably the period immediately following the Finnish War in 1811-1812, when the death rate clearly exceeded the birth rate and the population of the parish decreased by several hundred people. In the period of 1809–1917, the population quadrupled, from about 3 000 to 12 000 inhabitants.
The largest population group in Kuusamo at the beginning of the 19th century were the old mantal farmers. There were 268 households, including the servants and maids employed by them. At the beginning of the period, the number of cottage dwellers, self-employed people and property pensioners was quite small, a total of 131 households. At the end of the period in 1920, the number of landless populations was 1 187 people, the number of landowners was 776 people. Although the numbers are not exactly comparable, they show an increase in the relative share of the landless population. The share of civil servants, artisans and others earning a living outside of agriculture was small.
Animal husbandry continued to form the core of Kuusamo’s economy. In 1880, it was recorded that there were more than 3 000 cows, 600 horses and 5 000 reindeer on Kuusamo farms. Cultivation was still primarily focused on using natural meadows. It was possible to increase the yield of feed by lowering the water in lakes, draining swamps and damming rivers and streams. In this way, the growing herds could be fed, even though the feed shortage kept productivity low. Butter and meat were trade goods, from which products produced outside Kuusamo, especially grain, were purchased for the farms with available income. Nature’s gifts fish, game, and forest berries were used a lot.