C. NAICS Codes Quick Reference
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard framework for classifying economic activity. This appendix maps NAICS codes to the chapters in this book.
Two-Digit NAICS Sectors
11
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
Ch. 25 (Rural America)
21
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
Ch. 14 (Energy), Ch. 25 (Rural)
22
Utilities
Ch. 14 (Energy)
23
Construction
Ch. 13 (Construction)
31-33
Manufacturing
Ch. 9 (Manufacturing)
42
Wholesale Trade
Ch. 10 (Retail and Wholesale)
44-45
Retail Trade
Ch. 10 (Retail and Wholesale)
48-49
Transportation and Warehousing
Ch. 12 (Transportation)
51
Information
Ch. 11 (Tech/Media)
52
Finance and Insurance
Ch. 8, 16, 17, 18 (Finance chapters)
53
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
Ch. 5 (Real Estate)
54
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
Ch. 7 (Professional Services)
55
Management of Companies and Enterprises
Ch. 7 (Professional Services)
56
Administrative and Support and Waste Management
Ch. 7 (Professional Services)
61
Educational Services
Ch. 15 (Education)
62
Health Care and Social Assistance
Ch. 6 (Healthcare)
71
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
Ch. 11 (Tech/Media)
72
Accommodation and Food Services
Ch. 10 (Retail and Wholesale)
81
Other Services (except Public Administration)
Various
92
Public Administration
Ch. 4 (Government)
Key Three-Digit Subsectors
Manufacturing (31-33)
311
Food Manufacturing
Processed foods, beverages
312
Beverage and Tobacco Products
Soft drinks, beer, wine
321
Wood Products
Lumber, plywood
322
Paper Manufacturing
Paper, paperboard
323
Printing and Related Support
Commercial printing
324
Petroleum and Coal Products
Refineries
325
Chemical Manufacturing
Pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals
326
Plastics and Rubber Products
Packaging, tires
327
Nonmetallic Mineral Products
Cement, glass
331
Primary Metal Manufacturing
Steel, aluminum
332
Fabricated Metal Products
Structural metal, hardware
333
Machinery Manufacturing
Industrial equipment
334
Computer and Electronic Products
Semiconductors, computers
335
Electrical Equipment and Appliances
Batteries, appliances
336
Transportation Equipment
Vehicles, aerospace
337
Furniture and Related Products
Household furniture
339
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
Medical devices, toys
Information (51)
511
Publishing Industries
Newspapers, software
512
Motion Picture and Sound Recording
Film studios, streaming
515
Broadcasting
TV, radio
517
Telecommunications
Wireless carriers, ISPs
518
Data Processing, Hosting
Cloud computing, data centers
519
Other Information Services
Search engines, portals
Finance and Insurance (52)
521
Monetary Authorities
Federal Reserve
522
Credit Intermediation
Banks, credit unions
523
Securities, Commodities, Investment
Brokerages, exchanges
524
Insurance Carriers and Related
Life, health, P&C insurance
525
Funds, Trusts, Financial Vehicles
Pension funds, REITs
Professional Services (54)
541
Professional, Scientific, Technical
Law, accounting, consulting
5411
Legal Services
Law firms
5412
Accounting, Tax Preparation
CPA firms
5413
Architectural, Engineering
A&E firms
5414
Specialized Design Services
Interior, industrial design
5415
Computer Systems Design
IT services, software dev
5416
Management Consulting
Strategy, operations consulting
5417
Scientific Research
R&D services
5418
Advertising, PR
Ad agencies, PR firms
Healthcare (62)
621
Ambulatory Health Care
Physician offices, clinics
622
Hospitals
Acute care hospitals
623
Nursing and Residential Care
Nursing homes, assisted living
624
Social Assistance
Child care, social services
Transportation (48-49)
481
Air Transportation
Airlines
482
Rail Transportation
Freight and passenger rail
483
Water Transportation
Shipping
484
Truck Transportation
Trucking companies
485
Transit and Ground Passenger
Public transit, taxis
486
Pipeline Transportation
Oil and gas pipelines
487
Scenic and Sightseeing
Tour operators
488
Support Activities
Ports, airports
491
Postal Service
USPS
492
Couriers and Messengers
FedEx, UPS
493
Warehousing and Storage
Logistics facilities
NAICS vs. SIC
NAICS replaced the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system in 1997. Key differences:
Service sector detail: NAICS provides much more detailed service industry classification
Information sector: NAICS created a dedicated Information sector (51) that did not exist in SIC
Production-based: NAICS classifies by production process; SIC was more product-oriented
North American coverage: NAICS is harmonized with Canada and Mexico; SIC was U.S.-only
Historical data before 1997 uses SIC codes. Concordance tables are available from Census Bureau for converting between systems.
NAICS Revisions
NAICS is revised every five years (2007, 2012, 2017, 2022). Major recent changes:
2022 Revision:
New industries for renewable electricity generation (wind, solar, geothermal)
Expanded detail for cannabis industry
New industries for online retailers
Updated data processing and hosting categories
When comparing data across time, check whether NAICS codes remained consistent or whether industries were reclassified.
Using NAICS for Research
Data Sources by NAICS
BEA GDP by Industry
National
Annual
BEA Regional
State, Metro
Annual
BLS QCEW
County
Quarterly
BLS OES
Metro, State
Annual
Census CBP
County
Annual
Census Economic Census
County
5-year
Common Pitfalls
Holding companies: Large conglomerates may be classified in NAICS 55 (Management) rather than their operating industries
Auxiliary establishments: Corporate headquarters may be classified separately from operating facilities
Primary activity: Establishments are classified by primary activity; secondary activities are not captured
Suppression: Data for small cells may be suppressed to protect confidentiality
Revisions: Be aware of when NAICS definitions changed for any longitudinal analysis
For the complete NAICS manual and concordances, visit census.gov/naics
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