# 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 | Code | Sector | Book Chapter | | ----- | ------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------ | | 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) | Code | Subsector | Notable Products | | ---- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | 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) | Code | Subsector | Key Industries | | ---- | ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------- | | 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) | Code | Subsector | Key Industries | | ---- | ----------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | | 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) | Code | Subsector | Key Industries | | ---- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | 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) | Code | Subsector | Key Industries | | ---- | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------ | | 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) | Code | Subsector | Key Industries | | ---- | ---------------------------- | -------------------------- | | 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 | Source | Geographic Detail | Time Frequency | | ---------------------- | ----------------- | -------------- | | 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 1. **Holding companies**: Large conglomerates may be classified in NAICS 55 (Management) rather than their operating industries 2. **Auxiliary establishments**: Corporate headquarters may be classified separately from operating facilities 3. **Primary activity**: Establishments are classified by primary activity; secondary activities are not captured 4. **Suppression**: Data for small cells may be suppressed to protect confidentiality 5. **Revisions**: Be aware of when NAICS definitions changed for any longitudinal analysis *** *For the complete NAICS manual and concordances, visit* [*census.gov/naics*](https://www.census.gov/naics)