The standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.
Developed jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, it provides a high level of comparability in business statistics across North America.
NAICS Code Lookup v3.0.0Last Update: May 11, 2026
Search the U.S. NAICS 2022 industry classification. Enter at least 2 characters — results show the full Sector › Subsector › Industry Group › NAICS Industry › National Industry hierarchy. Search is case-insensitive and matches anywhere in the path or the code.
NAICS Structure & Hierarchy
NAICS uses a six-digit hierarchical coding system. Each digit helps narrow down the specific nature of the business activity.
- Sector: The first two digits (e.g., 23 – Construction)
- Subsector: The third digit (e.g., 236 – Construction of Buildings)
- Industry Group: The fourth digit (e.g., 2361 – Residential Building Construction)
- NAICS Industry: The fifth digit (e.g., 23611 – Residential Building Construction)
- National Industry: The sixth digit (specific to the U.S., Canada, or Mexico)
NAICS Characteristics
- Production-Oriented: Unlike its predecessor (SIC), NAICS groups establishments based on the processes they use to produce goods or services, rather than just the end product.
- Regular Updates: To keep pace with a changing economy, the system is reviewed and updated every five years (e.g., NAICS 2017, 2022).
- Self-Assignment: Most businesses determine their own NAICS code based on their primary revenue-generating activity.
NAICS Use Cases
| User | Application |
| Government | Determining eligibility for small business programs or tax incentives. |
| Marketers | Segmenting B2B email lists and identifying target industry niches. |
| Researchers | Analyzing economic trends and productivity across specific sectors. |
| Procurement | Standardizing vendor classifications for government contracts. |
NAICS vs. SIC
The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system was the older standard. While some private databases and the SEC still use SIC codes, NAICS is the official modern standard, offering much better coverage of the service and technology sectors.
Note: A single company can have multiple NAICS codes if it operates in different business lines, but it typically has one primary code representing its main source of revenue.
