Research and Course Guides: Small Business: Industry Classification

What is a NAICS Code?

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is used to organize industry information. It's designed to produce common industry definitions for Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It is a hierarchical classification system, offering five levels of detail. Codes are assigned to an industry based on products and services provided by the industry.

Industries are represented by a six-digit number. The first two digits designate the economic sector: manufacturing, agriculture, wholesale, retail, professional services, etc. The subsequent digits designate subsectors and industry groups.

Each digit in the code is part of a series of progressively narrower categories.

Example:

72 - Accommodation and Food Services

722 - Food Services and Drinking Places

7225 - Restaurants and Other Eating Places

722511 - Full Service Restaurants

The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), an earlier U.S. system, is still used by some sources.

Industry Codes & Classification

NAICS: North American Industry Classification System
Replaced the U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system in 1997; it's a 5- or 6-digit number. You can search by keyword, and there are tables to convert from NAICS to SIC, and SIC to NAICS. The NAICS was developed jointly by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to compare statistics about business activity across North America.
SIC: Standard Industrial Classification
The U.S. government classified business activity according to the SIC system until the adoption of NAICS in 1997. It's searchable by code or by keyword. Some business sources still feature SIC code search options.

Finding Industry Information by NAICS

Government agencies and business information providers use NAICS to organize industry information. In addition to the links below, you can search several business databases by NAICS and/or SIC codes for industry information.

Business & Economy Census Portal
Summarizes and provides access to the data collected by the Census Bureau on businesses and the larger economy.

Find Industry Codes for a Company

To find industry codes for a specific company, search for a company profile in a company directory. Note that many companies operate in more than one industry (e.g. have multiple lines of business) and may have more than one code.

Mergent Online This link opens in a new window Search by company name or ticker symbol. Mergent provides primary NAICS and SIC codes for a company.
Use of the Mergent data and service are intended for non-commercial academic purposes only.
Factiva This link opens in a new window Under Companies/Markets tab, choose Company. Primary NAICS and SIC codes will be in the Company Snapshot. Limited to 6 simultaneous users.
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D&B Hoovers This link opens in a new window Company information from about 18 million North American and international companies, SWOT analysis, analyst reports, SEC filings, and market research. Exporting of data is limited to 100 items on-campus or 50 off-campus.
Mergent Intellect This link opens in a new window Information on millions of public and private companies from around the world.
Use of the Mergent data and service are intended for non-commercial academic purposes only.
Reference Solutions from Data Axle This link opens in a new window Directory database which lists multiple NAICS and multiple six-digit SIC codes for a company. Exporting of data is limited to 100 items on-campus or 50 off-campus.