> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.moltsets.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Understanding NAICS Codes
> A quick reference for NAICS industry classification codes — what they are, how they're used, and lookup tables for all 20 sectors and their subsectors.
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by government agencies and businesses across the US, Canada, and Mexico to classify companies by the type of economic activity they perform. It replaced the older SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) system and is maintained jointly by statistical agencies in all three countries, with a revision cycle every five years (the current version is NAICS 2022).
Each NAICS code is a two-to-six digit number:
* **2 digits** — sector (broadest category, e.g. 54 = Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services)
* **3 digits** — subsector
* **4 digits** — industry group
* **5 digits** — NAICS industry
* **6 digits** — national industry (the most specific level, used for US-specific reporting)
The further right you go, the more specific the classification. A company's NAICS code narrows from a broad sector down to a precise description of what it actually does.
See [Six-Digit NAICS Codes & Titles](/moltsets-data/six-digit-naics-codes-titles) for the comprehensive six-digit national industry list.
## What NAICS codes are used for
NAICS codes are widely used to:
* Segment and filter company data by industry
* Benchmark businesses against others in the same category
* Determine eligibility for government contracts, grants, and loans (e.g. SBA size standards)
* Power targeting and prospecting in B2B sales and marketing
* Standardize industry classification across databases from different sources
Below is the full list of the 20 top-level NAICS sectors. The subsector table for each one follows in [Subsector reference tables](#subsector-reference-tables).
| Code | Sector |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **11** | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting |
| **21** | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction |
| **22** | Utilities |
| **23** | Construction |
| **31-33** | Manufacturing |
| **42** | Wholesale Trade |
| **44-45** | Retail Trade |
| **48-49** | Transportation and Warehousing |
| **51** | Information |
| **52** | Finance and Insurance |
| **53** | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing |
| **54** | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services |
| **55** | Management of Companies and Enterprises |
| **56** | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services |
| **61** | Educational Services |
| **62** | Health Care and Social Assistance |
| **71** | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation |
| **72** | Accommodation and Food Services |
| **81** | Other Services (except Public Administration) |
| **92** | Public Administration |
## Where NAICS codes are used in MoltSets
`naics_code` is a filter on the [`search_companies`](/best-practices/searching-for-companies) and [`search_people`](/best-practices/searching-for-people) endpoints.
It matches at any level of the hierarchy, so a 2-digit sector code casts a wide net and a 6-digit code narrows to a precise industry — for example, `"54"` returns all of Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, while `"541120"` returns only Offices of Notaries.
It's the most standardised of the industry filters available on these endpoints (the others being `industry` and `linkedin_industry`), so it's the one to reach for when you need consistent, well-defined industry boundaries rather than broader category buckets — useful for building prospect lists or contact searches that need to match a specific industry precisely, rather than relying on a loosely-related keyword bucket.
See [Searching for Companies](/best-practices/searching-for-companies) and [Searching for People](/best-practices/searching-for-people) for guidance on when to use `naics_code` versus the other industry filters.
## Subsector reference tables
Each table below lists the 3-digit subsector codes within that sector. These are the next level of detail below the top-level sector code.
### 11 — Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| 111 | Crop Production |
| 112 | Animal Production and Aquaculture |
| 113 | Forestry and Logging |
| 114 | Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| 115 | Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry |
### 21 — Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | ----------------------------- |
| 211 | Oil and Gas Extraction |
| 212 | Mining (except Oil and Gas) |
| 213 | Support Activities for Mining |
### 22 — Utilities
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | --------- |
| 221 | Utilities |
### 23 — Construction
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | ---------------------------------------- |
| 236 | Construction of Buildings |
| 237 | Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction |
| 238 | Specialty Trade Contractors |
### 31-33 — Manufacturing
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 311 | Food Manufacturing |
| 312 | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing |
| 313 | Textile Mills |
| 314 | Textile Product Mills |
| 315 | Apparel Manufacturing |
| 316 | Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing |
| 321 | Wood Product Manufacturing |
| 322 | Paper Manufacturing |
| 323 | Printing and Related Support Activities |
| 324 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing |
| 325 | Chemical Manufacturing |
| 326 | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing |
| 327 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing |
| 331 | Primary Metal Manufacturing |
| 332 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing |
| 333 | Machinery Manufacturing |
| 334 | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing |
| 335 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing |
| 336 | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing |
| 337 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing |
| 339 | Miscellaneous Manufacturing |
### 42 — Wholesale Trade
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | -------------------------------------- |
| 423 | Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods |
| 424 | Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods |
| 425 | Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
### 44-45 — Retail Trade
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 441 | Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers |
| 444 | Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers |
| 445 | Food and Beverage Retailers |
| 449 | Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers |
| 455 | General Merchandise Retailers |
| 456 | Health and Personal Care Retailers |
| 457 | Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers |
| 458 | Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers |
| 459 | Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers |
### 48-49 — Transportation and Warehousing
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | ------------------------------------------- |
| 481 | Air Transportation |
| 482 | Rail Transportation |
| 483 | Water Transportation |
| 484 | Truck Transportation |
| 485 | Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation |
| 486 | Pipeline Transportation |
| 487 | Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation |
| 488 | Support Activities for Transportation |
| 491 | Postal Service |
| 492 | Couriers and Messengers |
| 493 | Warehousing and Storage |
### 51 — Information
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 512 | Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries |
| 513 | Publishing Industries |
| 516 | Broadcasting and Content Providers |
| 517 | Telecommunications |
| 518 | Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services |
| 519 | Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services |
### 52 — Finance and Insurance
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 521 | Monetary Authorities-Central Bank |
| 522 | Credit Intermediation and Related Activities |
| 523 | Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities |
| 524 | Insurance Carriers and Related Activities |
| 525 | Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles |
### 53 — Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 531 | Real Estate |
| 532 | Rental and Leasing Services |
| 533 | Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) |
### 54 — Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| 541 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services |
### 55 — Management of Companies and Enterprises
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | --------------------------------------- |
| 551 | Management of Companies and Enterprises |
### 56 — Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | ----------------------------------------- |
| 561 | Administrative and Support Services |
| 562 | Waste Management and Remediation Services |
### 61 — Educational Services
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | -------------------- |
| 611 | Educational Services |
### 62 — Health Care and Social Assistance
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | --------------------------------------- |
| 621 | Ambulatory Health Care Services |
| 622 | Hospitals |
| 623 | Nursing and Residential Care Facilities |
| 624 | Social Assistance |
### 71 — Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| 711 | Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries |
| 712 | Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions |
| 713 | Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries |
### 72 — Accommodation and Food Services
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | --------------------------------- |
| 721 | Accommodation |
| 722 | Food Services and Drinking Places |
### 81 — Other Services (except Public Administration)
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 811 | Repair and Maintenance |
| 812 | Personal and Laundry Services |
| 813 | Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations |
| 814 | Private Households |
### 92 — Public Administration
| Code | Subsector |
| ---- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 921 | Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support |
| 922 | Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities |
| 923 | Administration of Human Resource Programs |
| 924 | Administration of Environmental Quality Programs |
| 925 | Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development |
| 926 | Administration of Economic Programs |
| 927 | Space Research and Technology |
| 928 | National Security and International Affairs |
## Related
The full six-digit national industry list.
When to filter on `naics_code` versus the other industry filters.