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NAICS stands for "North American Industry Classification System." NAICS was developed in 1997 to replace the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system that had been in use since 1937.
NAICS codes are used to classify businesses by type, so that data for businesses in North America (i.e., the United States, Mexico, and Canada) can be presented and analyzed in a uniform manner. Codes are reviewed every five years to ensure their relevance, accuracy, and timeliness.
NAICS codes can be up to 6 digits long. The more digits there are in a code, the greater the level of specificity in the classification of a business. The meaning of the digits in a NAICS code is:
Digits 1-2: Economic sector
Digit 3: Economic subsector
Digit 4: Industry group
Digit 5: NAICS industry
Digit 6: National industry
NAICS codes are assigned to a company based on the company's primary business activity.
For more information about NAICS codes, see the Census Bureau's NAICS pages; note, in particular, the FAQ tab.
You can find a company's or industry's NAICS code by going to the Census Bureau's North American Industry Classification System page. In the 2022 NAICS Search search box, enter a keyword that describes the company or industry of interest (for example, to find the NAICS code that would apply to Starbucks, you could enter coffee or coffee shop). You'll then see a list of codes relevant to the keyword that you entered. Click on any code for more information about the types of business activities classified under that code.
You can find a company's NAICS code by looking up the company in the following UMGC Library databases:
In Gale Business: Insights, click on the Browse All Companies button, enter a company's name in the search box, and then click on the company's name on the search results page. The company profile page includes a section titled "Industry" that shows the company's primary industry and NAICS code highlighted in blue. A link is provided for viewing the company's secondary industries.
In Hoovers, enter a company's name in the small search box at the top of the database's home page. On the company overview page, below the business description, you'll see a section titled "Industry," where you'll find the main SIC and NAICS codes associated with the company.
In Nexis Uni, click on the Menu link toward the top left-hand corner of the database's home page and then on Company Dossier. You can then enter a company's name in the search box. The company overview page lists the main SIC and NAICS codes associated with the company.
If you have the NAICS code for an industry, you can use it to find trends for that industry by using a UMGC Library database such as ABI/INFORM Collection or Business Source Ultimate.
Enter the NAICS code in one search box and use the drop-down menu next to that search box to select the NAICS code entry.
Then, in another search box, enter
trend*
Keep the Boolean operator AND between the two search boxes, so that you'll be searching for the NAICS code along with trend*. (Note that the asterisk at the end of trend* ensures that you'll find documents that contain the word trend (singular) as well as documents that contain the word trends (plural).)