What is a NAICS code?
A NAICS code is a North American Industry Classification System code used by federal statistical agencies to classify business establishments by economic activity. In procurement data, NAICS codes describe the industry associated with an award or contractor profile. Fonteum uses them to group federal spending by industry without turning the code into a quality claim.
- Source file
- Not reported
- Published
- Not reported
- Retrieved
- Not reported
- Snapshot
- Not retained for this reference page
- Re-check
- U.S. Census Bureau: NAICS
- Data as of
- Not reported
Full name: North American Industry Classification System Code
Short explanation
The North American Industry Classification System is the standard used by federal statistical agencies to classify establishments for collecting, analyzing, and publishing business-economy statistics. NAICS codes range from broad sectors to six-digit industries. In federal procurement, NAICS appears on registrations and awards so spending can be grouped by industry. The code describes economic activity; it does not state capability, quality, or compliance status by itself.
Related use case: Federal spend by NAICS industry code
How it’s used
- Federal statistics: agencies use NAICS to classify establishments by economic activity and publish comparable business data.
- Procurement records: SAM.gov registrations and USASpending award rows can carry NAICS fields that describe industry context for an entity or award.
- Fonteum uses NAICS to build federal-spend-by-industry pages from award facts while preserving the source date and award context.
Frequently asked questions
- How many digits are in a NAICS code?
- NAICS supports two- through six-digit levels, with six-digit codes identifying the most detailed industry level in the U.S. system.
- Is NAICS the same as SIC?
- No. NAICS replaced SIC for federal statistical classification, though SIC still appears in some legacy datasets.
- Why does NAICS matter in federal contracting?
- NAICS codes identify the industry context for registrations, solicitations, awards, and small-business size standards.
Explore in Fonteum
How Fonteum sources, resolves, and publishes data tied to this term.