ENT 3315 - Starting/Managing a Business

These are databases that will help you find industry information .

If you are not a business major, industry codes can be kind of confusing -- what are they and what are they used for?   Here is what you need to know:

• Industry codes are used to classify like businesses together.  This is helpful so that businesses that grow oranges can be compared to other businesses that also grow oranges and coffee shops can be compared to other coffee shops.   They also help us gather some really helpful industry numbers such as industry revenue.
• Businesses in the United States have used two (2) industry codes.
  • SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) code was developed in the 1930's
  • NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) code was developed in the late 1990's

Here is what the system of industry codes looks like:

The following shows the arrangement of the SIC code:

The following shows the arrangement of the NAICS code:

• Industry codes can be used to research industries,  Several of the databases listed on this page use industry codes as means of organizing or searching for information.
• You can search for an industry code by going to the U.S. Census page and using the NAICS Lookup option (https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/).

These are sites that provide industry-related information.  Keep in mind that frequently trade associations for specific industries are also good sources for industry statistics and information.