Research Guides: Industry Research: Industry Definitions

Identify the Industry

To maximize your success in locating industry reports, look for the NAICS code(s) that best describes your industry. It is normal for companies to fit more than one industry. Having these codes will help your research, because analysts and publishers use these codes to define and name many industry reports.

Also, NAICS codes are hierarchical, which means that industries are arranged from broad to narrow definitions. For example, a broad NAICS code is 44, including all retail businesses, while a narrower category is 4481, which includes only clothing stores. Understanding this can help you "move up a level" if your NAICS code is too narrow.

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
This website provides a search for the latest version of the NAICS codes.

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