Analysis
NAICS 115 is the 2022 subsector for support activities for agriculture and forestry, part of 11 (Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting). Census lists 135 example activities under it in the official index.
County Business Patterns counts 11,886 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 107,090 people at an average annual payroll of $54,856 per employee (24th percentile of national industries). 70% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which marks it as a small-business industry.
By establishments it ranks 1st of the 3 codes at this level within Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, with 52.2% of them.
Across its national industries Census lists 135 index entries; typical ones are cotton ginning, aerial crop dusting or spraying (i.e., using specialized or…, berries, machine harvesting and almond hulling and shelling.
Its goods appear in 4 statistical lines of the US tariff schedule, mostly under headings 0802 (other nuts, fresh or dried, whether or not shelled or peeled). That link is how import data is matched to domestic producers, for example in trade-remedy cases.
It splits into 3 more detailed codes. The largest by establishments is 1151 (Support Activities for Crop Production) with 5,072.
Official definition
Industries in the Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry subsector provide support services that are an essential part of agricultural and forestry production. These support activities may be performed by the agriculture or forestry producing establishment or conducted independently as an alternative source of inputs required for the production process for a given crop, animal, or forestry industry. Establishments that primarily perform these activities independent of the agriculture or forestry producing establishment are in this subsector.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Index entries (135)
- Cotton ginning
- Aerial crop dusting or spraying (i.e., using specialized or dedicated aircraft)
- Berries, machine harvesting
- Almond hulling and shelling
- Agriculture production or harvesting crews
- Farm management services
- Animal semen banks
- Aerial forest firefighting