Analysis
NAICS 21221 is the 2022 NAICS industry for iron ore mining, part of 2122 (Metal Ore Mining).
It has only one more detailed code, 212210, which covers exactly the same activities; the definition, index entries and statistics are on that page.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 21% and employment rose 10%. The 2018 count used NAICS 2017, so part of a large move can come from codes being redefined rather than from businesses opening or closing.
County Business Patterns counts 23 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 5,004 people at an average annual payroll of $105,653 per employee (87th percentile of national industries). 26% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which is close to the national mix.
By establishments it ranks 4th of the 4 codes at this level within Metal Ore Mining, with 6.8% of them.
Official definition
See industry description for 212210.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.