Analysis
NAICS 21223 is the 2022 NAICS industry for copper, nickel, lead, and zinc mining, part of 2122 (Metal Ore Mining).
It has only one more detailed code, 212230, which covers exactly the same activities; the definition, index entries and statistics are on that page.
County Business Patterns counts 61 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 16,844 people at an average annual payroll of $96,952 per employee (82nd percentile of national industries). 21% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which points to larger operations.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments fell 6% and employment rose 20%. 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.
By establishments it ranks 2nd of the 4 codes at this level within Metal Ore Mining, with 18.1% of them.
Official definition
See industry description for 212230.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.