NAICS 2022
22
Utilities
Analysis
NAICS 22 is the 2022 sector for utilities.
It has only one more detailed code, 221, which covers exactly the same activities; the definition, index entries and statistics are on that page.
County Business Patterns counts 20,379 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 667,277 people at an average annual payroll of $127,240 per employee (93rd percentile of national industries). 43% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which is close to the national mix.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 7% and employment rose 3%. 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.
Official definition
The Sector as a Whole
The Utilities sector comprises establishments engaged in the provision of the following utility services: electric power, natural gas, steam supply, water supply, and sewage treatment and disposal. Within this sector, the specific activities associated with the utility services provided vary by utility: electric power includes generation, transmission, and distribution; natural gas includes distribution; steam supply includes provision and/or distribution; water supply includes treatment and distribution; and sewage removal includes collection, treatment, and disposal of waste through sewer systems and sewage treatment facilities.
Excluded from this sector are establishments primarily engaged in waste management services classified in Subsector 562, Waste Management and Remediation Services. These establishments also collect, treat, and dispose of waste materials; however, they do not use sewer systems or sewage treatment facilities.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.