Analysis
NAICS 236210 is the 2022 national industry for industrial building construction, part of 23621 (Industrial Building Construction). Census lists 45 example activities under it in the official index.
County Business Patterns counts 3,380 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 75,224 people at an average annual payroll of $92,768 per employee (80th percentile of national industries). 49% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which is close to the national mix.
Census lists 6 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 237120, 237110, 237130 and 237990. Businesses that do several things are classified by their primary activity, the one that generates the most value, so check those boundaries before settling on this code.
Its index entries, the activities Census uses to assign businesses to this code, include acid plant construction, addition, alteration and renovation, for-sale builders…, addition, alteration and renovation, general contractors… and addition, alteration and renovation, industrial building…, among 45 in all.
For example, constructing oil refineries and petrochemical plants are classified in 237120 (Oil and Gas Pipeline and Related Structures Construction) instead.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 4% and employment rose 6%. 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
This industry comprises establishments primarily responsible for the construction (including new work, additions, alterations, maintenance, and repairs) of industrial buildings (except warehouses). The construction of selected additional structures, whose production processes are similar to those for industrial buildings (e.g., incinerators, cement plants, blast furnaces, and similar nonbuilding structures), is included in this industry. Included in this industry are industrial building general contractors, industrial building for-sale builders, industrial building design-build firms, and industrial building construction management firms.
Illustrative Examples:
Assembly plant construction Furnace, industrial plant, construction Cannery construction Mine loading and discharging station construction Cement plant construction Paper or pulp mill construction Steel mill construction Chemical plant (except petrochemical) construction Pharmaceutical manufacturing plant construction Factory construction Food processing plant construction Waste disposal plant (except sewage treatment) construction
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Constructing oil refineries and petrochemical plants | 237120 Oil and Gas Pipeline and Related Structures Construction |
| Constructing water treatment plants, sewage treatment plants, and pumping stations for water and sewer systems | 237110 Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction |
| Constructing power generation plants (except hydroelectric) | 237130 Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction |
| Constructing hydroelectric generating facilities | 237990 Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction |
| Constructing industrial warehouses | 236220 Commercial and Institutional Building Construction |
| Performing specialized construction work on industrial buildings, generally on a subcontract basis | 238 Specialty Trade Contractors |
Index entries (45)
- Acid plant construction
- Addition, alteration and renovation, for-sale builders, industrial building (except warehouses)
- Addition, alteration and renovation, general contractors, industrial building (except warehouses)
- Addition, alteration and renovation, industrial building (except warehouses)
- Aluminum plant construction
- Ammonium plant construction
- Assembly plant construction
- Blast furnace construction
- Cannery construction
- Cement plant construction
- Chemical (except petrochemical process-type) plant construction
- Clean room construction
- Construction management, industrial building (except warehouses)
- Factory construction
- Fish processing plant construction
- Food processing plant construction
- For-sale builders (i.e., building on own land, for sale), industrial building (except warehouses)
- Foundry construction
- Furnace (i.e., industrial plant structure) construction
- Garbage disposal plant construction
- Incinerator, mass-burn type, construction
- Incinerator, municipal waste disposal, construction
- Industrial building (except warehouses) construction
- Industrial building (except warehouses) construction, for-sale builders
- Industrial building (except warehouses) construction, general contractors
- Kiln construction
- Manufacturing building construction
- Materials recovery facility construction
- Metal processing plant construction
- Mine loading and discharging station construction
- Motor vehicle assembly plant construction
- Ore and metal refinery construction
- Oven, industrial plant, construction
- Paper or pulp mill construction
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing plant construction
- Prefabricated industrial building (except warehouses) erection
- Printing plant construction
- Refuse disposal plant (except sewage treatment) construction
- Smelter construction
- Speculative builders (i.e., building on own land, for sale), industrial building (except warehouses)