Analysis
NAICS 31121 is the 2022 NAICS industry for flour milling and malt manufacturing, part of 3112 (Grain and Oilseed Milling). Census lists 62 example activities under it in the official index.
By establishments it ranks 1st of the 3 codes at this level within Grain and Oilseed Milling, with 50.1% of them.
County Business Patterns counts 464 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 22,159 people at an average annual payroll of $64,833 per employee (42nd percentile of national industries). 20% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which points to larger operations.
Census lists 7 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 31123, 31122, 31182 and 31212. 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.
Across its national industries Census lists 62 index entries; typical ones are barley flour manufacturing, bran and other residues of milling rice and barley, malt, manufacturing.
Its goods appear in 64 statistical lines of the US tariff schedule, mostly under headings 1006 (rice), 1103 (cereal groats, meal and pellets) and 1104 (cereal grains otherwise worked (for example, hulled…). That link is how import data is matched to domestic producers, for example in trade-remedy cases.
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in one or more of the following: (1) milling flour or meal from grains or vegetables; (2) preparing flour mixes or doughs from flour milled in the same establishment; (3) milling, cleaning, and polishing rice; and (4) manufacturing malt from barley, rye, or other grains.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Preparing breakfast cereals from flour milled in the same establishment | 31123 Breakfast Cereal Manufacturing |
| Crushing soybeans or wet milling corn and vegetables | 31122 Starch and Vegetable Fats and Oils Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing prepared flour mixes or doughs from flour ground elsewhere | 31182 Cookie, Cracker, and Pasta Manufacturing |
| Brewing malt beverages | 31212 Breweries |
| Mixing purchased dried and dehydrated ingredients with purchased rice | 31199 All Other Food Manufacturing |
| Drying and/or dehydrating ingredients and packaging them with purchased rice | 31142 Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling, and Drying |
| Manufacturing malt extract and syrups | 31194 Seasoning and Dressing Manufacturing |
Index entries (62)
- Barley flour manufacturing
- Bran and other residues of milling rice
- Barley, malt, manufacturing