3115

Analysis

NAICS 3115 is the 2022 industry group for dairy product manufacturing, part of 311 (Food Manufacturing). Census lists 105 example activities under it in the official index.

County Business Patterns counts 1,750 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 164,416 people at an average annual payroll of $66,106 per employee (45th percentile of national industries). 23% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which points to larger operations.

Across its national industries Census lists 105 index entries; typical ones are acidophilus milk manufacturing, anhydrous butterfat manufacturing, cheese (except cottage cheese) manufacturing and baby formula, fresh, processed, and bottled, manufacturing.

Its goods appear in 310 statistical lines of the US tariff schedule, mostly under headings 0406 (cheese and curd), 1901 (malt extract; food preparations of flour, groats, meal…) and 0402 (milk and cream, concentrated or containing added sugar or…). That link is how import data is matched to domestic producers, for example in trade-remedy cases.

It splits into 2 more detailed codes. The largest by establishments is 31151 (Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing) with 1,236.

Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 3% 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.