Analysis
NAICS 31521 is the 2022 NAICS industry for cut and sew apparel contractors, part of 3152 (Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing).
It has only one more detailed code, 315210, which covers exactly the same activities; the definition, index entries and statistics are on that page.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments fell 26% and employment fell 22%. 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.
County Business Patterns counts 2,094 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 22,704 people at an average annual payroll of $36,658 per employee (7th percentile of national industries). 60% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which marks it as a small-business industry.
Official definition
See industry description for 315210.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.