Analysis
NAICS 32541 is the 2022 NAICS industry for pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, part of 3254 (Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing). Census lists 169 example activities under it in the official index.
County Business Patterns counts 2,905 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 321,068 people at an average annual payroll of $113,582 per employee (89th percentile of national industries). 28% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which is close to the national mix.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 17% and employment rose 26%. 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.
Across its national industries Census lists 169 index entries; typical ones are acetylsalicylic acid manufacturing, adrenal medicinal preparations manufacturing, blood derivative in-vitro diagnostic substances… and agar culture media manufacturing.
Its goods appear in 307 statistical lines of the US tariff schedule, mostly under headings 3004 (medicaments (excluding goods of heading 3002, 3005 or 3006)…), 2933 (heterocyclic compounds with nitrogen hetero-atom(s) only) and 2937 (hormones, prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes…). That link is how import data is matched to domestic producers, for example in trade-remedy cases.
It splits into 4 more detailed codes. The largest by establishments is 325412 (Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing) with 1,436.
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in one or more of the following: (1) manufacturing biological and medicinal products; (2) processing (i.e., grading, grinding, and milling) botanical drugs and herbs; (3) isolating active medicinal principals from botanical drugs and herbs; and (4) manufacturing pharmaceutical products intended for internal and external consumption in such forms as ampoules, tablets, capsules, vials, ointments, powders, solutions, and suspensions.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Index entries (169)
- Acetylsalicylic acid manufacturing
- Adrenal medicinal preparations manufacturing
- Blood derivative in-vitro diagnostic substances manufacturing
- Agar culture media manufacturing