42311

Analysis

NAICS 42311 is the 2022 NAICS industry for automobile and other motor vehicle merchant wholesalers, part of 4231 (Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Parts and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers).

It has only one more detailed code, 423110, which covers exactly the same activities; the definition, index entries and statistics are on that page.

County Business Patterns counts 6,117 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 135,951 people at an average annual payroll of $88,181 per employee (76th percentile of national industries). 46% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which is close to the national mix.

By establishments it ranks 2nd of the 4 codes at this level within Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Parts and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers, with 26.7% of them.

Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments fell 1% 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.