Analysis
NAICS 44523 is the 2022 NAICS industry for fruit and vegetable retailers, part of 4452 (Specialty Food Retailers).
It has only one more detailed code, 445230, which covers exactly the same activities; the definition, index entries and statistics are on that page.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 62% and employment rose 8%. 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 4,255 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 21,062 people at an average annual payroll of $33,180 per employee (6th percentile of national industries). 73% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which marks it as a small-business industry.
By establishments it ranks 2nd of the 2 codes at this level within Specialty Food Retailers, with 17.8% of them.
Official definition
See industry description for 445230.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.