NAICS 2022
48-49
Transportation and Warehousing
Analysis
NAICS 48-49 is the 2022 sector for transportation and warehousing. Census lists 437 example activities under it in the official index.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 19% and employment rose 30%. 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 291,155 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 6,548,924 people. 63% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which marks it as a small-business industry.
Across its national industries Census lists 437 index entries; typical ones are air commuter carriers, scheduled, air cargo carriers (except air couriers), scheduled, air passenger carriers, nonscheduled and air cargo carriers (except air couriers), nonscheduled.
Official definition
The Sector as a Whole
The Transportation and Warehousing sector includes industries providing transportation of passengers and cargo, warehousing and storage for goods, scenic and sightseeing transportation, and support activities related to modes of transportation. Establishments in these industries use transportation equipment or transportation-related facilities as a productive asset. The type of equipment depends on the mode of transportation. The modes of transportation are air, rail, water, road, and pipeline.
The Transportation and Warehousing sector distinguishes three basic types of activities: subsectors for each mode of transportation, a subsector for warehousing and storage, and a subsector for establishments providing support activities for transportation. In addition, there are subsectors for establishments that provide passenger transportation for scenic and sightseeing purposes, postal services, and courier services.
A separate subsector for support activities is established in the sector because, first, support activities for transportation are inherently multimodal, such as freight transportation arrangement, or have multimodal aspects. Secondly, there are production process similarities among the support activity industries.
One of the support activities identified in the Support Activities for Transportation subsector is the routine repair and maintenance of transportation equipment (e.g., aircraft at an airport, railroad rolling stock at a railroad terminal, or ships at a harbor or port facility). Such establishments do not perform complete overhauling or rebuilding of transportation equipment (i.e., periodic restoration of transportation equipment to original design specifications) or transportation equipment conversion (i.e., major modification to systems). An establishment that primarily performs factory (or shipyard) overhauls, rebuilding, or conversions of aircraft, railroad rolling stock, or ships is classified in Subsector 336, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing, according to the type of equipment.
Many of the establishments in this sector often operate on networks, with physical facilities, labor forces, and equipment spread over an extensive geographic area.
Warehousing establishments in this sector are distinguished from merchant wholesaling in that the warehouse establishments do not sell the goods.
Excluded from this sector are establishments primarily engaged in providing travel agent, travel arrangement, and reservation services that support transportation establishments, hotels, other businesses, and government agencies. These establishments are classified in Sector 56, Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services. Establishments primarily engaged in providing rental and leasing of transportation equipment without operator are classified in Subsector 532, Rental and Leasing Services. Establishments primarily engaged in providing medical care with transportation are classified in Sector 62, Health Care and Social Assistance.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Index entries (437)
- Air commuter carriers, scheduled
- Air cargo carriers (except air couriers), scheduled
- Air passenger carriers, nonscheduled
- Air cargo carriers (except air couriers), nonscheduled
- Aircraft charter services (i.e., general purpose aircraft used for a variety of specialty air and flying services)
- Freight railways, line-haul
- Beltline railroads
- Deep sea freight transportation to or from foreign ports
- Cruise lines (i.e., deep sea passenger transportation to or from foreign ports)
- Barge transportation, coastal or Great Lakes (including St. Lawrence Seaway)
- Coastal passenger transportation to and from domestic ports
- Barge transportation, canal (freight)
- Canal passenger transportation
- Bulk mail truck transportation, contract, local
- Bulk mail truck transportation, contract, long-distance (TL)
- General freight trucking, long-distance, less-than-truckload (LTL)
- Furniture moving, used
- Agricultural products trucking, local
- Automobile carrier trucking, long-distance
- Commuter transit systems, mixed mode (e.g., bus, commuter rail, subway combination)
- Commuter rail systems (except mixed mode)
- Bus line, local (except mixed mode)
- Cable car systems (except mixed mode), commuter
- Bus line operation, intercity
- Cab (i.e., taxi) services
- Automobile rental with driver (except shuttle service, taxis)
- Bus operation, school and employee
- Bus charter services (except scenic, sightseeing)
- Disabled or elderly passenger transportation services
- Airport limousine services (i.e., shuttle)
- Booster pumping station, crude oil transportation
- Booster pumping station, natural gas transportation
- Booster pumping station, refined petroleum products transportation
- Booster pumping station (except natural gas, petroleum)
- Buses, scenic and sightseeing operation
- Airboat (i.e., swamp buggy) operation
- Aerial cable car, scenic and sightseeing, operation
- Air traffic control services (except military)
- Aircraft hangar rental
- Aircraft ferrying services