Analysis
NAICS 48821 is the 2022 NAICS industry for support activities for rail transportation, part of 4882 (Support Activities for Rail Transportation).
It has only one more detailed code, 488210, 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 13% and employment rose 18%. 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 1,695 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 49,372 people at an average annual payroll of $67,688 per employee (49th percentile of national industries). 32% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which is close to the national mix.
Official definition
See industry description for 488210.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.