Analysis
NAICS 51211 is the 2022 NAICS industry for motion picture and video production, part of 5121 (Motion Picture and Video Industries).
It has only one more detailed code, 512110, which covers exactly the same activities; the definition, index entries and statistics are on that page.
County Business Patterns counts 17,366 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 158,632 people at an average annual payroll of $86,308 per employee (74th percentile of national industries). 85% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which marks it as a small-business industry.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 14% and employment rose 20%. 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.
By establishments it ranks 1st of the 4 codes at this level within Motion Picture and Video Industries, with 67.7% of them.
Official definition
See industry description for 512110.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.