Analysis
NAICS 51224 is the 2022 NAICS industry for sound recording studios, part of 5122 (Sound Recording Industries).
It has only one more detailed code, 512240, 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 14%. 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 Sound Recording Industries, with 46.5% of them.
County Business Patterns counts 2,131 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 6,596 people at an average annual payroll of $72,880 per employee (56th percentile of national industries). 87% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which marks it as a small-business industry.
Official definition
See industry description for 512240.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.